Howard, Named Burbank Mayor, Calls for Audit

Mary Lou Howard, who helped engineer the defeat of her two chief rivals on the City Council, was appointed mayor of Burbank Wednesday by the newly elected City Council and immediately called for an independent audit of the city’s finances.

“Over the past 16 weeks, there have been far too many conflicting reports on our financial condition,” Howard said, referring to claims by her opponents that the city is in good financial shape, in contrast to skepticism by Howard-backed candidates who were elected. “We must know where we stand and where we are projected to stand in the years downstream. We must know where we are financially before we move forward with any new projects.”

Howard said she wanted the audit completed within 60 to 90 days, and that the management of the city’s financial affairs would be judged again in two years and four years.

The new mayor made the statements to an overflow crowd in the Burbank City Council chambers where the three new council members endorsed by Howard in the general election were sworn into office.

Echo of Bitterness

In a ceremony that echoed the bitterness of the recent campaign, outgoing Mayor E. Daniel Remy at first neglected to mention Howard as one of the council members with whom he had enjoyed working as he expressed his thanks to outgoing Councilmen Leland Ayers and Larry Stamper.

Howard later downplayed her thanks to Remy for serving two terms on the council, giving more credit to Ayers for his 12 years of service.

The ceremony also was marked by controversy when Mary Kelsey, the top vote-getter in last month’s council election and one of the candidates backed by Howard, was appointed vice mayor over incumbent Bob Bowne, who has served nine months on the council.

Bowne, who felt he should have been next in line as vice mayor, later charged that a “deal had been cut” among the new council members. He said the decision to move Kelsey ahead of him on the council violated the “public’s sense of fairness” and contradicted the new council members’ promise of having no secrecy in government.

Changing of Guard

The ceremony signified a changing of the guard between the former council, dominated by Remy, Stamper and Ayers, and the new council, which elected Howard as its leader. Remy and Stamper, proponents of redevelopment growth in Burbank, were soundly defeated in their bids for reelection April 9 by the three Howard-endorsed candidates--Kelsey, Michael Hastings and Al Dossin.

Ayers, who had served on the council for three terms, did not run for reelection.

Howard had charged during the campaign that Remy and Stamper had tried to control the council with an “old-boy” mentality in which deals were made with developers without concern for the residents. She pledged Wednesday to steer the government more toward consideration of residents’ rights.

Calling the induction of the new council a “new day and a new beginning for Burbank,” Howard said, “People and people problems will be my No. 1 priority under my stewardship.”

Further defining the direction of the council, Howard said, “Burbank is first and foremost a community of homes. Our No. 1 priority as a city council must be to keep Burbank a wonderful place to raise a family. We must not let rapid new development undermine the residential character of our community. That does not mean we will become a ‘no-growth’ city.”

Among other redevelopment projects, Howard said she and the council would do “everything in our power to bring to realization the long-promised Hahn Towncenter,” a 150-store shopping mall that would include four major department stores. The developer for the proposed mall is Ernest Hahn.

“The city is legally committed to the Hahn Towncenter and the construction and completion of the project is entirely in Hahn’s hands,” Howard said. “As a council, we are committed to keeping Hahn’s feet to the fire. There have been entirely too many delays and extensions.”

Howard also pledged that there would be more harmony on the council than in recent years.

When Remy failed to mention Howard as one of the council members he had enjoyed working with during Wednesday’s ceremony, Howard closed her eyes and smiled, provoking a rumble of laughter of the audience. Looking up quickly, Remy gestured to Howard and said he thanked her also.

“It didn’t surprise me,” Howard said later when asked about Remy’s actions. “It just shows his usual no-class attitude.”

Later in the ceremony, Howard praised Ayer’s participation on the City Council while downplaying the contributions of Remy and Stamper.

Objection to Kelsey

Bowne was the only council member who objected when Kelsey was elected vice mayor. “In terms of tradition, what the council did was inappropriate,” Bowne said. “Naturally, with my experience, I would have been next in line. In terms of my experience in government, it would have been natural. I know I’m not part of the new team, but I hope this is not a harbinger of things to come.”

Because of the vote, it is likely that Bowne will not be able to serve as mayor before his term expires in May, 1987. Bowne was appointed to the council in October, 1984, to fill the unexpired term of former Councilman Larry Tate, who resigned to pursue business interests outside California.

However, Howard denied that “a deal had been cut” among the council. “If he had been chosen, then one of the three new members would not have gotten a chance to be mayor,” Howard said.