For the record, Glendale City Manager Jim Starbird did once work
directly with Burbank's city manager, Bud Ovrom. But in a column last
week, I reversed their roles during that period. I've since learned
that absolutely delighted one of the men, and opened the other to
some collegial teasing and abuse.
Between 1976 and 1983, Ovrom was the city manager in Monrovia, and
Starbird was his assistant city manager. When Ovrom went on to a
stint as manager in Downey, Starbird was bumped up. Though Ovrom
insists almost everyone finds it almost impossible to believe,
Starbird is the younger of the two men by four years.
Starbird intimated that, if anyone doubts he's the younger of the
two, perhaps they're misled by Ovrom's highly suspicious lack of gray
hair.
I'm afraid I got carried away with the spirit of all the playful
jousting, because I thought I'd chime in by telling both men what I
was doing in 1976, when they were already high-ranking city
executives. When I began by saying, "Well, my high school pals and I
... " both executives suddenly remembered important meetings
elsewhere.
CANDIDATES PLAYING HOOKY?
It's hard not to be surprised by the dearth of candidates who have
filed papers to run for three open seats on the board of the Glendale
Unified School District. Two incumbents, Pam Ellis and Lina Harper,
are looking for reelection, and Mary Boger is looking for election,
having been appointed last year after the death of board member
Jeanne Bentley. (That seat comes with a shortened two-year term.)
Beyond that trio, there is one challenger, Odalis Suarez.
It's amazing to compare the current state of the school board to
controversies swirling during the past two board elections. Of
course, aside from its own successes, Glendale's board can't help but
look good with Burbank's panel so near for comparison. That city's
school board has been mired in scandalous revelations, self-inflicted
financial crises, and several examples of board members making public
claims later proved to be false. Add to it an opinion from the Los
Angeles County District Attorney's office that Burbank's school board
has routinely violated state laws on open meetings, and it boggles
the mind to imagine what Glendale's panel would have to do to
distract us from the ongoing car wreck next door.
Many of the controversies that once gripped Glendale saw Chuck
Sambar at the center, initially as an election challenger, and later
as the only populist board member. Many establishment players saw
