Lette to the Editor:
There’s been a lot of speculation and commentary over recent independent expenditures by a local Political Action Committee (PAC) on behalf of candidates for Burbank City Council. These PACs have every right to be involved in the political process. This is the inevitable reaction to direct political party involvement in recent local elections. Ever since the Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have begun weighing in on local Council races, along with their apparent ballot-harvesting efforts, we’ve seen a slew of candidates getting lots of votes who are light on experience and community involvement, but heavy on partisanship. And as many have observed, these partisan efforts are not designed to help Democrats in general, but rather those with specific connections to a select cadre of current officeholders and political consultants.
In 2018, the LA County Democratic Party very famously got involved in the supposedly non-partisan LA County Sheriff’s race, where they threw their considerable weight and funding behind a mid-level Sheriff’s deputy named Alex Villanueva in order to oust the incumbent Sheriff Jim McDonnell, a political independent. The party hacks went after Sheriff McDonnell, who was a highly respected, experienced, non-partisan and perfectly capable career lawman, in favor of Villanueva, all because Villanueva had a “D” next to his name. Villanueva ended up being a disaster as County Sheriff and was ousted after a single scandal-ridden term in office. McDonnell, of course, has recently been named by LA Mayor Karen Bass as the new LAPD Chief. I guess the County’s loss is the City of LA’s gain.
Political parties should stay out of local government. As someone who worked in municipal government for close to 35 years, I can say most city governments are far more efficient, accountable and responsive than any other level of government. Unlike at the State and Federal levels, where elected officials are mired in partisan gridlock, local government generally works better. There’s an old saying that there is no Democrat or Republican way to pave a road. We should keep that in mind when we pull the lever for the Burbank City Council election.
I’m supporting Judie Wilke and Chris Rizzotti for Burbank City Council. I don’t know what their political affiliations are, and I don’t care. Wilke and Rizzotti have extensive records of public service, community involvement, volunteerism, and government experience, and that’s really what matters when choosing our elected officials. Please give Wilke and Rizzotti your vote.
Matt Doyle
Burbank
