AS IF YOU ASKED
On Wednesday, I wrote about supporters of a political action
committee demanding Burbank's council let them name representatives
to sit in on an upcoming airport-related summit meeting in
Washington, D.C. In written and spoken demands, one founder of ROAR
(Restore Our Airport Rights) and other supporters declared expenses
for the overseers should be "paid for by the community."
But at council meetings in Burbank and Glendale this week, after
Wednesday's column was written, the ROARers with wanderlust clarified
they will pay for their travel, not taxpayers.
"I see we used the words 'the community' over and over," said
Howard Rothenbach, a founder of ROAR. "That's misleading, and we
should have made it clearer starting back in December.
"What we're trying to say is that we'll pay our way, but we'll be
glad to take contributions from generous supporters in the
community," he added.
Some other longtime ROAR supporters lobbying the council
unequivocally declare the city should pay the expense, one even doing
so at the same Burbank meeting Rothenbach addressed. I asked
Rothenbach if he'd publicly disagree with them. "I just haven't heard
anyone say that," he answered -- sort of.
Whether ROARers pay their way doesn't alter my objections to their
premise that only they can be trusted to relay what happens at a
meeting among officials of the three cities operating the local
airport, and executives of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Contrary to the rationale offered by some ROARers, the situation is
NOT similar to the council appointing committees. ROAR wants a
political action committee appointed to make appointments. Moreover,
no City Hall task force or city board has been established to monitor
elected officials performing their duties, this on the assertion the
officials don't represent the citizens of Burbank.
ROARers continue to pretend as though voters approving ROAR's
ballot measure calling for limits on the airport was the equivalent
of electing ROARers to office. That not only isn't the case, the
reverse is true. Rothenbach and ROAR's other founder were rejected by
voters, and no other ROARer has even tried.
Another argument made in recent days is a comparison between
ROAR's demands and my own trip to Washington, D.C., for a previous
summit, at which time I interviewed Jane Garvey, then administrator
of the FAA. But I wasn't appointed to make that trip, and in fact
kept my plans secret from officials, who I was sure would spill my
