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.