3 Burbank Councilmen Drop Out of Race, Leaving No Incumbents on Ballot

All three Burbank councilmen eligible for reelection next April--Tim Murphy, Thomas Flavin and Michael Hastings--have decided not to run again.

Hastings, 39, said in an interview after Tuesday night’s City Council meeting: “I made up my mind in April” not to run again after serving eight years. He said he would officially announce his decision in a letter to other council members to be delivered today, but that in the meantime he “wanted everyone to know that no incumbents will be on the ballot.”

He thus joined Murphy and Flavin, who were elected for the first time in 1989.

All three cited family or job concerns as major factors in their decisions. Murphy also cited frustration with the five-member council’s pro-growth majority, which has often left him the lone dissenter.

“My experience on the council has been very disappointing,” Murphy said. “I thought I would accomplish a lot more. I’ve really become disillusioned with the inside of politics.”

Although the election is not until February, all three said they wanted to make a decision early to clear the way for like-minded candidates.

Hastings said he wants to spend more time with his wife and three small children, as well as devote more energy to his job as an advertising executive.

“My kids know me as an elected official,” Hastings said. “I’ve only been married 15 years, and half of my married life has been spent in political life.”

Flavin, 46, said he never planned to serve more than one term and has “no aspirations for a political career.”

“I’m basically pleased with what I’ve done on the council, but it was a community service,” Flavin said. “I see rough economic times ahead in California, and I need to put my attention to my consulting business.”

Flavin said he has focused on economic development issues while on the council, especially after many manufacturing and aerospace facilities closed shop in Burbank since he was elected in 1989.

“This state is going through a major economic transition,” he said. “That’s something I want to become more involved in from the private sector.”

Murphy, 39, said his decision was mainly based on the birth--11 days ago--of his third son, Connor. His other two children are 8 and 6.

“I like to go out and throw the ball with my kids,” Murphy said. “Council probably eats up at least 25 hours a week--some weeks even more. That’s a lot of time away from my boys.”

Murphy, a slow-growth advocate, also cited several bitter disputes with Flavin and Hastings recently and said he thinks the council has made too many concessions to developers.

“It’s lonely being out of step,” Murphy said. “If I felt I could do a good job at home, I wouldn’t let these guys drive me out. But as it is, I’m ready to leave.”

The council may be reinvigorated by new faces, Murphy said, regardless of their points of view.

“There may not be tremendous turnover,” he said, “but there may be a chance for things to change for the better with some different personalities.”

Speculation has been rife among community activists as to who may seek office in the spring.

Among the names most frequently mentioned were three unsuccessful candidates from 1989: Tom McCauley, who is aligned with slow-growth forces; Elizabeth Handler, a member of the Burbank Park and Recreation Board, and Carolyn Berlin, a longtime member of the Verdugo/Magnolia Park Homeowners Assn. McCauley and Berlin said they had not made up their minds. Handler said she was leaning against running.

“The City Council is going to have to make some very tough decisions to ensure our economic survival,” said Handler, a board member of the Burbank Rancho Assoc. Inc. “It’s not going to be pleasant on the City Council in coming years.”