Time has past for platitudes

In response to Jack O’Neill’s Community Commentary, “Let’s stop the personal attacks” in the Jan. 28 Burbank Leader, his comments struck me as odd -- that council candidate Bill Wiggins’ record as a former city councilman and current airport authority commissioner were off limits. According to O’Neill, criticizing a voting record and actions as a public servant is a “personal attack.”

As an active supporter of Councilman-elect David Gordon’s campaign I am very pleased that he won his first bid for election to City Council. He ran a campaign based on wanting to put people first and change the direction away from overdevelopment with emphasis on maintaining the character of Burbank for families and small businesses. What’s wrong with that?

Many people in Burbank are tired of hearing the council is going to “protect neighborhoods” and all that is offered is more development, left-turn signals, walking, riding a bicycle and speed humps. People are also tired of hearing they are working on “nighttime noise relief” at the airport. Speed humps and left-turn signals are not the answer to thousands of speeding cars on our residential streets and the horrendous traffic congestion at most intersections as cars huff and puff waiting for several light changes.

At least 64% of the voters did not vote for Bill Wiggins. I suspect if the election for other members on the council were today, some of them may also receive the same message from the voters. We are tired of the problems that have been created in recent years. We don’t need to hear the platitudes about protecting the neighborhoods, we need to see some action.

What we want is for developers to pay for building parking; the Redevelopment Agency should build more parking -- not new buildings; city-owned land should be sold at fair market value; the B-6 property at the airport needs to be sold as promised; no Los Angeles sewer pipes and vents running under and near Burbank homes; no parking meters; and we want our fences, walls, hedges and landscaping left alone, for a start.

These were issues in the campaign. This is the message from this voter.

* CAROLYN BERLIN is a Burbank resident.