Nick Schultz photo courtesy city of Burbank December 18, 2023.
There is a new mayor in the Media City. Vice-Mayor Nick Schultz got the unanimous approval of his fellow council members to move up to the mayor position. Schultz was selected last Monday, December 18 at the culmination of the city council reorganization meeting.
Former Mayor Anthony, a look back and ahead
Earlier in the meeting, former Mayor Konstantine Anthony handed out thank-you gifts to staff leaders and reflected on his year in office. A balanced budget is among the achievements of 2023. On the downside, the controversies included an infamous spanking stunt that got widespread media attention. The incident occurred last September. Anthony got playfully paddled by a drag queen at an event. Shortly after that, the video caused an uproar. Eventually, Anthony issued a public apology for his conduct following the incident but not for the paddling itself.
Anthony’s one-year term as mayor is over. His term on the city council will end in December of 2024. However, Anthony is not stepping out of the spotlight. In fact, he is running for higher officer. Anthony is a candidate for the Los Angeles County Supervisor seat in the 5th District. The actor-turned-politician launched a vigorous campaign in 2023, which is only expected to become more active as the March 5 primary nears.
Mayor Schultz’s full agenda
Meanwhile, 2024 is going to be a very busy year for Mayor Schultz as well. Mayor Schultz acknowledges, “The city is strong,” but he still sees a need for improvement: “I have heard countless stories about residents who are living paycheck to paycheck. I have been that person. I know many of you have, too. The rising costs of rental housing are displacing long-time residents from our community. The dream of home ownership has never been further beyond reach for so many working people in Burbank. Wages remain largely stagnant and are outpaced by the very high cost of living. The point I’m trying to make is that we have to work diligently to build a more equitable and inclusive economy. That needs to be our number one goal.”
In addition to being mayor, Schultz is running for assembly in the 44th District. He hopes to replace Laura Friedman, who is campaigning to succeed Adam Schiff, as the representative in Congress for the 30th District. Also, Schultz’s day job is as a lawyer with the Special Prosecutions Section of the Attorney General’s Office with the California Department of Justice.
The council reorganization meeting wrapped up with the unanimous selection of Nikki Perez as vice mayor for 2024 by the council members.
From (L-R) Council Member Konstantine Anthony, Vice Mayor Nikki Perez, Mayor Nick Schultz, Council Member Tamala Takahashi, and Council Member Zizette Mullins.
