A solution to police

This letter is in response to the Leader article on Burbank Police

recruitment (“Police are bulking up the force,” Sept. 28). First, I

have to say that I am delighted that our Police Department is

beginning to reach its full force once again. The question posed in

the Leader article is what additional steps the department might take

to further enhance its recruiting efforts. My answer is that I don’t

know of anything additional the department might do. I do, however,

have an idea that the City Council might implement, which would help

with both Police and Fire Department recruiting.

Consider this: Hurricane Katrina clearly proved that the Federal

Emergency Management Agency is not able to swing in to action

immediately. Should we have a major catastrophe, such as huge

earthquake, we will likely have to live without help from the agency

for at least a week. We can prepare ourselves with adequate bottled

water, foods, etc. but what will we do if our first responders, i.e.

our police and firefighters, are not available?

Here’s the problem: The vast majority of both our police and

firefighters live miles away. In the event of a major catastrophe,

many of them may not be able to make the commute in to Burbank.

Here’s a proposed solution that not only would help protect us in

case of a serious emergency but should also prove valuable as a

recruiting tool: The reason so many of our police and firefighters

chose to live elsewhere is that Burbank’s housing costs are extremely

high. On a square foot basis our housing costs rival that of elite

areas such as Beverly Hills. Our police and firefighters simply can’t

afford to buy here. What our council could do is to implement a

generous long-term, low- or no-interest loan program so that our

first responders can actually afford to live here.

Our council has plenty of redevelopment dollars available to get

such a program rolling. Instead of squandering redevelopment dollars

on giveaways to rich developers, as they have done in the past, the

council could actually do something worthwhile for all of us.

Unfortunately, our council is much too busy dilly-dallying around

with an inane fence-shrub-tree ordinance, which most believe is not

necessary. Let’s face it, the reason that this inane ordinance is

even being considered is that Councilman Dave Golonski has an

overwhelming desire to control every aspect of our lives. Even more

unfortunately, the other three members of the Council just don’t have

what it takes to stand up to Golonski.

We’ll have an election in January and the opportunity to elect

someone who is an independent thinker and has the fortitude to stand

up to Golonski. That person is David Gordon. Through his service on

the Planning Board, his many years of practice of optometry here in

Burbank and his other civic activities Gordon has proven that he is a

person of impeccable ethics, of high intelligence, of sound

temperament and, who is knowledgeable of all of the issues affecting

those of us residing in Burbank. One independent voice on the council

can make a huge, and positive, difference. If elected, Gordon will be

that independent voice. Further, he will hit the ground running

instead of continually running Burbank in to the ground with

excessive overdevelopment.

* RON VANDERFORD is a resident of Burbank.