Paul Clinton
BURBANK -- A grass-roots group has broken its silence.
Political action committee Restore Our Airport Rights emerged from a
nearly three-month hibernation Thursday to begin efforts to recirculate a
petition that would impose strict limits on growth at Burbank Airport.
ROAR co-chairman Howard Rothenbach, who founded the group with former
councilman Ted McConkey, submitted the two-page proposed ballot measure
to the city clerk on Thursday.
"We've cleaned up the language, streamlined it," Rothenbach said.
"When this passes, they won't build an airport (terminal) unless there's
a curfew and cap (on flights)."
Rothenbach said the group will need to collect 6,000 signatures to
qualify the petition for a municipal ballot. The group will aim for the
February ballot, but Rothenbach said voters are more likely see it in
April.
A curfew on nighttime flights and cap on jet operations have remained
the cornerstones of the petition, which initially was circulated by the
group last winter. On March 15, City Clerk Judie Sarquiz rejected the
group's more than 7,000 signatures because she said McConkey and
Rothenbach hadn't properly identified themselves to potential signers.
After several promises to recirculate a clearer petition -- city
officials had blasted the first effort as sloppy and legally flawed --
ROAR brought back the petition with some changes. Rothenbach said the the
group wanted to wait for the city to decide whether it would exercise its
option to buy the proposed terminal land. On July 25, the city declined
the purchase.
ROAR scribes added a few wrinkles in the new version of the petition.
Among them are a provision that any changes must secure a two-thirds
approval by voters, a ban on the lengthening of airport runways, city
monitoring of noise levels and hefty fines for noise violations.
The group's low profile since mid-May had city officials confident
ROAR had gone mute.
"I've been more or less referring to it as SNORE over the past few
months," Councilman David Laurell said. "Let it drop. It's a bad
initiative."
Laurell and other city officials said the petition is a wish list of
items that aren't achievable. They also have said it won't stand up in
court.
