Bowne Named as New Burbank Mayor

Burbank Vice Mayor Robert Bowne was named mayor of the city Friday, succeeding Michael Hastings in the largely ceremonial post.

The mayor’s job is rotated among the five council members. Councilman Tim Murphy, a three-year council veteran, said that he was next in line for the post and voted against the selection.

“It was a protest vote by me,” Murphy said. “It was not against him--he’s a great person. I was voting against the process.”

The one-year mayor’s post does not carry more power than the positions of other council members, but the mayor can set the tone for council meetings and often represents the government at community events. Bowne, an attorney, also served as mayor in 1989.