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Political Cross Currents in Burlingame Council Election
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Rosalie O'Mahoney, Burlingame City Councilwoman
Political Cross Currents in Burlingame Council Election
The village of Burlingame is often host to hotly contested city council elections as many local residents vie to become the defenders of paradise on the Peninsula. And this year, despite a relatively small field of candidates, is no exception.
Challenger Michael Brownrigg, an eight-year veteran of the Burlingame Planning Commission is taking on three incumbents including two-term councilmember Cathy Baylock, first-term councilmember Ann Keighranand five-term veteran Rosalie O’Mahony.
Brownrigg, despite fighting an uphill battle against incumbents, has gathered significant support which indicates well where the incumbents may be weak.
Brownrigg has the unanimous support of Burlingame’s local school board as well as Dave Pine, a Burlingame political activist and a member of the San Mateo Union High School District.
Only Baylock shares that kind of support from the school community although Keighran has a piece as well. It appears the school community has parted company with veteran O’Mahony.
Interestingly enough, two-term councilmember Terry Nagel has also recently endorsed Brownrigg.
“I’m supporting Michael Brownrigg for Burlingame City Council because I think our city will benefit from his fresh thinking,” Nagel said. “Michael has a track record of involving citizens in government, protecting the character of our city as we plan for the future and living sustainably. He brings financial expertise, problem-solving skills and common sense to the table. We need Michael on the Burlingame City Council.”
Nagel, who is not up for election, is also listed as an endorser of Keighran but not Baylock in what most interpret as a stinging rebuke of Nagel’s other two incumbent colleagues.
O’Mahony has only a limited web site available listing only Jerry Deal, a first term councilmember, as an endorser. Deal is also listed as an endorser of Keighran and Baylock, a sweep for the incumbents.
Burlingame council elections are traditionally very competitive and have seen incumbents lose their seat. In fact, Councilmember Jerry Deal’s first bid for council in 1999 saw him lose the election by only 9 votes against incumbents Mike Coffey and Mary Janney. In 2003, incumbent Mary Janney was handily defeated by Nagel, coming in fourth out of a field of six for two available seats.
Finally, in 2005 Baylock successfully ran for reelection, besting challenger John Root, a former school board member, by just 27 votes. It was weeks before the outcome was affirmed.
Burlingame voters are likely in for another nail biter with an upstart challenger and incumbents with frayed support. This may be particularly true for O’Mahony who is now seeking her sixth term. In addition to having to overcome a deep divide among the school community and local parents, O’Mahony’s long tenure on the council may become a liability as Burlingame voters have demonstrated a willingness to retire its veterans from office.
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