Burbank Manager Seeking CRA Post

Burbank City Manager Robert “Bud” Ovrom, who is widely praised for strengthening and diversifying the city’s economy with downtown revitalization projects, has announced that he wants to head the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.

Ovrom, 57, is seeking to replace agency Executive Director Jerry Scharlin, who is expected to step down in January. A search firm has been hired to locate possible successors.

The veteran city manager, who met with the redevelopment agency board last week to discuss the position, told his staff in an e-mail Monday that he is considering the post at a time when Burbank is politically and economically sound.

“In my heart, I know that it would be easy for me to stay here for several more years,” Ovrom said in his message. “However, in my head I also know that it would be rejuvenating for me and for the organization if I moved on.”

With a $342-million budget, the redevelopment agency uses property tax money to provide incentives for development in blighted areas, including purchasing land and selling it at a discount to builders.

Scharlin was appointed in 1999 by former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan to head the troubled agency, which was facing serious financial and political problems. He has been credited with helping restructure the agency, clarifying its budget and developing a strategic plan.

Burbank leaders said Tuesday they understand Ovrom’s desire to move on after 17 years as city manager but are saddened by his possible departure.

“We have an incredible community today in part because of his consistent guidance and direction over the years,” said Susan Bowers, chief executive and executive director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce. “He has a balanced vision for the city that calls for retail success as well as maintaining the quality of life for residents.”

Before Ovrom took over as city manager in 1985, comedian Johnny Carson laughingly referred to the city’s down-on-its-heels center as “beautiful downtown Burbank,” a commercially barren area with no sign of today’s upscale coffeehouses, bookstores, restaurants, department stores and movie theaters.

Many of the city’s 104,200 residents depended on factory jobs at Lockheed Corp. When the aerospace giant pulled out in 1996, the company left behind 20,000 workers and 5 million square feet of space.

Ovrom is credited with luring entertainment and retail businesses to shore up the city’s faltering economy. “When Lockheed left, we saw those jobs replaced in relatively quick fashion with well-paying entertainment jobs,” City Councilman David Golonski said.

Mayor David Laurell said the city manager is equally adept at interpersonal relationships.

“He is a decent, moral person who cares about the people who work for him,” he said. “It may sound over-the-top, but Bud can look out over the city from his house in the hills and say, ‘I’ve done a good job,’ ”

Even so, Ovrom told his staff it’s still too early to start packing. “There are still lots of steps to go through before they decide if they want me,” he said. “There is absolutely no way right now to know how things might turn out.”