October 14, 2009

Dear Friend:

Dear [First Name]:

People know that I spend a great deal of time researching candidates and issues because I don’t like to vote for anyone or anything I don’t understand. Here are my choices for the November 3 election. Thanks for reading.

Got a last-minute question about where or how to vote? See “Election Q&A” on my Web site.

Burlingame City Council

Three incumbents and one challenger are vying for three seats on the Burlingame City Council. I have endorsed Ann Keighran, who is currently serving as mayor, because I think she’s done a good job during her first four years on the council. I am also supporting Michael Brownrigg, the challenger, because I would greatly value his expertise on the council.

Ann Keighran has worked hard to bring new businesses to Burlingame and has been the primary driver of the revitalization of Broadway. She does her homework, asks good questions and follows through on her promises. She doesn’t just react to proposals brought before the council; she gets out there and makes things happen.

In 2007 Ann worked closely with me and Burlingame Elementary School District representatives to forge a cooperative relationship between the district and the city. We also serve together on the council’s Civic Engagement Committee, which has pioneered new ways of soliciting public involvement and feedback, such as a citizens’ focus group with residents from each city precinct. She organizes volunteers from throughout Burlingame to clean up and spruce up our business areas.

Ann deserves your vote.

Michael Brownrigg is an impressive, articulate man who served our country for a dozen years as a diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service. For 13 years, he was an investor in small companies, sitting on boards and sometimes in management, and helping these firms grow large and prosperous. He is the founder of a new social investment company that supports individuals who are working to improve our communities and help us live sustainably. His business expertise would be invaluable on the council at this time of economic uncertainty. His strong negotiating skills would be extremely beneficial with other big projects on the horizon, such as high speed rail.

In his eight years on the Planning Commission, Michael has demonstrated his understanding of the need to plan for the future of our city as well as protect the small-town character of Burlingame. We worked side by side on the city’s Green Ribbon Task Force for two years, crafting the city’s first Climate Action Plan, and he was a key broker of the compromise that is finally bringing us a new Safeway. He is a strong supporter of schools. He is known for being the “voice of reason” that others respect. In every endeavor, he has opened doors to public participation.

I asked Michael to run for City Council several years ago, and I’m delighted that he has stepped up to serve our city. Please vote for Michael.

Since three spots are available, you have one more vote to cast. The other candidates, Cathy Baylock and Rosalie O’Mahony are well known in our community. Take your pick. I don’t think you can go wrong in this election because all four candidates are good people.

Measure H: Increase Hotel Tax

There is no organized opposition to Measure H, which would increase our city’s transient occupancy tax (TOT) from 10 percent to 12 percent. This is a tax charged on those who stay in hotels within our city limits; it does not impact residents. Other cities in the county with hotels have this same measure on the ballot. Hotels in San Francisco charge a tax of 14 percent and, in certain areas, as much as 15-1/2 percent. Measure H would mean that visitors, who travel our streets, enjoy our trails and open space, and who rely on our police, fire and medical services, would pay their fair share. It would generate approximately $2 million more per year that could be used for a variety of public services.

Please vote “yes” on Measure H.

Measure I: Make City Clerk an Appointed Position

More than two-thirds of California cities and 13 of the 20 cities in San Mateo County have switched from the outdated model of an elected city clerk to an appointed city clerk, which allows cities to make appointments using the same thorough process they use to select other department heads. In 1991 Burlingame voters approved making the city treasurer an appointed position.

Here’s why I think you should vote “yes” on Measure I, which would make the office of city clerk appointive:

1. Although they are technically elected, our city clerks are really appointed. Here’s how it works: First, the city clerk retires before finishing the term, then the council appoints someone to fill out the rest of the term, then that person runs unopposed for the office of city clerk in the next election and – no surprise – gets elected. For the past 25 years, city clerks have run unopposed, with just one exception.
2. For the past 30 years, all of our city clerks have been well qualified because they have come from the ranks of experienced city employees with proven track records. We might not always be so lucky. State law only requires elected city clerks to be over the age of 18 and registered voters in the cities where they serve. If an unqualified person were elected, the only way to unseat the person would be an expensive and time-consuming recall election.
3. The duties of city clerks have become increasingly complex over the years and require professional skills and expertise. We need to make sure our city clerk is qualified.
4. In time, we could have a situation in which two or more people run for city clerk at a time when there are no other issues or races on the city ballot. That would mean citizens would have to pay for an expensive election, which cost $32,000 last spring.
5. Appointments don’t encourage politicking; elections do. City clerks who want endorsements from council members for their campaigns may not be able to remain neutral. We only need look at some neighboring cities to see the political controversy that can result when a city clerk and the council are at odds with one another.
6. An appointed city clerk would be accountable to the city manager, who is accountable to the City Council. And the City Council is accountable to the public. That’s the structure used with other department heads, and it works very well. You wouldn’t want to have an elected police chief or fire chief, would you?

Please join me, Mayor Ann Keighran, former Mayor and current Council Member Rosalie O’Mahony, Councilmember Jerry Deal, former Mayor Mike Spinelli, former Burlingame City Clerks Doris Mortensen and Judith Malfatti, and many other community leaders in voting “Yes” on Measure I. It will save our city money and bring the city clerk out of the world of politics and into the world of professionalism.

For a more complete article on this topic, please see my Web site.

City Clerk

There’s only one choice (Why? See No. 1 above): Mary Ellen Kearney. She deserves your vote.

High School District Board

Five individuals are running for three seats on the San Mateo Union High School District board of trustees, including all three incumbents. I strongly recommend that you support Linda Lees Dwyer and Mike Loy.

Linda Lees Dwyer is an attorney who gets high marks for her handling of the school bond fiasco. Arriving after poor decisions were made, she questioned the way bond funds were being spent and voted against a budget that would have let the district into bankruptcy. She is a hardworking board member who maintains close contact with her constituents and has a reputation for being fair.

Mike Loy is a parent volunteer who has served four years on the Aragon Parent Teacher Organization and is currently its president. He chairs the Measure M Citizen Oversight Committee, which oversees spending of bond funds. His experience as a general contractor is a plus for making sure that public monies are wisely spent on bond-funded projects. He is a proponent of more vocational education and sees another parcel tax “only as a last resort” if other funding alternatives for the district cannot be found.

You have one more vote. Should you vote for incumbents Robert Griffin or Peter Hanley or for challenger Guadalupe Ortiz? I have spoken to a great many people acquainted with these individuals and here’s what I’ve learned:

Robert Griffin is an experienced CPA, yet he was a member of the board when the district got into financial trouble. Some say he is a good listener who asks thoughtful questions. Others say he is a follower who shows heavy deference to the superintendent and staff of the district.

Peter Hanley is director of the Oakland Charter School Collaborative and was also on the board when the district was in financial difficulties. He has spearheaded some new education policy ideas, such as higher academic core standards for all students and the seven-period day, and has taken on the teachers’ union. He has received heavy support from construction unions, which love the labor agreement he pushed through that governs many district construction projects. As a charter school proponent, he favors vouchers.

Guadalupe Ortiz, 23, runs an after-school enrichment program at a high school in San Jose. She wants to make the district address the needs of all students, including those from low-income communities. She benefited from tutoring by the San Mateo Youth Foundation, which helps at-risk students in junior high, and now serves as a volunteer tutor for the program herself.

Guadalupe’s parents can’t read or write in any language, but thanks to the program, she recently graduated from U.C. Berkeley. She’s not convinced that the district needs to make every student take courses that qualify them for admission to the University of California. “I work with students who are struggling, and a lot of schools aren’t serving their interests. Realistically, not every student is able to go to college. Our high schools should offer more vocational training,” she told me. Her other priority is making sure the community’s money is well spent.

State Assemblyman Jerry Hill is supporting Guadalupe Ortiz, and I am, too. I can’t bring myself to vote for the two incumbents who did such a poor job of managing the millions of taxpayer dollars involved in the bond fiasco. If you find it difficult to vote for someone as inexperienced as Guadalupe, it's worth noting that more people with whom I spoke favor Griffin over Hanley.

Quick Recap

Burlingame City Council – Michael Brownrigg, Ann Keighran + 1 more (take your pick)
Measure H – Yes
Measure I – Yes
City Clerk – Mary Ellen Kearney (unopposed)
San Mateo Union High School District – Linda Lees Dwyer, Mike Loy, Guadalupe Ortiz

For more information about all the candidates and issues, see SmartVoter.org and click through to the page about San Mateo County.

Don’t forget to vote on November 3!