Burbank’s New Council Puts Off Personnel Issues

The newly constituted Burbank City Council spent its first official meeting Tuesday night conducting routine business, leaving unresolved the fate of two top city officials whose futures were placed in doubt by the change in administrations.

But Mayor Mary Lou Howard, who helped engineer the defeat of her two chief rivals on the council last month, said that an announcement regarding “major changes at the top” would be made within the next 10 days.

After the April 9 general election, Howard and new council members Mary Kelsey, Michael Hastings and Al Dossin all said that City Atty. William Rudell should resign before the council voted to fire him. Howard has attacked Rudell’s performance and clashed with him during the recent campaign.

Also considered in jeopardy is City Manager Andrew Lazzaretto, who has been accused by Howard of causing tension and unrest among city employees and of not being “a people person.”

No Plans to Resign

Both Lazzaretto and Rudell have said they do not plan to resign.

Lazzaretto did not attend the first meeting of the council Tuesday.

The meeting concluded with no personnel actions. Instead, the council handled such routine matters as approving a zoning change to allow construction of a two-story, 10-unit apartment building and approving the sale of city-owned land to a bank that has been displaced by redevelopment.

After the meeting, however, Howard indicated that upcoming meetings would not be as quiet.

“This council has made it known and gone on record saying they want changes,” Howard said. “That still stands. There will be major changes at the top.”