Rogers’ attack of candidate ignores ‘serious issues’

In Will Rogers’ Jan. 18 column, I was accused of frightening small

children, being “really weird,” coupled with discredited past

politicians and being smarter than everyone else in the world. Of

course, Rogers’ quote of a small child screaming in fear is only, as

he admits, from his imagination.

Were any serious issues actually mentioned in Rogers’ column? No.

I must be doing something right to justify such a personal attack.

Rogers has used that promising device of propaganda -- when you

cannot attack the message, attack the messenger.

Frightening small children? Really.

Maybe I am frightening the City Council and its friends like

Rogers, who was given such a prominent place in the State of the City

video that Mayor Laurell produced.

The only passing reference to any issue is that I speak “almost

exclusively on airport issues.” However, that is not correct.

Yes, the actions of the City Council were reprehensible in giving

the airport a new Terminal A without keeping its promises of

obtaining a curfew or giving the voters of this community an

opportunity to respond as required by Measure B.

In addition, do we really need to have the view of nature’s

hillsides above us transformed into million-dollar mansions? One of

the fundamental qualities that enhances Burbank is that nature is so

close to and so visibly a part of us.

Finally, I take exception to the City Council’s use of closed

sessions for decision-making. The City Council made the decision to

file a lawsuit against Measure A not in the City Council chambers, or

even in City Hall. They made that decision in a back room of the

Fire/Police Department Headquarters -- out of sight of public view or

comment.

We must also remember that Rogers also wrote in November that the

fight over the airport was over with authorization for the new

terminal. While Rogers might try to eliminate the airport from this

election, the fight is not over. This city can still compel the

airport to become a “good neighbor” whether it wants to or not.

This is a time of serious issues affecting this community. That is

what this election should be about.

Will Rogers, if you want to talk about real issues and not merely

what you imagine people are thinking, tell me when and where the

community can see it, since it will not be in closed session behind

closed doors.

This city and community have real problems with real issues, and

personal attacks by you and the City Council will not solve them.

MICHAEL BERGFELD

Burbank City Council candidate