VOTERS SHAKE UP BURBANK SCHOOL BOARD.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer BURBANK - Voters ousted two members of the Burbank school board Tuesday and forced the board chairman into an April 8 runoff Runoff The procedure of printing the end-of-day prices for every stock on an exchange onto ticker tape. Notes: If the "tape is late" then it can take a long time to print off all the closing prices. to keep his seat. Challenger Dave Kemp was elected outright to the panel. The repudiation See non-repudiation. of board members Elena Hubbell and Richard Raad and lukewarm luke·warm adj. 1. Mildly warm; tepid. 2. Lacking conviction or enthusiasm; indifferent: gave only lukewarm support to the incumbent candidate. support for chairman Mike McDonald Mike McDonald (born June 22, 1958 in North Hollywood, California) is a former professional American football player who played long snapper for nine seasons in the NFL. - who finished fifth in the field to win a runoff berth - echoed a community outcry against the board's dismissal of a popular superintendent and its handling of a $3 million deficit last year. ``It's a backlash due to the budget crunch, which is not all their fault - they just happened to be in the firing line,'' said Kemp, who was a teacher in the district for 34 years until retiring in 2000. ``I'm almost speechless speech·less adj. 1. Lacking the faculty of speech. 2. Temporarily unable to speak, as through astonishment. 3. Refraining from speech; silent. 4. - the community finally listened to the teachers.'' Other challengers were more critical of the school board. ``The incumbents have not demonstrated good leadership over the last year - they had a real credibility problem with the city,'' said Larry Applebaum, who finished third overall in the voting and qualified for the runoff. McDonald was surprised by his showing and the ouster ouster n. 1) the wrongful dispossession (putting out) of a rightful owner or tenant of real property, forcing the party pushed out of the premises to bring a lawsuit to regain possession. of fellow incumbents Hubbell and Raad. ``We've gotten brand-new schools and higher test scores - I've done everything I promised,'' McDonald said. ``I'm excited I made it.'' Hubbell and Raad were not available for comment Tuesday night. Paul Krekorian Paul Krekorian was elected in 2006 to serve California's 43rd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Glendale and Burbank and the Los Feliz, Silver Lake, North Hollywood, Valley Glen, Toluca Lake, Atwater Village and Valley Village communities of Los Angeles. , Ted Bunch, Applebaum and McDonald will all be vying in the runoff for the remaining two seats on the five-member board. The school board contest drew 11 challengers - plus William Birtell, who pulled out the race but whose name remained on the ballot. Those challengers were Applebaum, 43, owner of an electronic musical instrument repair facility; Roland Armstorff, 45, community activist; Bunch, 64, retired teacher; Lisa Clement, 46, businesswoman; Lynne Gerred, 48, retired businesswoman; Steven Hulett, 54, business representative; Kemp, 64; Krekorian, 42, business attorney; Ira Lippman, 51, owner of several pet stores; Saba Mokhtari, 36, homemaker; and Silva Terteryan-Reyes, 42, social worker. Challengers had criticized the current panel's handling of a budget deficit last year, which resulted in the elimination of more than 70 nonteaching positions, and of its dismissal of popular former Superintendent David Aponik. Aponik's dismissal and subsequent lawsuit for wrongful termination wrongful termination n. a right of an employee to sue his/her employer for damages (loss of wage and "fringe" benefits, and, if against "public policy," for punitive damages). sparked a defunct recall effort by parents - evidence, critics said, that the district needs new leadership. Hubbell, Raad and McDonald defended their tenure, saying that under their leadership the district is successfully remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling its two high schools, has seen a spike in test scores and is modernizing schools, bringing air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. to most of them. Last year's budget deficit, which was remedied, was inherited by the current school board from a previous management team that was not forthcoming, incumbents argue. The current budget is balanced. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Valodia Gharapetians casts his ballot Tuesday morning in Burbank City Hall. Voters faced a variety of issues. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer Box: LATEST RESULTS |
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