(Margaret Ecker outside her polling station/Brianna Sacks, Neon Tommy)

Though disheartened by the low turnout, she is hopeful that her choice for mayor will bring some much needed reformation to L.A.'s crumbling transportation infrastructure.

A registered nurse and pediatric nursing consultant, Ecker said she has stayed in L.A. for the past 30 years primarily because of her social life, not the city itself.

She said L.A.'s state of transportation is unbearable, and believes the city's current politicians did not take enough action or responsibility to fix dire issues, such as traffic congestion, bus routes, pot holes and response time to emergencies.

"I think this city is really dysfunctional, more so than other large cities," said Ecker. "I have a bus pass and I can't even get to the airport. That's embarrassing."

Ecker did some homework on mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti, who promised to start or complete 10 new rail lines, accelerating Measure R projects, creating more cost-effective bus lanes and creating a critical three-year plan to repair the city's roads and sidewalks.

She also complained about L.A.'s lack of tourist-friendly transportation, especially for a city that attracts such a high number of tourists every year.

"When people come in from out of town, the only way they can really be a tourist in this city is if a resident takes them around," she said. "You can go to Boston, Tokyo and New York and have a great time and you really can't do that here. I blame our city politicians for not making that better."

After working for a few years as the director of nursing quality at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center Children's Hospital, Ecker said the city's response to emergencies was unacceptably slow. It could be because of traffic, Ecker said, but she also thinks city services do not work the way they should and thinks the city's politicians did not allocate the right amount of funding.

Garcetti recently faulted the L.A. Fire Department for lags in emergency response times and Eckers said she believes Garcetti has the ability to make these changes, if elected.

"The polarization in this city affects us just like it does in Washington," said Ecker. "But I think he will make the kind of compromises the other candidates couldn't and that will make the difference."

But what stood out to her about Garcetti, more than his platform, was his persona.

"He has a really good ability to bring people together and I think Los Angeles needs that right now," said Ecker.

Transportation remains one of L.A.'s most pressing issues, and Ecker hopes Garcetti's attitude and collaborative demeanor will help the councilman get "the dysfunctional city" back on track.

"I love Los Angeles and I really want it to work."

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on the LA election here.

Reach Editor-at-Large Brianna Sacks here.