Reinke won’t re-run for council

[UPDATED] Three candidates have filed papers for the Burbank City Council primary election in February, and Mayor Anja Reinke is not among them.

Spots held by Councilman Gary Bric and Reinke will open at the end of the current term ending in April.

Reinke, who pushed for an arts commission as part of her campaign platform in 2007, said she was excited to see it finally come to fruition.

Reinke declined to be interviewed, but in September said she thought it was “a little shameful that we’re the media capital of the world and didn’t have a cultural arts commission.”

“People were usually shocked to find out that we didn’t,” she added.

Reinke has vowed to remain involved in Burbank’s art community and attend City Council meetings as a member of the public.

Reinke made her intentions public Friday at Holiday in the Park.

Bric, Police Commissioner Robert Frutos and Planning Board member Emily Gabel-Luddy have all submitted forms to run in the upcoming election, according to the city clerk’s office.

Bric said the decision to run for re-election was not easy, which is why he waited until Nov. 19 to turn in his paperwork.

“I’m up to speed with what is going on, and it’s important to have that experience,” Bric said. “We have tough budgets coming up in the next four years.”

Frutos and Gabel-Luddy would bring a record of civil service in Burbank, as well as employment with the city of Los Angeles.

Frutos, who served on the Charter review board and is chairman of the Police Commission, said a spot on the Burbank City Council is the next step in his community service.

The 17-year Burbank resident said he would bring a unique perspective to the City Council, with his service as a Los Angeles police officer.

“I am a problem solver,” Frutos said. “That’s what a police officer does.”

Gabel-Luddy, chairwoman of the Planning Board and member since 2001, was the manager of the Urban Design Studio for the Los Angeles planning department.

Gabel-Luddy could not be reached for comment and was not at the Planning Board meeting Monday.

The filing period for the City Council and Burbank school board closes Monday.

[UPDATE: Because of Reinke’s decision, the city announced Wednesday that filing deadline for City Council have been extended to Dec. 1.]