Burbank Public Unity Over Airport Plan Crumbles

Four former Burbank mayors have charged the City Council with “egregious misuse” of taxpayer money in its opposition to a proposed Burbank Airport terminal expansion project.

In a letter to the council dated Tuesday, the former city officials said council members have used “obstructionist and adversarial policies” and “sacrificed common sense and sound judgment for political expediency.”

It was the first public break in the united front of Burbank politicians who have vehemently opposed plans to expand the airport without greater guarantees of protection from noise and congestion.

Last week, the Burbank council spent about $27,000 on a mailing to Glendale residents seeking support in the long-running airport controversy.

Former Mayor William B. Rudell said the mailing inspired the extraordinary letter.

“In my view they’re dead wrong,” Rudell, also a former airport commissioner, said of the council Wednesday. “We’re distressed about the waste of taxpayers’ funds.”

The letter bears the signatures of Rudell, Vincent Stefano, E. Daniel Remy and Michael Hastings, all former mayors, as well as Brian Bowman and O. T. “Tex” Hamilton Jr., former airport commissioners.

City officials again insisted they are acting in the best interests of residents worried about noise, traffic, pollution and other problems.

“The council is doing today what it feels is correct for the citizens of Burbank,” Mayor Bill Wiggins said.

But Rudell said he and the other former officials who signed the letter--all supporters of the stance taken by airport administrators--favor a larger terminal that would meet increasing passenger demands.

Rudell and his colleagues favor the larger terminal plans of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, and oppose the city’s recently unveiled proposal to support construction of a slightly larger terminal in return for a nighttime curfew and a 10% cap on additional flights.

The city’s plan calls for a new terminal with 16 gates instead of the current 14, but airport officials want at least 19 gates. Also, any limits on flights is subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, and that would entail a long and difficult process.

“That’s just not going to happen,” Rudell said. “I think the Airport Authority has given very careful consideration to the proposed terminal replacement building.”

The former officials agreed that the mass mailing to more than 36,000 Glendale residents was unprecedented and inappropriate. The fact that it came so close to Glendale’s municipal election Tuesday makes it seem like an attempt to discredit Glendale’s City Council, which favors handling the airport controversy through closed mediation, the former officials said.

Rudell and the others also criticized the city’s spending of nearly $2 million in legal fees so far in the ongoing court battle.

“To date, the City of Burbank has absolutely nothing to show for the numerous lawsuits and challenges to administrative proceedings that have been initiated,” the letter states.

The letter also accuses the council of trying to “jettison” the joint powers agreement that created the nine-member governing board--the Airport Authority--nearly 20 years ago. The authority consists of three representatives from each member city.

Wiggins and Vice Mayor Bob Kramer said the former officials are entitled to their opinions and that they are respected members of the community. They emphasized the current council is doing its best to protect the quality of life in Burbank.

“It’s never a waste of taxpayers’ money to fight for citizens,” Kramer said. “We’re anxious to put the airport battle behind us. It’s certainly not our intent to keep this in litigation for five or 10 years, but we will if we have to.”