Letter to the Editor:
Our local elections have become influenced by partisan interference instead of focusing on the best candidates for our children and our community.
Article II, Section 6(a) of the State of California’s Constitution, states that all school board and city council elections are to be nonpartisan.
Under this provision, anyone running for the School Board or City Council in Burbank is required to run without a party designation, regardless of whether they are registered to vote with a particular political party, or publicly aligned with a political party. The Constitution demands that they do NOT run as partisans.
In addition, Section 6(b) of the California Constitution prohibits a political party from nominating a candidate for these nonpartisan offices. Candidates for City Council and the School Board cannot include their political party preference on the ballot. So, even if the candidate for municipal office wanted to include that they were a Democrat or Republican, that designation could not be indicated on the ballot.
The reasons for this make a lot of sense. Political parties are irrelevant to the role and responsibilities of local school boards and city councils. Cooperation between elected officials belonging to different parties is more likely if they’re not labeled as political opponents. It’s for the benefit of the children and citizens of our community to NOT have partisan elections, and it is therefore demanded by the California state Constitution.
Unfortunately, here in Burbank, local political groups have taken a strong stance towards politicizing our local elections to the detriment of citizens. In one case, a small group of less than 60 individuals publicly “endorse” a select group of candidates based on their political party registration instead of evaluating the core values and beliefs of every candidate, overlooking who might be the most qualified or best choice for our children and city. By publicizing these “endorsements” these groups interfere with the integrity of municipal elections as they are intended to be as defined by our state Constitution.
Voters please vote. Local elections matter for our children and our community. And please research EACH and EVERY candidate based on their merits. Find out who is behind the endorsements and ask if they interviewed EVERY candidate. Attend the upcoming Candidate Forums to learn about each candidate or try to watch a replay online. The City Council Forum is on September 26th at 5:30 pm at Woodbury University’s Fletcher Jones Auditorium. The School Board Candidate Forum is on October 9th at 5:30 pm at Luther Burbank Middle School Auditorium. Avoid the manipulations of specific political advocacy groups.
Sincerely,
Patricia Burlingham – Local Business Owner
David Donahue, Local Business Owner
Barry Gussow, Realtor
Michael Hastings, Former Mayor
Kathy Hastings, Disney Cancer Center Board Member
Alexandra Helfrich, Advocate and Local Business owner
Elena Hubbell, Former Board of Education Member
Rod James, Burbank Resident
Dave Kemp, Retired Teacher and Former Board of Education Member
Debbie Kukta, Former Board of Education Member
Tina McDermott, College Professor/Former City of Burbank Employee
Bob Mohler, Entertainment Professional
Chez Mohler, Burbank Teacher
Dana Morris, Property Manager
Paula Morris, Retired Teacher
Carrie Pool – Resident
Roberta Reynolds, Former Board of Education Member
Barry Sarna, Retired Teacher
Kathy Wills Sarna, Teacher
Cynthia Schafer, Burbank Resident
Jon Schafer, Local Business Owner
Ken Schafer, Local Business Owner
Christine Senteney, Burbank Resident
Steve Senteney, Local Business Owner
Ward Smith, Burbank Resident
Karen Volpei, Realtor
Linda Walmsley, Retired Teacher
Suzanne Weerts, Writer/Producer and Advocate
Kimberly Williams, Local Business Owner
Lance Williams, Local Business Owner
