City calls for election

The City Council on Tuesday called for a special election to fill the

vacancy created by the resignation of Councilwoman Stacey Murphy, who

faces cocaine possession and child endangerment charges.

The election is scheduled to take place on Jan. 24, 2006.

Candidates can pick up papers to run starting Monday at the City

Clerk’s office. Completed paperwork must be returned by Oct. 28. So

far, three residents have said they will run in the election: Airport

Commissioner and former Mayor Bill Wiggins; optometrist and former

Planning Board member David Gordon; and attorney and vice chairman of

the Burbank Water and Power Board Vahe Hovanessian.

This will be Hovanessian’s third run for a council seat while

Gordon is making his first attempt at public office.

The mere four months until the election makes it all the more

exciting for him, Hovanessian said.

“All candidates need to be clear and specific in regards to their

policy opinions and present a clear option to the all the voters,”

Hovanessian said.

The City Clerk’s office is seeking $150,000 from the city for the

election. And for the first time, a sample ballot will be sent to all

households in both English and Spanish.

Murphy, 47, was charged in August with one felony count of

possession of cocaine and one misdemeanor count of child endangerment

when police found drugs and three handguns in her Burbank home.

She resigned Aug. 30 just four months into her third term on the

council because she did want her criminal case to be a distraction to

the council doing city business.

She is scheduled to appear in Pasadena Superior Court on Oct. 18

to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Police were led to Murphy by her boyfriend Scott Schaffer, 51,

after a handgun registered to Schaffer was found at the home of a

member of the Vineland Boyz street gang.

A federal grand jury handed down a four-count indictment against

Schaffer on July 28 charging him with selling two handguns to a known

felon, possessing a handgun while selling cocaine, possession with

intent to deliver cocaine and owning 10 firearms at a time when he

was regularly using cocaine. Schaffer, who is free on $1-million

bond, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to

appear in U.S. District Court on Oct. 25.

QUESTION

What do you think the big issues should be in the upcoming special

election to fill Stacey Murphy’s seat? E-mail your responses to

o7burbankleader @latimes.comf7; mail them to the Burbank Leader,

111 W. Wilson Ave., Glendale, CA 91203. Please spell your name and

include your address and phone number for verification purposes only.