Airport, Schools, Development Key Issues in Burbank Primaries

No doubt the Burbank Airport terminal expansion controversy will remain, but some of the city’s key players may be about to change.

Eight Burbank City Council candidates, including two incumbents, are among those facing a primary election Tuesday to help determine who will lead the city through struggles surrounding the proposed airport expansion, rundown schools and major development projects.

The primary, which could mean an automatic victory for any candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes, also features five school board candidates, two candidates for city clerk, and an unopposed incumbent for city treasurer.

For some, the primary will end a campaign season filled with traditional door-knocking, yard signs, advertisements and public forums.

The often bitter battle with airport officials about a larger passenger terminal at Burbank Airport is bound to remain a priority for the new council, several candidates said.

“The airport is still the No. 1 issue,” said Stacey Murphy, the only woman running for a council seat.

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The airport expansion plan, which raises residents’ concerns about noise, traffic, pollution and other related problems; a $112.5-million schools bond issue, which residents will vote on in the April 8 general election; and major development planned by Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros., NBC and other businesses, are all top issues.

The eight council candidates, including Mayor Bill Wiggins and Councilman Dave Golonski, are competing for three seats. Besides the Wiggins and Golonski seats, candidates are vying for the position held by outgoing Councilwoman Susan Spanos, who declined to run for reelection.

Opinions vary somewhat on the airport--how much expansion, if any, is too much?--but candidates generally agree on supporting the school bond issue and on monitoring development to ensure good jobs are created and that homeowners and businesses are treated fairly.

Murphy, 38, a small-business owner, said a city proposal earlier this month that calls for two more passenger terminal gates at Burbank Airport--which now has 14--in return for a nighttime curfew and a 10% cap on additional flights was “extremely reasonable.”

“It showed me they were negotiating in good faith,” Murphy said of city officials, adding that she has dealt with the existing council as a member of the city’s park and recreation board. “We all have a good working relationship.”

In addition to Murphy, Wiggins, 47, and Golonski, 37, the council candidates are Ted Duane Bunch, 58, a teacher at Burroughs High School; Richard Emerson, 52, a small-business owner; Norman A. Furman, 57, a business-systems consultant; Robert Olson, 53, a television research executive; and Bill Starr, 62, a semiretired freelance writer.

“We all know each other. We’re focusing on the issues,” Wiggins said. “Nobody is slinging mud.”

Wiggins, president of a metal-plating company, cited the successful fight, along with Glendale officials, to keep the 818 area code in the region. Also, he has attempted to be accessible and responsive to constituents on all issues, he said.

“I hope that I’ve done that,” he said. “I think I have.”

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The winners in the council race will join Vice Mayor Bob Kramer and Councilman Ted McConkey, who are in the middle of their first terms.

The Burbank city clerk position, now held by Margaret M. Lauerman, who is retiring, is being sought by Sharon Lynn Muravez, 55, a government and business consultant, and Deputy City Clerk Judie Sarquiz, 28.

City Treasurer Jim Rogers is running unopposed.

The school board race, which features five candidates running for two seats, is focused mainly on improvements in curriculum and the $112.5-million school bond. School officials say the money is desperately needed to rebuild Burbank and Burroughs high schools and add classroom space and bring general improvements to all of the district’s 19 sites.

But school authorities remain nervous because they know how difficult it can be to obtain the required bond approval from two-thirds of the voters. The bond financing would cost taxpayers an average of $45 per $100,000 of assessed valuation of their homes annually for 25 years, authorities said.

Candidates now on the school board are Denise Wilcox, 41, a former educator, and Connie Lackey, 49, a nurse who was appointed to complete the term left vacant when Joe Hooven resigned early last year.

Other board candidates are Patricia “Trish” Burnett, 46, a schools volunteer and former health-care professional; Anthony F. De Felicis, 39, a local pastor, and Glen Robert Forsch, 48, a corporate director.

Except for Forsch, who favors a school-system audit before a bond is approved, the candidates support of the measure on the April ballot.

“It’s my No. 1 priority,” Wilcox said. “If Burbank doesn’t pass [the bond proposal], we’ll be in very deep trouble.”