Election

The Burbank Leader welcomes letters to the editor on all subjects, including local campaigns. We do, however, adhere to a blackout period prior to the day voters go to the polls. So, those who are interested in writing letters related to the March 5 election must submit them by noon on Thursday, Feb. 21 for inclusion in the Saturday, Feb. 23 issue of The Leader. Please send your letters to carol.cormaci@latimes.com .

Stacey Murphy started 2005 as a shoo-in to retain her City Council seat and ended it in a courtroom pleading guilty to drug and child endangerment.In her last vote as a Burbank City Councilwoman, Stacey Murphy approved changes to the city's ordinance on discharges from publicly operated treatment plants. That was on the evening of July 12, just five months after Murphy was re-elected to her position by a margin of more than 60% in the primary election. The following day the popular, straight-talking Murphy would have the spotlight of media attention focused on her for another reason -- her arrest on a felony possession of cocaine charge and a misdemeanor child endangerment charge.

BURBANK — The Board of Education agreed on Thursday to select an interim trustee to fill the seat of trustee Paul Krekorian, who is leaving next month to begin his term as state assemblyman. Trustees need to select a temporary board member to fill Krekorian's unexpired term, which expires April 30, Supt. Greg Bowman said. With Thursday's vote, the board will wait for April's election, when voters will have a chance to select a permanent trustee. Krekorian has submitted his letter of resignation as a board member, effective on Dec. 4. Bowman wants the board to appoint someone immediately, knowing that the school board election is coming up early next year, he said.

Ken Ahearn has never seen a presidential election so unique. “Finally we are waking up to what we should do,” he said. “Which is in Martin Luther King’s words, looking at one another’s abilities, not the color of one’s skin.” Ahearn, 80, was one of 20 members of the Burbank Democrats, a local political activist group, gathered Thursday evening to munch on grilled burgers and hot dogs and discuss politics, especially the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.

On April 13, voters in the 43rd Assembly District will cast their ballots in a special election for the remainder of Paul Krekorian’s term. If no candidate gets more than 50%, a runoff takes place June 8 to decide the victor. Also on June 8 will be the regular primary election for the same district seat for the regular Nov. 2 election, which, in turn, will decide who serves in the state Assembly for the full two-year term. If this sounds like a mess, it is. That voters will have to go to the polls at least three, maybe four, times between April and November for the same seat, each time racking up the bill for local government, is a bureaucratic absurdity.

Rosette Gonzales Four of the six candidates vying for two seats on the Burbank School Board will proceed to a run-off in April's general election. Primary election results released just before midnight on Tuesday favored Susan Bowers with 3,413 votes and Debbie Kukta with 3,358. Larry Applebaum followed with 2,780 and Nikki Capshaw picked up 2,364 votes. Roland Armstorff and Ira Lippman will not advance to the general election. "I'm very pleased with the results and it's nice to be so close to the top," Kukta said.

AS IF YOU ASKED Hooray, the election is over! Now we can look forward to the election! Regular readers know Burbank's municipal elections are a two-step process, and yesterday's primary was the first. As I write this, the polls haven't even closed yet. But candidates who won more than 50% of the votes automatically win their seat, and will take office May 1. The top two finishers for each remaining vacancy will continue to the general election April 8. Residents who don't read this newspaper or otherwise monitor local politics and politicians were doubtless puzzled by the recent spate of campaign signs, this so soon after November's statewide brawl.

Facing criticism that she used a Burbank Unified school board candidate's political consulting company for her election campaign, Interim City Clerk Zizette Mullins this week called it a “non-issue.” Mullins, who is seeking election to the post after being appointed to fill a vacancy, said she didn't know school board candidate Steve Ferguson was associated with the company. And Mullins said that all transactions were done through Devin Cotter, who she did not realize was business partners with Ferguson until well after the fact.

After months of campaigning and a contentious primary election, Democrat Mike Gatto and Republican Sunder Ramani will face off in a special election Tuesday for the 43rd Assembly District. The winner will serve the district, which represents Glendale, Burbank and parts of Los Angeles, until the end of the current legislative session in November. Tuesday also serves as the primary election for that Nov. 2 election for a full two-year term that begins next year. The seat has been vacant since January when Paul Krekorian left to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, leaving state Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge)

As the City Council considers eliminating Burbank's primary election ("Burbank ponders dropping primary," May 18) let's think beyond a choice between primary/run off and general election and consider ranked choice voting as an effective alternative. Reducing the current election cycle would save money. More importantly, it would reduce the campaign expenditures needed to be successfully elected. Given the increasing outside money in recent Burbank elections, reducing the pressure on candidates to raise money would certainly benefit Burbank.

As the City Council considers eliminating Burbank's primary election ("Burbank ponders dropping primary," May 18) let's think beyond a choice between primary/run off and general election and consider ranked choice voting as an effective alternative. Reducing the current election cycle would save money. More importantly, it would reduce the campaign expenditures needed to be successfully elected. Given the increasing outside money in recent Burbank elections, reducing the pressure on candidates to raise money would certainly benefit Burbank.

Despite being on the council for seven years, David Gordon was elected vice-mayor for the first time by his fellow council members this month . The move, by tradition, puts him in line to be mayor the following year. Bert Ring imagines the scene.  -- Dan Evans, Times Community News Follow Dan Evans on Twitter: @EditorDanEvans .  

If I believed in evolution, I'd fear we are devolving into apes with clubs, the clubs being words. I received another hit piece in the mail this week re: Jess Talamantes. I have seen too many hit pieces over the last few years. One is too many, no matter the target. Our local politics have become a microcosm of national politics - special-interest folks with unlimited funds railroading their chosen candidates into office by assassinating the characters of their competitors. Really?

I would like to congratulate Jess Talamantes and David Gordon for their victories on Tuesday night's general election. It was a hard-fought campaign and they deserved to win. I would also like to express my appreciation for David Golonski's 20 years of service to our city. Dave, you did a fine job. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many voters who selected me as their candidate. You have my gratitude, from the bottom of my heart. Lastly I would like to thank my wife, Kimberley; Ron Sabatine, my campaign manager; Mal and Linda Kelman, my treasurers, whose tireless efforts kept me positive and on task; and Bob Frutos and Gary Bric for their unwavering friendship and support.

Voter turnout in Tuesday's general election reached 18%, with 11,161 out of 60,623 registered voters participating, according to the final election results. In the City Council race, David Gordon came in first with 5,430 votes, while Jess Talamantes finished second with 5,290 votes, results show. Mayor Dave Golonski and David Nos finished with 4,571 and 4,367 votes, respectively. In the Burbank Unified school board race, winners Larry Applebaum and Charlene Tabet amassed 5,882 and 4,967 votes, respectively.

During the last stretch before Tuesday's general election in Burbank, fundraising continued among the four candidates competing for two seats on the Burbank City Council, recent reports show. City Council incumbent Dave Golonski raised $3,410 over the most recent reporting period spanning March 24 to April 3 from 22 sources, boosting his total since the start of the campaign to $18,983. He received $250 each from the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, Disney Worldwide Services and Warner Bros.

With just four more days until the Burbank general election, officials say it's too late to mail ballots in, but votes can still be cast. Residents can drop off ballots at five locations - the Buena Vista Library, Joslyn Center, Tuttle Center, McCambridge Recreation Center and the city clerk's office at City Hall - between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday and between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The City Clerk's Office will also be open for drop-offs on Friday and Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Officials are hoping to exceed the primary voter turnout, during which the city collected 9,869 ballots out of 61,170 eligible voters.

The four candidates running for Burbank Unified school board outline why they're the best choice. Steve Ferguson Age: 24 Profession: Principal of CF Political and Media Strategies As a candidate for school board, I believe that it is important to put forward a plan for which you can be held accountable. I am the only candidate to put forward new ideas to better our district, which include more financial transparency measures, the development of alumni associations, and the establishment of a Parents Bill of Rights to help parents navigate our district more effectively for their child.

The city has received roughly 4,000 ballots for the April 9 election since they were mailed out about two weeks ago, but candidates are still in campaign mode, continuing to expand their war chests in the final weeks before the election, recent filings show. The four vying for two seats on the Burbank City Council have collectively raised $17,738 for the most recent filing period, which covers roughly the last month, according to expenditure reports filed with the city clerk. Incumbent Dave Golonski is leading the fundraising efforts, having amassed $7,100 - which includes $2,000 he lent his campaign - from roughly 45 contributors.

For years, City Council members-elect have been invited by Burbank officials to sit in on closed-door meetings prior to being sworn in. But City Atty. Amy Albano has issued a memo saying that the practice violates state law. Even so, the City Council next week is slated to discuss bringing Bob Frutos - who won election outright during the February primary - into the fold for closed-door meetings prior to his swearing in. In her memo, Albano said meetings cannot be “semi-closed,” citing that “interested members of the public may not be admitted to a closed session while the remainder of the public is excluded.” She added that people “without an official role in the meeting should not be present.” At a council meeting last week, Councilman David Gordon - who on March 5 initially proposed inviting Frutos to a closed meeting - said Albano's opinion differed from what Burbank has done in the past, when elected council members were invited to observe the meetings before being sworn in. In closed-door meetings, the council may discuss pending litigation, performance evaluations or labor negotiations.