Election comes down to eight men -- and you

After surviving the gauntlet of 25 candidates in the primary

election for the City Council and school board, eight men face off

Tuesday for those groups’ remaining open seats.

Incumbent Jef Vander Borght lines up against Gary Bric, Todd

Campbell and Brian Malone in the City Council race for two seats,

while Mike McDonald -- the only school board member to make it out of

the primary election -- is up against Paul Krekorian, Larry Applebaum

and Ted Bunch for two Board of Education seats. (Retired teacher Dave

Kemp secured the other open school board seat in the primary by

netting more than half of the vote.)

The Leader is endorsing Vander Borght and Campbell for council,

and Krekorian and Bunch for school board.

* Vander Borght was appointed to the council last year, when

then-mayor Bob Kramer resigned. Since then, he has shown the

knowledge he gleaned during 10 years on the city’s Planning Board and

his dedication to the city in his efforts to find solutions for the

myriad traffic and airport issues.

* Campbell will bring a new voice to the council -- that of a man

who works for the Coalition for Clean Air, whose experience in

fighting to uphold environmental standards will be invaluable,

especially in dealing with any conflicts with the airport. He wants

to see improvements to the South San Fernando District, as well as

other sections of the city with blighted areas. He plans to lobby for

traffic mitigation by demanding better planning in that realm from

new business developments.

* Krekorian has feasible ideas to help the school district

weather the state education cuts it is facing -- to the tune of about

$4 million. A business attorney, he will bring fiscal improvements by

supporting new school-business partnerships and inspiring more

parents and community members to give their time and talents to local

schools. And he will deliver more accountability to a board that has

come under fire for not interacting enough with the public.

* Bunch will bring a no-nonsense attitude that the board needs.

As a retired teacher, he has a connection to the district’s educators

and other employees that the board lacks, and can use his familiarity

to raise morale. He will take a close look at the district’s receding

budget for wasteful expenses, and wants to do what he can to restore

vocational and music programs.

These dedicated men deserve your vote on Tuesday.

Municipal government -- like the City Council and Board of

Education -- is more likely to affect residents’ lives on a

day-to-day basis than any other form of government. Local officials

are the ones setting policies for our streets, our homes, our

schools, our businesses -- everything that makes up our city.

Residents must vote Tuesday for candidates who will keep Burbank a

desirable bedroom community, and set its course for the future.