Mayor withdraws support for City Council candidate

Laura Sturza

Mayor David Laurell has decided to not continue endorsing City

Council candidate Brian Malone, though he has been a prominent figure

in Malone’s campaign from the outset.

Laurell said he will endorse only incumbent Jef Vander Borght for

City Council and Paul Krekorian for Burbank Unified School Board in

the April 8 general election. Malone, Vander Borght, Gary Bric and

Todd Campbell earned enough votes in the Feb. 25 election to make it

into a runoff for two vacant City Council seats.

“I have personally made the decision that while Brian’s dedication

to our community is in no way to be questioned, I have weighed [his]

ideas, opinions, experience and knowledge of issues and can no longer

support his candidacy for a seat on the City Council,” Laurell said.

The mayor declined to be more specific about what, exactly, he did

not support about Malone’s campaign platform.

Malone said he learned of Laurell’s decision Friday.

“He has told me that he is going to only endorse Jef,” Malone

said. “I respect he has his reasons, and they must be personal in

nature.”

Councilman Dave Golonski, who endorsed Malone in the primary, did

not return calls from the Leader asking if he would maintain his

support for Malone. Malone said he had not heard from Golonski.

All incumbent council members are backing Vander Borght, who was

appointed to his seat last year when former mayor Bob Kramer

resigned.

Incumbents also were putting their names behind other candidates

this week.

Vice Mayor Stacey Murphy told Bric on Saturday that she would

endorse him.

“Out of all three of them, I think he’s the most involved in the

community,” Murphy said. “He knows what’s going on in the community.”

Campbell got Councilwoman Marsha Ramos’ backing Thursday.

“I think he has fine leadership capabilities,” Ramos said. “He’s

certainly knowledgeable, and on those items he’s not, he will find

out [more information].”

Ramos also has given her support to school board candidates Larry

Applebaum and Paul Krekorian.

The councilwoman acknowledged endorsements are something of a

mixed blessing: They can work for or against a candidate, depending

on voters’ views of the person lending their support.

“It gives a message that the incumbent has confidence and wants to

work with a candidate,” Ramos said. “I’m sure my endorsement will be

weighed against my performance -- and that can either be taken as a

positive, or it can be risky for a candidate.”