Mayor focuses on the positive in State of City address

The partnership between Burbank and its business community was celebrated Wednesday afternoon during the annual State of the City Address.

Presented by the Burbank Chamber of Commerce at the Burbank Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Mayor Anja Reinke’s speech focused on partnerships within city government and alliances with local businesses.

Reinke tried to make her address as efficient as possible, allotting 60 seconds to recognize the staff in each city department and highlighting the Property Based Improvement District programs Burbank before opening the massive floor to questions.

Although the official theme may have been partnerships, the buzz word both in and out of City Council chambers was transparency in light of multiple investigations into alleged misconduct at other cities, most recently in Irwindale.

When asked about her thoughts on the city of Bell scandal, she at first joked that she should live in Bell for the salary.

“I will tell you that we all make the same amount — $1,076.53,” she said.

The mayor emphasized the effort by city officials to maintain transparency in financial matters and indicated all public employee salaries are readily available on the Internet.

Burbank’s own pre-Bell controversy involving the police department was only lightly touched on.

In her address, Reinke focused on the positive improvements in the city and hailed the everyday efforts of Burbank officials to keep the city running smoothly — in the same manner she said she runs City Council meetings.