[Editor's note: This story has updated from an earlier version]
Former City Council candidate Bob Frutos lost his seat on the Burbank Police Commission this week after failing to garner enough confirmation votes.
Frutos, who lost to Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy in the runoff general election last month by less than 100 votes, expressed surprise at the decision after Mayor Jess Talamantes on Tuesday cast the swing vote to appoint someone else to the commission.
“It’s going to take some time to process,” Frutos said the next day during his last commission meeting.
Recent Burbank transplant Richard Warmack was picked to take Frutos’ seat after an initial tie vote in the first round in which Talamantes did not vote for either applicant before voting to appoint Warmack in a tie-breaking round.
“Those appointments are very difficult, and there were a lot of qualified individuals who applied,” Talamantes said.
He said his decision was partially based on Warmack’s 31 years of law enforcement and security experience as a police officer and executive with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.