PURPOSE:  

The purpose of this report is to present the City Council with  a request from the Burbank Armenian Cultural Foundation to conduct a candidate forum on either March 22, March 23 or March 24, 2007, for the April 10, 2007 General Election.

ANALYSIS:

The request was received in the City Manager�s office by e-mail on March 13th.  It is similar in proposed format and style with the previous request submitted by the Burbank Armenian National Committee made in December 2006, to hold a forum prior to the Primary Nominating Election. The Council considered this request, but decided to lend support to only one forum, sponsored by the Glendale-Burbank League of Women Voters, that the Council had previously approved.

Previous requests were considered in light of Council resolution 24,741, passed in 1996. The resolution reads in part �No organization which has endorsed or may endorse a candidate for office or has taken a position or may take a position on the merits of any City of Burbank ballot proposition shall be entitled to sponsor a program.�

This latest request differs from the previous request in one significant way, it comes from the Chairperson of the Armenian Cultural Foundation, not the Armenian National Committee.  In proposed format and style, it is identical to the previous request.

As a practical matter, the Public Information Office could swing into action on short notice and videotape any forum that may take place in the Council Chamber.

There are other factors the Council may want to weigh in its consideration.  New candidate statements for the four remaining candidates for City Council were videotaped March 16^th and are currently airing on Channel 6.  And, the League of Women Voters, which sponsored a forum prior to the primary election, has not requested to host a forum for the General Election. Additionally, due to the lateness of the request, and the need to go through the approval process, by the time this forum airs ballots would have already have been mailed out, and, based on passed history, some voters will have already returned their ballots.

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that the Council consider the request from Mr. Stepan Boyajian, Chair of the Burbank Armenian Cultural Foundation, and then decide if moving ahead with such a forum utilizing the Council Chamber and Channel 6 is timely and appropriate.

go to the top