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Konstantine Anthony

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Konstantine Anthony
Official portrait, 2022
Member of the Burbank City Council
At-large District
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 14, 2020
Preceded byTimothy M. Murphy
Mayor of Burbank, California
In office
December 20, 2022 – December 18, 2023
Preceded byJess Talamantes
Succeeded byNick Schultz
Vice Mayor of Burbank, California
In office
December 23, 2021 – December 20, 2022
Preceded byJess Talamantes
Succeeded byNick Schultz
Personal details
Born1981 (age 42–43)[1]
Castro Valley, California, U.S.[2]
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America
Spouse
Margo Rowder
​
(m. 2023)​
Children1[citation needed]
Residence(s)Burbank, California
EducationSan Francisco State University[2]

Konstantine Anthony (born 1981) is an American politician and former actor, serving as a member of the Burbank City Council since 2020.[3] He previously served as Mayor of Burbank from 2022 to 2023.

In 2020, Anthony was elected to the Burbank City Council.[4] In March 2023, Anthony announced his campaign for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,[5] challenging Republican incumbent Kathryn Barger.[6][7] He came third, winning 11% of the vote to Barger's 56%.

Political career

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2022–present

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Anthony (right) during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike,[8] Anthony came out in favor of the WGA and appeared multiple times on their picket lines, alongside other elected officials.[9] Konstantine has been a SAG-AFTRA member since 2006 and a member of SEIU 2015 since 2019.[citation needed]

Controversy

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In September 2023, Konstantine Anthony was involved in an incident that attracted media coverage and public discussion. During a fundraising event hosted by the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats called Drag Queen Bingo, a video was taken that showed Anthony being spanked by a drag performer. Fox News reported the incident on September 11, 2023. The Los Angeles Times, in an article dated September 14, 2023, discussed the subsequent online debates.[10][11]

Political positions

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Anthony is a proponent of a policeless state, advocating for the abolition of police as well as the abolition of prisons. He identifies himself as a futurist, abolitionist, and a Trotskyist, stating that he believes in the restructuring of societal systems and ideologies within the framework of permanent revolution.[12]

Organizations

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Outside of elected office, Anthony is involved with a number of social justice organizations. He has been part of the Burbank Advisory Council on Disabilities since 2018, and is a member of the Domestic Violence Task Force. He previously served on the Burbank Transportation Commission from 2017 to 2020.[13] He is a member of and was endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles, in his run for Burbank City Council.[14]

Endorsements

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In the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, Anthony endorsed twenty year old activist Alex Gruenenfelder.[15][16] According to Maebe A. Girl, he endorsed her in the 2024 California's 30th congressional district election, and according to California State Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, he co-endorsed her for that seat.[17][18] In California's 2024 United States Senate election, Anthony had previously endorsed fellow Burbank resident and U.S. representative Adam Schiff.[19] However, in late October 2023, after Schiff had released a statement in support of Israel's "right to defend itself" during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Anthony withdrew his endorsement of Schiff and declined to endorse any other candidate until Schiff would endorse peace in the region.[20] On December 11, 2023, Anthony endorsed Schiff’s opponent in the race, Rep. Barbara Lee.[21]

Personal life

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Anthony has publicly identified as autistic, a factor he cites as a driving force behind his advocacy for disability rights.[22] In a Twitter post, the Burbank Republican Party highlighted this statement from Margo Rowder: "You chose to drag someone who doesn't have the money for a formal autism diagnosis and whose former schoolmates called him in his late 20s to ask if he thinks he might be autistic."[23]

References

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  1. ^ Anthony, Konstantine [@konstantineinca] (September 8, 2021). "Bernie Sanders won his first local election at the age of 39 in 1981, the year I was born. I also ran for local office and won at the age of 39 because I wanted to do what he did, fight for the working people of my city. Happy 80th birthday @BernieSanders, you inspire me still" (Tweet). Retrieved October 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Herenda, Devin (September 17, 2020). "City Council Candidate Profile: Konstantine Anthony". myBurbank. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  3. ^ Linton, Joe (December 21, 2020). "Interview with Newly Elected Burbank City Councilmember Konstantine Anthony". StreetsBlogLA. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "Konstantine Anthony, Mayor". City of Burbank. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "Mayor Konstantine Anthony Kicks Off Campaign for LA County Supervisor". myBurbank. March 29, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Quinton, Gavin (April 3, 2023). "Mayor Makes Bid for Supervisor Seat". Burbank Leader. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "About Me". Konstantine Anthony for LA County Supervisor. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Sherwood, Craig (April 20, 2023). "Burbank's Economy Braces for Possible Writer's Strike". myBurbank. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Quinton, Gavin (May 22, 2023). "WGA Strike Grinds Production to a Halt". Burbank Leader. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  10. ^ "California mayor spanked with a paddle by drag queen". Fox News. September 11, 2023. [better source needed]
  11. ^ "Drag queen's spanking of Burbank mayor in video sparks anti-LGBTQ hate". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "Democrat mayor who was spanked by drag queen wants to 'destroy' police, prisons, claims Marxism is 'the real American dream'". Fox News. September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023. [better source needed]
  13. ^ Sherwood, Craig (December 19, 2022). "New Burbank City Council Members Sworn In, Anthony Elected Mayor for 2023". myBurbank. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "DSA is proud to endorse Konstantine Anthony for Burbank City Council, up for vote in Burbank, CA on Nov 3rd!!". Facebook. Democratic Socialists of America. September 30, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  15. ^ Kloczko, Justin (April 13, 2022). "meet the LA mayoral candidates not fit for t.v." The Debaser. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Anthony, Konstantine [@KonstantineinCA] (May 8, 2022). "C'mon LA neighbors, don't let me down!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Girl, Maebe A. (February 14, 2023). "I'm excited to announce our first major endorsement for 2024: Mayor of Burbank, Konstantine Anthony. CA-30 includes Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, and West Hollywood. #MaebeForCongress #Burbank #Endorsement". Instagram. Retrieved May 24, 2023. [better source needed]
  18. ^ Friedman, Laura (February 14, 2023). "It's been an honor representing the close-knit community of #Burbank in the legislature & working closely with the city to on our shared priorities. I'm proud to announce that a majority of the City Council - @konstantineinca, @nickforburbank, @nikki_in_burbank are endorsing me to continue representing Burbank as its next Congressmember!". Instagram. Retrieved May 24, 2023. [better source needed]
  19. ^ Voght, Tara (February 18, 2023). "The Democratic Plot To Take Down Their Impeachment Hero". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 27, 2023. [better source needed]
  20. ^ Kiszla, Cameron (October 31, 2023). "Burbank mayor withdraws endorsement of Schiff over Israel-Hamas war". KTLA 5. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "California mayor flips Senate endorsement from Schiff to Lee, citing Gaza stance". The Washington Post. December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  22. ^ "Autistic Person Is Mayor of Burbank | Dreier Roundtable". Claremont McKenna College. January 22, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  23. ^ Burbank Republican Party [@BurbankGOP] (October 27, 2023). "Konstantine Anthony claims he is autistic but this contradicts that claim. Margo Rowder is listed on Wikipedia as his wife. Who is telling the truth? In 2008 he publicly self diagnosed as having Asperger Syndrome to members of his improv theater company, Comedysportz. After years of pushback, he walked back his self diagnosis to being "on the spectrum." A position he holds to today. When asked about changing his name from Kosta Ratellas to Konstantine Anthony, he said to Comedysportz members, 'Sometimes you gotta change your name so you don't have to pay those taxes. What the government doesn't know won't hurt them, right?'" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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