City Council candidate Gary Bric

The lone incumbent in the Burbank City Council election, Gary Bric spent four years on the Traffic and Transportation Commission before he was elected to the council in 2007. The 50-year Burbank resident served as mayor from May 2009 until the following year and said he believes the city still needs the common sense he brings as a small-business owner and councilman.

Nighttime noise relief in the area surrounding the airport initially prompted Bric to run for City Council, but the difficult budget times have kept him committed to the city, he said.

“We are going to have difficult decisions to make with the budgets during the next four years,” Bric said. “And it’s important to have that experience on the council.”

Why are you running for Burbank City Council?

I feel my experience as a small-businessman and my previous four years on City Council will assure the residents of Burbank the high quality of life that we have all come to enjoy and deserve will continue.

What are the major issues or problems facing Burbank?

The budget will be the No. 1 issue that comes before City Council, along with the matter regarding Bob Hope Airport. The continuing litigation and other issues within our Police Department and the $80 million in street infrastructure repairs that are needed are also topics of concern.

How will you approach continued budget cuts?

We will need to ask city departments to again reduce their budgets by 5% as they have done this past year, yet that may not be enough. We already know that our pension costs for 2011 to 2012 will rise nearly $4 million, and we cannot continue to draw down our stabilization fund to fund numerous programs.

We now have approximately $1.2 million left, and when that is gone we will need to tap into our reserves. You may see cuts in the library where we may have to open an hour later and close an hour earlier, and certain programs for both our youth and seniors may have to be cut back.

Additionally, those positions within the city where people have retired will need to be frozen. Burbank police and fire departments receive nearly 50% of our $145-million General Fund money, and public safety will continue to be a high priority for me.

What is your No. 1 concern for Burbank residents, and how will you address their concerns on the council?

Due to our economic downturn, as stated above, the budget will be the No. 1 concern in Burbank as we will try to adopt a budget with as minimal an impact as possible to all our residents.

INFO:

Name: Gary Bric

Age: 58

Occupation: Restaurant owner, City Council member

Education: Graduated Burbank High School 1970; some college work

Endorsements: Dave Golonski, former mayor and current councilmember, city of Burbank

Armenian National Committee of America, Burbank chapter

Burbank Firefighters

Burbank Police Officers Assn.

Burbank City Employees Assn.