Mailbag: Election had too few voters

Re: “Campaign war chests opened,” and “4 council hopefuls head to runoffs,” March 4. The real question to be asked about the $400 in unsolicited donations from real estate developer Michael Cusumano to Burbank City Council candidates David Gordon and Juan Guillen isn’t why the candidates accepted the money (the donations were subsequently returned), but why the developer gave the donations. It’s obvious from all the Jess Talamantes and Robert (Bob) Frutos campaign signs outside Cusumano’s many Bur-Cal buildings throughout the city who he was supporting, and it wasn’t Gordon and Guillen, both outspoken critics of unbridled development.

A total of 10,785 ballots cast out of 66,711 eligible Burbank voters is disgraceful. My neighbor who is a dumpster diver told me that when she looked into refuse bins recently in our neighborhood, she saw many ballots for the municipal election that had been tossed in the garbage. Are these voters so busy that they can’t take a few moments to fill out their ballots and drop the envelopes in the mail? It doesn’t speak well for the democratic process.

Molly Shore
Burbank

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Gordon should step down

As I was watching the Burbank City Council meeting on March 7, I was disappointed to see a video of two gentlemen campaigning for David Gordon, which I find disrespectful to the council members and to the citizens as well. The council meeting is designed to conduct city business, not to campaign.

It is bad enough that Gordon gets angry and disrespectful, but to take up city time for personal use is uncalled for. I see no reason for somebody like this to represent the city in this manner. Gordon should consider stepping down from City Council so the Burbank citizens can be represented with positive leadership.

Dave Berger
Burbank