Barry Brucker: An Interview with Beverly Hills' Newly Installed Mayor
BEVERLY HILLS - He's only been in office six weeks, and Mayor Barry Brucker has already been faced with some major decisions, but he's taking them all in his stride.
When the Beverly Hills City Council held its annual mayoral installation ceremony at the K.L. Peterson Auditorium at Beverly Hills High School on March 18, some 300 people attended to witness the installation of Barry Brucker, a man who grew up in Beverly Hills and served two terms as Beverly Hills School Board President in 1999 and 2003.
Given that the five member city council appoints its' mayor from within on a rotational basis every year, the ceremony was to all intents and purposes symbolic. However, the position is anything but. Now that Brucker has moved from vice mayor to mayor, he has major plans for the coming year, and he's got some big shoes to follow.
Where outgoing mayor Jimmy Delshad was a local celebrity - becoming the city's first Iranian American mayor - with a paparazzi-style following that saw him dogged by both the local, national and international media, there's nothing flashy about Brucker, a businessman who serves as president and CEO of his own company, Independent Ink, an international manufacturer of digital and security printing inks. "Every mayor injects their own style and personality," says Brucker. "And what I lack in buzz, I will make up with moving forward a lot of the city's projects, but I'll still be able to handle all the ribbon cuttings," he says, laughing.
Given that the city of Beverly Hills is an international business, celebrity and tourism magnet, a traffic pass through for 300,000 cars traveling to and from the Westside on a daily basis, and has just about every move the council makes fiercely debated by its loyal residents, after barely three weeks into his job Brucker confesses: "It's been an extremely turbulent couple of weeks. Turbulent but exciting."
The "turbulence" he's referring to are two major building projects that the city is currently debating: a massive expansion of the current Beverly Hilton Hotel, and the former Robinson's May site next to the Hilton, known as the 9900 Wilshire Project, which was approved in a 4-1 vote by the city council on April 9. The Hilton expansion is already ruffling feathers, especially among residents who feel that the project will damage the look of the city and create further traffic congestion. The council's vote has been postponed several times and a special meeting on the issue is being held on May 12.
Brucker has already tackled the issue head on, holding a series of ongoing town hall meetings to allow residents to come and voice their concerns. "I don't want any community member to every say they didn't have a chance to communicate," says Brucker, who says open communication is a key theme in his mayoral term.
Most of the city's mayors hope to leave some kind of legacy following their brief 12-month tenure, but Brucker appears to have already made his mark, during his term as vice mayor last year. He fought hard for and won two major battles: creating the strongest ethics ordinance in the state that holds city councilors to a strict code once their five year term on the council ends, and bringing forth a non-smoking policy on outdoor dining areas. Despite opposition to the smoking ban by many in the city, the program, implemented last summer, has been extremely successful.
Still, Brucker has other programs he hopes to implement in the coming year, two new communications programs entitled "Ask Bev" - a program that allows anyone with access to a computer to go online and submit their questions or requests to the city, and Ombudsman 3-1-1 - a similar system available over the telephone, that will allow residents to inform the city of goings on: everything from reporting a pothole to signing up for a CPR class or requesting a building permit.
Brucker says he is also working on a program called "The Greening of Beverly Hills", to incorporate long term Green features into the city's General Plan, which is currently undergoing review for the first time since 1977.
He'll also be tackling the city's biggest bane: traffic. He's already co-opted fellow councilor (and former mayor) Linda Briskman to organize and chair a City-hosted Traffic Mitigation Symposium.
He expressed relief at the recent hold an LA County judge placed on Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plans to make Olympic and Pico Boulevards one-way streets, which directly affects locals. "The judge made the correct decision to slow this process down and allow the experts to do a thorough analysis," he said. "This needs to be a well thought out traffic mitigation decision."
He'll also spend time lobbying in both Sacramento and Washington for increased funding for security concerns and for the implementation of pilot programs in the city. "I'm a great schmoozer," Brucker states when asked if he has what it takes to lobby senators. "I've been schmoozing my whole career. I'm a salesman by profession."
Brucker is relishing the year ahead and says he's ready for both the challenges and rewards that come with being the mayor of Beverly Hills. "It's all about personal style," he says. "And I'm very proactive, not afraid to give my opinion or take on challenges."
When the Beverly Hills City Council held its annual mayoral installation ceremony at the K.L. Peterson Auditorium at Beverly Hills High School on March 18, some 300 people attended to witness the installation of Barry Brucker, a man who grew up in Beverly Hills and served two terms as Beverly Hills School Board President in 1999 and 2003.
Given that the five member city council appoints its' mayor from within on a rotational basis every year, the ceremony was to all intents and purposes symbolic. However, the position is anything but. Now that Brucker has moved from vice mayor to mayor, he has major plans for the coming year, and he's got some big shoes to follow.
Where outgoing mayor Jimmy Delshad was a local celebrity - becoming the city's first Iranian American mayor - with a paparazzi-style following that saw him dogged by both the local, national and international media, there's nothing flashy about Brucker, a businessman who serves as president and CEO of his own company, Independent Ink, an international manufacturer of digital and security printing inks. "Every mayor injects their own style and personality," says Brucker. "And what I lack in buzz, I will make up with moving forward a lot of the city's projects, but I'll still be able to handle all the ribbon cuttings," he says, laughing.
Given that the city of Beverly Hills is an international business, celebrity and tourism magnet, a traffic pass through for 300,000 cars traveling to and from the Westside on a daily basis, and has just about every move the council makes fiercely debated by its loyal residents, after barely three weeks into his job Brucker confesses: "It's been an extremely turbulent couple of weeks. Turbulent but exciting."
The "turbulence" he's referring to are two major building projects that the city is currently debating: a massive expansion of the current Beverly Hilton Hotel, and the former Robinson's May site next to the Hilton, known as the 9900 Wilshire Project, which was approved in a 4-1 vote by the city council on April 9. The Hilton expansion is already ruffling feathers, especially among residents who feel that the project will damage the look of the city and create further traffic congestion. The council's vote has been postponed several times and a special meeting on the issue is being held on May 12.
Brucker has already tackled the issue head on, holding a series of ongoing town hall meetings to allow residents to come and voice their concerns. "I don't want any community member to every say they didn't have a chance to communicate," says Brucker, who says open communication is a key theme in his mayoral term.
Most of the city's mayors hope to leave some kind of legacy following their brief 12-month tenure, but Brucker appears to have already made his mark, during his term as vice mayor last year. He fought hard for and won two major battles: creating the strongest ethics ordinance in the state that holds city councilors to a strict code once their five year term on the council ends, and bringing forth a non-smoking policy on outdoor dining areas. Despite opposition to the smoking ban by many in the city, the program, implemented last summer, has been extremely successful.
Still, Brucker has other programs he hopes to implement in the coming year, two new communications programs entitled "Ask Bev" - a program that allows anyone with access to a computer to go online and submit their questions or requests to the city, and Ombudsman 3-1-1 - a similar system available over the telephone, that will allow residents to inform the city of goings on: everything from reporting a pothole to signing up for a CPR class or requesting a building permit.
Brucker says he is also working on a program called "The Greening of Beverly Hills", to incorporate long term Green features into the city's General Plan, which is currently undergoing review for the first time since 1977.
He'll also be tackling the city's biggest bane: traffic. He's already co-opted fellow councilor (and former mayor) Linda Briskman to organize and chair a City-hosted Traffic Mitigation Symposium.
He expressed relief at the recent hold an LA County judge placed on Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plans to make Olympic and Pico Boulevards one-way streets, which directly affects locals. "The judge made the correct decision to slow this process down and allow the experts to do a thorough analysis," he said. "This needs to be a well thought out traffic mitigation decision."
He'll also spend time lobbying in both Sacramento and Washington for increased funding for security concerns and for the implementation of pilot programs in the city. "I'm a great schmoozer," Brucker states when asked if he has what it takes to lobby senators. "I've been schmoozing my whole career. I'm a salesman by profession."
Brucker is relishing the year ahead and says he's ready for both the challenges and rewards that come with being the mayor of Beverly Hills. "It's all about personal style," he says. "And I'm very proactive, not afraid to give my opinion or take on challenges."
The Honorable Barry Brucker was installed as the 82nd Mayor of Beverly Hills on March 18. Pictured with Mayor Brucker are left to right: son Richard, wife Sue and daughter Lauren.
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