ELECTIONS / BURBANK COUNCIL : 7 Candidates Put Focus on City’s Ailing Fiscal Health

Ask the Burbank City Council candidates what the central theme of their race is and beneath the polite discussion about budget deficits and declining tax bases, you’ll probably hear a familiar refrain: “It’s the economy, stupid.”

From debates over whether a utility users tax should be abated, to discussions on how land once occupied by Lockheed should be used, the council race this year has focused on the city’s economic health and ways to revitalize it.

The six candidates listed on Tuesday’s ballot are Dave Golonski, 34, a financial systems manager; Robert Kramer, 46, a painting contractor and a former columnist for the Burbank Leader newspaper; Richard Messer, 52, part-owner of the Burbank Airport Hilton; Ron Shively, 61, a retired utility worker and a member of the Police Commission; Susan Spanos, 29, a charity organizer, and Bill Wiggins, 43, owner of a small business. Jules Kimmett is a write-in candidate.

The candidates are vying for three open seats on the council.

With Burbank facing a reduction in state funds and still suffering from the loss of 12,000 to 15,000 jobs caused by the departure of Lockheed Corp. and other businesses, the economy is first and foremost in the minds of candidates.

The candidates agree on many issues; on others, opinions have been more disparate.

“We have to keep ourselves fiscally strong,” said Wiggins, who received the most votes in the primary race. “We need to be very aggressive in keeping the business that we have in Burbank. With the state predicting a loss of somewhere between 7 to 10 billion dollars, it means that once again Burbank is going to see the state take away between 6 or 7 million dollars.”

Wiggins said he would like to see the city exhibit at more trade shows.

Shively argued that the city should continue its incentive program to encourage businesses to come to Burbank.

“We have a program in place,” Shively said. “Now it’s a matter of keeping our attention focused on that program.”

Plans for the Lockheed land have been widely discussed both by city officials and council candidates. Ideas being debated include a proposal to construct a 20,000-seat sports arena, a Wal-Mart store or a major entertainment studio.

Four of the candidates--Kramer, Spanos, Messer and Shively--oppose the idea of a sports arena, arguing that it would increase traffic, crime and congestion in the city.

“I think the sports arena is a disaster for the city,” Kramer said. “The only person it will be good for is the developer.”

Spanos said she was concerned that the sports arena could be used for “huge rock concerts.”

“I don’t think having Guns N’ Roses coming to Burbank is in the overall best interest of our community,” she said.

Golonski, who said he did not have enough information to make a decision, urged city officials to “listen to the community and see what the community thinks.”

Five of the candidates oppose the Wal-Mart plan or placed it last on the list of the three options most often discussed. The candidates argued that Wal-Mart would bring in only low-wage jobs and it would hurt smaller “mom and pop” businesses in Burbank. They also questioned the financial package being proposed by Wal-Mart.

“They’re looking for a $20-million real estate tax abatement and a $10-million sales tax refund,” Messer said. “It’s not something I think would benefit the residents of Burbank.”

Instead, many of the candidates proposed that the city find a high-tech industry with high-paying jobs to occupy the Lockheed land.

“I believe that we must target high-growth industries in the high technology areas of electronics, telecommunications, computers, software, robotics and biotechnology,” candidate Spanos said.

“These are the growth industries of the future and we must attract them to Burbank by emphasizing our many strengths.”

The candidates were more divided, however, on issues such as a utility users tax abatement. The plan would alleviate certain taxes on electricity bills for about three years. The idea was recommended by the Business Review Committee, a committee appointed by Mayor Robert Bowne to study the city’s budget and business practices. Messer was one of three members on the committee.

The committee’s final report found that the city had excessive reserves and urged officials to “return to the taxpayers $20 million in surplus cash by abating the utility users tax.”

“The city taxes too much and it spends too much,” Messer said in an interview.

Even after returning $20 million of the city’s reserve to taxpayers through the abatement, “the city still has $100 million of reserves, which is approximately three times as much as is considered prudent for a city of our size and our financial set-up,” Messer said.

But Golonski said the city was “fortunate to be in a good position with excess reserves.” “It would be foolish to deplete the reserves we have currently without knowing where we’re going with the state and the economy,” he said.

“It’s rainy-day money and the clouds haven’t passed over yet,” Golonski said.

Spanos described the tax abatement plan as a “tax giveaway for the rich.”

“Under Dick Messer’s proposal, homeowners in Burbank would receive only $2.67 a month for 2.9 years, whereas Lockheed, Disney and NBC combined would receive $1.5 million a year for 2.9 years,” Spanos said.

“This proposal does not benefit the homeowners and residents of Burbank. It only benefits large property owners.”

Spanos argued that the money planned to be used in the abatement program should go to the schools.

Kramer said he supported the idea of looking at utility taxes, but worried that an abatement of those taxes would reduce the money going into the city’s general fund that pays for city services.

Kramer said that the 7% utility users tax equates to roughly 8% of the general fund.

“My main priority is to maintain city services: an independent police force, a strong Fire Department and all the city services that make Burbank a worthwhile city to live in.”

Since proposing the idea, Messer said he has had a chance to speak with residents, the majority of whom would prefer to continue paying the tax if the money were earmarked for the schools.

“I support that,” Messer said.

An issue that dominated the race for the school board also found its way into council candidate debates: the deteriorating condition of Burbank schools.

“It’s wrong for a city to have a brand-new shopping mall when school facilities are such a public disgrace,” Kramer said. “It tells me we’ve lost our priorities.”

Earlier this year, the city’s Business Review Committee recommended the district sell Burbank High School, and use the proceeds along with other funds to pay for “a new combined Burbank/Burroughs High School” on the Burroughs site.

“The economic reality is to go to one high school, sell Burbank High, and issue bonds,” the report read.

The recommendations struck a deep emotional nerve among Burbank residents. The good-natured rivalry between the two high schools is considered a part of Burbank culture. All of the council candidates rejected the idea of creating one large school--including Messer, who sat on the committee that recommended it.

“I think the No. 1 priority is to get moving immediately on repairing our school facilities,” Golonski said.

Golonski argued that the schools could be renovated using redevelopment funds.

“I think I’d like to start with a figure of $10 million per year and I’d like to see that over a period of three years,” Golonski said.

While many of the candidates expressed ideas on how the renovation of the schools could be accomplished, Shively declined to answer. Although the council could assist the board, the renovation of the schools is a “school board issue,” he said.

“I wish them the best of luck. They were duly elected,” he said of the school board. “We have our plate full.”

Wiggins said the “council should work hand in hand with the school board. I am very much in favor of the present council’s decision to hold a joint meeting with the school board in May.”

For Messer and Shively, the city’s compensation of employees is also a key issue. Both said the city needs to re-examine its policies.

“Almost half the firefighters in Burbank make over $100,000,” Messer argued. “The city of Burbank paid $4.5 million in overtime pay last year; $2 million of that went to the Burbank firefighters.”

Wiggins agreed with the idea of reviewing the compensation program.

“I think that every council should continually look at all of the city’s costs,” he said. But given the city’s decision to keep its fire stations staffed 24 hours a day, “the way the overtime issue is being handled right now by the chief is the most economical way to run the department,” he said.

Kimmett supports the idea of council districts where residents would vote for a candidate to represent their specific area of town. Currently, members are elected at-large.

“The first function of democracy is to represent the people and this is the direct opposite of that,” he said. “In Burbank, we’re back in the Middle Ages.”

Kimmett is opposed to the city’s practice of allowing council members to also serve on the Airport Authority and of having the council double as the Redevelopment Agency.

“I would like to see the city attorney elected and the mayor elected,” he said. “The city manager form of government is a concentrated form of dictatorship.”