HUSBAND, WIFE VIE FOR COUNCIL SEATS 2 SPOTS SOUGHT BY 4 WHO MADE PRIMARY CUT.

Byline: EUGENE TONG

Staff Writer

BURBANK -- A husband-and-wife duo with years of community activism under their belts will vie for the two City Council seats up for grabs against a pair of candidates who enjoy City Hall and union support.

Carolyn and Phil Berlin, who have been involved in local issues including development at the Bob Hope Airport, made the cut in Tuesday's mail-in primary.

But the two finished behind restaurant owner Gary Bric and attorney Anja Reinke.

The four will face off April10 for two council seats held by retiring Mayor Todd Campbell and Councilman Jef Vander Borght.

Of 51,053 eligible voters in the city, 10,006 ballots were cast in the mail-only election. Bric finished first with 4,277, followed by Reinke with 3,900.

Former city Planning Board member Carolyn Berlin took third with 3,258 and her husband, Phil, a former Bob Hope Airport commissioner, placed fourth with 2,946.

Bric, who serves on the city Traffic and Transportation Committee, ran for council in 2003 and finished second in the primary ahead of Campbell, only to lose to him in the general election.

"I've been here before, and it makes me that much more hungry to work that much harder," he said.

Bric, 54, is endorsed by the city's public employee unions and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which also support Reinke. He also is backed by Vander Borght and Councilman David Golonski.

According to campaign finance disclosures as of Feb.21, Bric had a war chest of $15,910, of which $15,081 was spent.

An independent political committee called Working Californians spent more than $13,022 on consulting and mailers in support of Bric.

Bric said Wednesday he doesn't know about the committee, and calls to the Los Angeles-based labor campaign group were not returned.

In 2006, the group backed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides and state Controller John Chiang, according to campaign filings.

Reinke, 46, has served on Burbank's civilian Police Commission since 2004. She has the endorsement of current council members, except for Councilman David Gordon.

She disclosed $15,036 in contributions and personal loans and has spent the entire sum on her campaign.

Carolyn Berlin, 60, served on the city Planning Board for nine years until 2003, while Phil Berlin, 63, served on the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport commission from 1995 to 2001.

Both are endorsed by Gordon, often the lone dissenting voice on the council.

Opponents have attacked their candidacy, citing concerns about the couple forming a voting bloc, which they dismissed, saying they are independent thinkers.

Carolyn Berlin has a war chest of $21,776, including $15,526 in a personal loan. She has spent $14,757. Phil Berlin disclosed $21,197 in contributions and loans, and has spent $19,504.

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