Burbank Election
Election Day is
Tuesday, April 12, but it's another one of those "Vote By Mail" elections in
Burbank, so "election day" has kind of lost its significance. If you
haven't mailed your ballot in yet, drop it off at the Burbank City Hall,
or other locations listed on the ballot booklet that came in the mail.
Now
the hard part: who to vote for. It isn't an easy choice. There
are either not enough good candidates, as in the case of City Council; or too
many qualified ones running for School Board.
In the Council race, the incumbents
have clearly been there too long as in the case of Dave Golonski's three
terms, or Marsha Ramos' one term. Like many residents, I'm
not too sure about the two challengers, Vahe Hovanessian and Michael
Bergfeld.
Although I don't
agree with him completely, Bergfeld does make the point that the incumbents have
really messed up our town with over-development, increased traffic, and
sweetheart deals. One only has to drive down Magnolia Boulevard, or go
through the Five Points intersection by Costco, to realize how bad they have
made things. On the other hand, Bergfeld is totally out in left field when
it comes to the airport. Anyone who says building a new terminal at the
east end of the airport will increase take offs to the east, just doesn't know
what they are talking about. Unfortunately, that is one of Bergfeld's
talking points.
I wish I knew a little
more about Hovanessian. He's saying the things candidates usually say ---
although on television he says it way too fast. He's young and
enthusiastic. Four years on the City Council should cure him of that.
One of my friends takes the position
of voting for "the devils we know rather than the devils we don't know."
While another suggested the new, unknown candidates, even if they make a mess of
things, can't be any worse than the two incumbents.
The Board of Education race
gives us some easier choices. All but one of the candidates would make
decent board members. Debbie Kukta, who seems to have the backing
of many of the people I know from PTA, brings a solid parent/PTA background to
the race, combined with a good business sense. She definitely
deserves your vote. My second vote will go to either Susan Bowers
or Nikki Capshaw. Bowers has a very good understanding of the real
issues facing the school district. She has a strong business
background. Capshaw would bring that parent perspective to the
board. Her suggestion to start high school at 9 a.m., while totally impractical,
shows she isn't afraid to think outside the box.
The only candidate totally
unqualified for the board is Larry Applebaum. Unsuccessful in
his run for the board two years ago, let's hope he does the same this time
around. Personally, he's a pleasant guy, but in my opinion, and the
opinion of several people who have served with him in various volunteer
organizations, he lacks the business and fiscal understanding that board members
must have.
In all probability, the
incumbents will be re-elected. If I had to choose between Ramos and
Golonski, I'd go with Golonski. However, I think I may give the new guys
my vote. Maybe Bergfeld is a little wacky, but as someone reminded me about the
days when Susan Spanos was on the council, wacky can be amusing.
For School Board, it is definitely
Kukta, followed by either Bowers or Capshaw. I'm not sure yet which one I'll
pick, but I've got until Tuesday at 6:59 p.m. to
decide.
--- Stan
posted on
4/9/05
