Election

Mark R. Madler If reelected to the City Council in this year's election, Marsha Ramos already knows it will be her political swan song. She will not seek a third term. Ramos wants to give other residents the opportunity to serve in the capacity she has since 2001. "You do your public duty and you move on," said the longtime Burbank resident. "I'll serve the community in the ways I used to, and that I miss." Ramos, 47, is one of three incumbents running in Tuesday's primary election against four challengers for a council seat.

A Senate election in Massachusetts rocked the national political scene Tuesday after a heavily favored Democratic candidate lost to a little-known Republican, stirring concerns about the future of Democratic priorities and the potential for congressional shake-ups in November elections. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), David Dreier (R-San Dimas) and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) will be up for election in June, along with all members of the House of Representatives. In Massachusetts, Scott Brown, a Republican state senator, upset the state’s attorney general, Martha Coakley, a Democrat who had been favored by more than 30% in voter polls as recently as November.

I want to issue a sincere “thank you” to my fellow citizens who voted in this election and to each candidate who ran for the City Council. The candidates may not always agree and we may not always agree with them, but their willingness to put themselves out there and their interest in serving the city is admirable and appreciated. And without the voters, none of it would matter at all. This election seemed to be a more civil event than the prior election, at least to the casual observer.

Leader erred by implying Kramer is front-runner I'm writing to let you know I did not like the way a phrase was worded in the article "Three want to run the money," (Sept. 23-24.) You wrote, "Anderson and Layfer will be up against Vice Mayor Bob Kramer." You are making it sound like Kramer is favored in this election and I hope that is not what you are trying to portray because he is the least qualified of all three candidates. You should let Burbank residents know who is qualified and can do the job because if Kramer did get it because the people didn't know, I could see another Orange County Episode coming on. Being mayor or on a council does not automatically qualify you for any elected position.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Promising to bring a passion for public service and civility to public debate, David Laurell was elected to the City Council in a runoff election April 13, 1999. In a hard-fought campaign, Laurell unseated incumbent Ted McConkey, capturing 62% of the votes. Roughly one year after he was sworn in, Laurell, 43, sat down with the Leader at his Magnolia Park home to talk about his first stint in office. Laurell said it's been a busy time as he's learned about the machinations of city government and rebuilt the home he shares with his wife, Max. The home was partially destroyed in a fire shortly before the election.

As residential Realtor in Burbank, City Council candidate Whit Prouty meets families all the time who are drawn to Burbank for its unique character and small-town feel. "They stay in Burbank or they come to Burbank because of what a wonderful place it is," he said. And the desire to help maintain Burbank's high quality of life fuels Prouty's bid for one of two council seats that are opening up in April. Prouty's first steps into Burbank civic affairs began with the PTA when his children started going to Burbank schools.

Robert Frutos' City Council victory Tuesday marks the first election since 1999 in which the rare act of an incumbent being unseated is a certainty. Frutos' win in the primary leaves four candidates - including three incumbents - to compete in April for the two remaining seats, meaning one incumbent is guaranteed to lose his seat. Having lost the City Council race by a mere 86 votes two years ago, this year, Frutos surpassed the next-highest vote-getter by more than 550 votes, suggesting Burbank residents are ready to ditch the status quo. “They never forgot about me from two years ago,” Frutos said of voters when reached Wednesday.

Beginning in 2006, the Burbank chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America began recognizing local organizations along with businesses and civic leaders for their commitment to community service, political activism and raising awareness of the issues important to the Armenian-American community on international, national, local and grassroots levels. This year, more than 300 members and supporters of the organization gathered to honor former Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos as Citizen of the Year, businessman Timmy Mardirosian as Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Woodbury University as Organization of the Year.

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.