Mailbag: Mayor Bric looks forward to this year
It has been my honor to serve as mayor of the city of Burbank. I am grateful for the support of family, friends and the community during this past year and will always treasure this amazing opportunity.
During the last year, I have attended important meetings, special events and celebrations. Whether it was presenting the State of the City address or throwing out the first pitch at Burbank Dodger night, representing our great city has been a privilege.
There were so many memorable occasions. Robert “Bud” Ovrom Park is a much-needed recreation center, which opened in May. It was wonderful to see the tremendous activity and sense of community that surrounds the new facility.
In September, Vice Mayor Anja Reinke and I were invited to a luncheon in South Korea for a special sister-city conference. Thank you to our sister city for its generosity and hospitality.
The Burbank Unified School District and the city of Burbank dedicated the Burbank High School athletic field joint project, and I look forward to the completion of the John Burroughs Memorial Field in the coming months.
This year started with the unveiling and dedication of the new Dr. David Burbank statue at “Five Points.” The incredible work of art is surrounded by new landscaping and sidewalks creating an inviting atmosphere for residents and visitors alike.
Most recently, it was an honor to participate in the naming ceremony of Larry Maxam Memorial Park. Marine Cpl. Maxam died in Vietnam and is the only Burbank resident to receive the prestigious Medal of Honor.
This year’s upcoming budget process will be a challenging one, as we are faced with very difficult decisions. The City Council and the financial policies it has adopted have served the city well in properly considering fiscal impacts, adopting responsible budgets and supporting economic development activities that position Burbank for a strong future.
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority has completed the Part 161 Study after many years of hard work, and I thank the authority for the efforts of the ad hoc committee. I look forward to our continued work in this area to ensure noise relief in the years to come.
Thank you to the City Council for selecting me to serve as mayor. It has truly been one of the highlights of my life. I look forward to a wonderful and successful year ahead.
GARY BRIC
Burbank
Editor’s note: Bric is mayor of Burbank.
Happy with road reconfiguration
I have to express my dismay at the voices out there whining about the recent reconfiguration of Verdugo Road (“Several problems with Burbank roads,” April 10).
You complainers must have enjoyed getting stuck regularly behind somebody deciding to turn left at the last moment, leaving you trapped. You also must have loved taking a left-hand turn yourself wondering if somebody was going to rear-end you.
I did not enjoy either of the above and fully support the new configuration. I live quite near Verdugo and Buena Vista, and I have not seen an increase in traffic. I don’t encounter these alleged traffic jams. I also like the new bike lanes. It will encourage cleaner transportation.
SCOTT HERBERTSON
Burbank
Landlords treated tenants rudely
I would like to thank Christopher Cadelago for his well-written April 17 article in the Burbank Leader, “Luck worsens for renters.”
My 88-year-old mother — a World War II veteran and former opera singer — has lived at the 1207 N. Cordova address for 23 years. She is moving into a new apartment nearby in Burbank not because her rent is jumping from $650 per month to $1,050 (her new rent will be about the same as what the increased rent at her old apartment would have been), but because of what she considers the “high-handed” letters and notices she and the rest of the tenants kept receiving. The final straw for her was that the letter called my mother’s previous rent “a gift.”
As stated in the article, no improvements were made to the interior of my mother’s apartment, or any of the other existing tenants to justify the huge rent increases, except to provide new mini-blinds.
The new owner of the building will have to suffer not only the loss of my mother’s monthly rents, but also the considerable costs of upgrading her old apartment so that it can be rented to a new tenant. He will surely have to question his wisdom in allowing the management company he hired to run the building to treat his valued tenants rudely, as though they were adversaries.
The upcoming move will not be easy for my mother at her age; in fact, it will be downright stressful, but she no longer feels at home where she is.
DOUG WEISKOPF
Burbank
Big Top! parade was great fun
We would like to thank Linda Barnes and Alisa Cunningham for another great parade (“Parading through Burbank,” April 14). We had so much fun.
ELAINE FRANKLIN