Dedicated to Empowering and Informing the Burlingame Community

Council Seat: Now There Are 8

We had nine candidates on the last ballot and now we have eight applicants to get a seat the "easy way" — by appointment.  I had a chance say au revoir to Jerry Deal last Monday night after his last council meeting and a couple of the applicants also showed up to see and be seen.  Here is the list from which the Council will choose:

Ross Bruce –  Russ Cohen – John Eaton – Pat Giorni – John Martos – John Root – Laurie Simonson – Eric Storey

The Council has the choice of a couple of current commissioners, a couple of ex-commissioners, a couple of ex-Council candidates and one past council member.  It should be very interesting to see how the four remaining council members weigh past experience, current understanding of the issues (which makes their jobs easier in one sense) and the great unknown of "do you intend to run in the next election?"   Anyone can answer anything to that question, but it is not reliable–example one:  SF Mayor Ed Lee.

Staff will present a report on the recommended process for interviewing and such to the Council on October 6th.  In the meantime here is a smiling-on-the-way-out Jerry Deal.  Thanks for 20 years of service (on Planning and Council).  Enjoy Oregon.

JD

Posted in ,

49 responses to “Council Seat: Now There Are 8”

  1. Bruce Dickinson

    Guys, I gotta tell ya, I don’t know how Russ cannot be appointed this seat. He lost by a few votes, he is more than qualified, and he served on Council before. This is who the people want, there would not be many complaints. While I would be remiss if I didn’t say he loves to bait *the* Bruce Dickinson, like a true fisherman, my guys tell me he is a dynamite guy who knows the community and has founded some of Burlingame’s greatest treasures that are a legacy to this City.
    If he doesn’t get the spot, Bruce Dickinson is running in 2015, and with Russ, together we will handily unseat whomever the seat gets gifted to and Nagel. Trust me, folks, if you think you have seen creativity thus far, I have unorthodox campaign ideas that will completely defy convention and create legend for the history books. Let me just say that such a campaign will literally be an “embarrassment of riches”. That’s all I will share with you…for now!

  2. Holleyroller@hotwire.com

    AS soon as you set up a “Campaign Web Site” please let us know.
    More Cowbell.

  3. hillsider

    Why listen to 2,045 people when you can just do what you want? Oh wait, wrong country.

  4. Been here forever

    Well some people made sure that Jerry beat Russ in that election and those people are still in the council so seems like they still might not give him the chance this time either, EVEN THOUGH he is the people’s choice. Russ is the only sensible choice and from his experience, and the past vote tally, he should be the obvious choice, BUT we have council members who will make sure that doesn’t happen. Shame on you.

  5. Holleyroller@hotwire.com

    Good one Hillsider!

  6. Burlingame Politburo

    Plenty of people are watching to see if the council is a council or just another politburo. If not Cohen then who will be Putin’s new Medvedev.

  7. Bruce Dickinson

    Listen, fellas, I appreciate it, yes, really appreciate all the fan mail and neighbors who have urged me to run in 2015. My good friends that really know me, however, tell me that I won’t be able to make half the meetings given my active and globe-trotting lifestyle and have instead, urged me to politically consult, pro-bono of course, to candidates who really are able to represent the residents. I would be more than happy to do this as well, as for 5 decades, it was never about Bruce Dickinson, to wit, I always followed a policy of putting the artist first. And the result as they say, was a gold-and-platinum bricked road. The technique was simple: harness the creative juices, channel the anger, give young minds direction, and stand for real principles. This is what worked in the dog-eat-dog world of the music industry, plain and simple.
    The Burlingame City council, in likewise fashion, need to put the artist first. And guess who the artist is? The artist is YOU. The talent is YOU. The people who know Burlingame best are YOU. The problem is consensus can’t be reached with 15 thousand voters, so you choose a representative. Russ Cohen was that representative who lost by 9 votes.
    Was it only 9 votes, or less, or did he win by a couple? My friends, from what I understand, Russ did not ask for a recount, as he felt this was unneeded in Burlingame. Rick Ortiz probably would have done the same thing had the situations been reversed. Well guess what? Guess who can order a recount? YOU! Not a true recount of course, but a Florida 2000 style recount, done after the fact. Yes, after that election, the press used the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to and re-calculate all the votes in the precincts that were in question. By nearly every measure, Bush won, exempt for one measure: the one that Bush wanted to use in court (but got denied). Yes, Bush even won using the criteria desired the Gore legal camp.
    Someone, with a lot of money and firepower, mind you, could actually get those Burlingame ballots, though I don’t know how long they are kept, maybe a year or so. If Russ Cohen was shown to win, it would be undeniable that he would have to be appointed by the City Council. Alas, I think the right thing will be done by at least three of the four council members (I hope there is a majority vote) and get the person who is in effect, Burlingame’s next best representative of YOU!
    As you know, Bruce Dickinson likes to call ’em as he sees them, and here’s another little nugget of political advice. Take it or leave it, just because it’s free doesn’t mean it has no value. Let’s hypothesize. You are Terry Nagel and you think, okay, I have two choices. I can appoint the person who I don’t like but who is a rightful representative of the people. He gets the Deal seat, wins the Deal seat in 2015, and I only have to deal (no pun intended) with an unknown candidate who will not be a shark in this pond (assuming Dr. Dickinson doesn’t run of course) that I can handily defeat. Four more years. If I don’t appoint Russ Cohen, then someone else will get the temporary job, and because of incumbency will likely win at least one of the two seats. Which means my seat will be up for “grabs” in the general election.
    Listen folks, I don’t know Russ personally, but a Russ vs. Nagel race will pit the Russ version of what Burlingame is supposed to be versus the Nagel version of what Burlingame is supposed to be. While I have no crystal ball, I have a feeling that with all the nonsense going on, being steeped in incumbency and making strategic decisions (or errors) at a critical crossroads in Burlingame history may no longer carry much weight. In fact, I think the quite the opposite will be true. It’s only 9 more doors, 9 more mailers, talking to 9 more people on Burlingame Ave, or maybe less, all thing being equal. All things being unequal, with a vision of what Burlingame is supposed to be, of what YOU want it to be, it could be a landslide!
    Just a couple of nuggets to get your noggin gears working. And I would be remiss if I didn’t say there’s a lot more to come from Dr. Dickinson. Consider this the aperitif before the 10 course meal!

  8. Holleyroller@hotwire.com

    Given the Nagel reference, considering Elder Deals Retirement, Elder Sarah Palin, oh, excuse me, Nancy Kerrigan, and the
    Big Fish in a very-very small pond- you all know who I am talking about..
    Elder Ortiz should organize a Coup with Russ Cohen and take back the Government of Burlingame from the “School Yard Bullies.”
    Including the current City Manager the “Puppet Master” behind everything that is complicating the governing of “Our Fair City.”
    The City of Burlingame Elders vote for and hire the City of Burlingame Manager.
    When you consider the City of Burlingame Organization for the top down, good or bad rests with the elders and City Manager.
    They are a Cabal, and will remain so until people who really care about a community, a future, and having a say in directions we will go, whose interests are not based in Real Estate, Ego, and “putting on airs.”
    Seriously, how many people have seen Brownrigg traveling with his posse through downtown. Embarrassing.
    Dear Mr. Dickenson, Gandhi, Mandela, Ceazar Chavez, probably did not want to take on the projects they did that changed the world. All could have been CEO’s of something of no benefit to the world.
    They did all however, take small steps at a time, and it created miracles- small one that changed the world.
    There have not been any “Saviors” presented in the world for at least 50 years. If you do not step up who will.
    Jay-Z, Al Sharpton, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton O’Bama, Romney, Rand Paul, The Pope, ISIS?
    At least those shitheads no that action creates reaction-thought too.
    There is always ESPN to take all our worries away in case nothing else works out.
    Lets face it we are F’d.
    At least make Burlingame good for a little while longer.
    HR

  9. Peace.

    Holley,
    I generally like your perspective, but I think you shooting high on a few of your shots.
    Ann Keighran is the opposite of Sarah Palin. Ann is a puppet of the Unions (that’s what she does for a living), as she’s admitted to me in front of city council and on video and on audio twice.
    I agree, I also like Ortiz, Cohen and Brownrigg. Brownrigg isn’t putting on airs, he’s the strongest mind on the council – by far.
    None of the council are really school yard bullies, they just are paid to represent the biggest under-regulated bullies in our country – The Unions.
    Further, if you knew Lisa Goldman, I think that you’d see that she is a very competent city manager, even if she did justify bad past policy of Burlingame (free health care for life for you and your spouse after only 5 years of service to the city if you retired any time after 50), by saying that “the city workers had their hay day too” (I guess like Google workers happened to get lucky with their stock).
    Jay-Z (whatever), Al Sharpton (loud mouth with no brain), Bill Clinton (liar, cheater, and cheater, got impeached but few Dems care about morals so whatever, he’s an honored Dem convention guest still), Hillary Clinton (might as well be Lenin)O’Bama (part Lenin/part hypocrite racist/ part Satan), Romney (super accomplished business person and philanthropist, probably one of the most honest people to ever run for any political office), Rand Paul (his dad, Ron is way stronger, Rand is more like a parrot), The Pope(the current Pope has been remarkably open minded and embracing to people of other faiths, perhaps best Pope ever), ISIS (if you want to kill Americans, and have imminent plots to do so, then we’re going to kick the crap out of you, after we try to ask nicely to chill out).
    Holley, I also agree with you that we are F’d, especially in California where Frankenstein Jerry Brown is the kingpin of Union bullying and corruption, along with all those who worship him.
    So, how about that Burlingame Voice fundraiser costume party at The Candy Store?
    Peace.

  10. dtn

    My Dear Bruce, I do enjoy your posts but I must take issue with your statement about Nagel the Nagel version of what Burlingame is supposed to be
    What exactly is that? I’ve been watching the woman since before she was on the council and I can’t figure it out. I know what her vision for herself is county supervisor, assembly, skip senate and run for congress
    But her vision for Burlingame? Indecipherable.

  11. Getting tired of the circus

    This is just getting weird. It used to be about debating real issues. Now it’s like a creepy cyber costume party full of strange comments. This circus is wearing thin.
    This race has eight candidates and council needs to choose the best person to finish the term. These are not the same people who ran in the last election so November’s results are not relevant. Mr. Cohen lost to a virtual unknown who had not even served on a commission and beat a field of ,to be kind, weak candidates. This by a man who held a seat on the council and had been on many City organizations. I don’t see November as a strong endorsement. On the contrary, it raises serious questions.
    The eight include very strong candidates that have demonstrated their knowledge of issues by repeated appearances at meetings. To simply write them off because they were not candidates last election would be just silly. I hope our Elders choose the best candidate and don’t allow the past election to weigh heavily.

  12. hillsider

    Where did you come up with the idea that the sitting council members have a clue who would be best?

  13. Peter Garrison

    Vox populi – the voters spoke through the election. Runner-up gets the council seat. Other names can run for the seat in the next election.

  14. Former election competitor supports Russ Cohen’s appointment

    I agree, Peter. I ran in the last election, and I completely support Russ Cohen to be appointed due to the resignation of Jerry Deal – especially when Russ only lost by 8 votes – especially as the result when back and forth.
    The new applicants have attended some recent meetings…wow.

  15. Peter Garrison

    PS – that’s what the protests in Hong Kong are all about: the voice of the people ro choose their leaders – and not have them appointed by a higher power.

  16. Bruce Dickinson

    Listen, ringmaster you may think it’s Ringling Brothers, but let Dr. Dickinson teach you about Latin and about circuses. A circus as you define it was not the original meaning. Ever been to Rome and see the Circus Maximus? It wasn’t a big top with acrobats, clowns and jugglers. It was a half-mile oval where chariot fights were held, gladiators fought to their death, and slaves and prisoners of war were killed, just for entertainment. These were persecuted peoples, including Christians. You need to go to Rome and stare down this thing and imagine yourself fighting for your life in front of 200,000 spectators. It is with this spirit that we need to support something we believe in whether it’s democracy or a religion.
    So don’t give Bruce Dickinson a lecture on a circus when you are acting and talking like the clown, but the rest of us are on the Chariot, leading the charge for the people of Burlingame. Yours truly and others on this thread have a deep history of contributing great ideas that are actually appreciated by many folks on here as well as neighbors, including the editors. These are ideas that are not censored or censured, if you will, but widely respected and sought out (to wit, just look at Joe and Russ trying to bait me on so many of their posts). Even those who claim to not like my comments (there are like 2, maybe 3 people), pretending not to read or discrediting them and saying so, tells me one more thing: they are hanging onto my every word. Yes, this also I know my and others’ impact and yes, I know that a lot of egos don’t like the successful person on the top. I saw it at Columbia all the time. And you know what, those were the guys that got the pink slips after having one gold album and thinking they had enough gravitas to change things. As I said before to some miscreant poster in the past, can’t remember whom quite frankly, is the only thing you CAN assume about a broken down old man, is that he is a survivor!
    It’s a chariot war, little fella, so put on the big boy pants, fight the real fight and contribute to this or any meaningful discussion. Save the diapers for the diarrhea, just go poop in the corner somewhere else if you have nothing to add.
    To one of the posters above, I don’t know what Nagel’s vision is for Burlingame. I do know what a voting record looks like. Actions can tell you more about agendas than can words. A clear vision, explained with detail and not about a bunch of niceties and feel good statements is what is going to win seats in Burlingame.
    Peter is 100% correct, and has put it in a succinct way (yes, I noticed the nod to Latin, one of the Dickinson language favorites): If the city council cares about Burlingame representation and holds the office of a city council member in the proper regard, Russ should be the next member.

  17. Joe

    Thanks, Bruce. I prefer to think of my solicitations of your input as just that, rather than “baiting” but you are free to think differently.
    Today I mostly want to refute Circus’s comment about Ortiz being a “virtual unknown”. You can go here: http://www.burlingamevoice.com/2011/11/election-2011-slight-shuffle#comments to see how Ricardo did the first time he ran–not bad considering. I may not know much about the record business or the circus business, but I do know something about the local election business and I can guarantee you running the second time is easier, the third easier yet and by the time you get to the fifth time you have the process down pat.

  18. AK

    Bruce,
    It’s amazing how the music industry has changed.
    Live stream of Chris Issak in SF:
    http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2014/webcast/sat-startower
    Hey, if you’re really Bruce or if you’re not really Bruce, may I invite you to serve as a speaker at the Burlingame Rotary Club. We meet every Monday at 12:15pm.
    May I give you a call?

  19. hillsider

    The Rotary must be hard up to have AK hustling for them. They would be lucky to have you, Bruce.

  20. AK

    Ahh, the beauty of anonymous mud slinging.
    Actually, I’ve been a Rotarian since 2006, long before I moved to Burlingame 7 years ago.
    If Bruce is such a beloved character on this channel, shouldn’t he speak to the many of the elected leaders and business leaders at The Rotary Club? It seems like a positive thing to…most people.
    It’s a local and global charity and Hillsider is the type that would denigrate efforts to raise money for scholarships.
    Thus, my suggestion on the fundraiser costume ball. Meet each other instead of the separate efforts and actually work together instead of making suggestions to The Ether.
    Arm chair philosophers ARE a special bunch.

  21. Been here forever

    I can hardly wait to see Nagel and Kerrigan (I like the reference holy roller!) duke it out for Jackie’s senate seat when that time comes. They each seem to think they have it in the bag. Not so sure about that given boringness records and lack of expertise, whether you have union backing or not. How absurd.

  22. Joe

    The Daily Journal has the update on the procedure here: http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2014-10-08/council-sets-timeline-for-replacing-deal/1776425131288
    The council decided at Monday night’s meeting that it did not wish to winnow the number of applicants further before interviewing the candidates. The bulk of the conversation was when exactly to hold those interviews. Due to scheduling challenges, the council opted for interviews at an Oct. 15 public forum at City Hall with public comment. The council will vote at its regular Oct. 20 meeting using ballots rather than roll call.
    Mayor Michael Brownrigg had proposed the council hold the interviews and vote on the same date because, according to a video of the meeting,” in light of what will be undoubtedly be a process that has people weighing in with their opinions, [extending] just runs the risk of becoming a bit of a free for all.”
    Councilwoman Ann Keighran disagrees because she wanted time to process the interviews.
    “Personally, I like to mull it over,” Keighran said.
    Councilman Ricardo Ortiz agreed, saying he didn’t want the decision hanging over them.

  23. Peter Garrison

    Roll call. Stand and be counted; As in using real names on a blog.

  24. Cathy Baylock

    The ballots must still be made public per resolution 63-2005. I would guess this process would be similar to how commissioners are appointed. Each council member would fill out a ballot and the results tallied on a white board visible to the public.

  25. Bruce Dickinson

    Listen, fellas, Bruce Dickinson understands that Mike Brownrigg is the mayor, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I think he believes he is emperor! Coming from his diplomatic background, at least show the illusion of caring for democracy!
    Voting on the same meeting without mulling it over? Really? So this means he already knows whom to pick and everything else, including the public meeting is just perfunctory?!? He should know better than that. Unless he picks Russ, as that is truly the only people’s choice. Any other appointment would be an abuse of power.
    Also, calling a public meeting a “free for all” sounds like he wants to avoid it altogether. Sorry Mikey-baby that doesn’t work in this country and from now on, consider Bruce Dickinson (or my staff) will be watching his every move. No get out of jail card for this emperor, as he just invited a lot more scrutiny.
    10 Cowbell rings for Keighran and Ortiz who basically called him out on it and on how not mulling it over makes no sense at all. At least give the illusion of mulling it over. Even a good emperor does that!! And yes, the ballots should be made public. Bruce Dickinson will really want to see who does not vote for Russ, as those will be the true voices of anti-democracy. Obviously great fuel for the fodder in the next election!
    Speaking of dumb moves, and Bruce Dickinson will no longer engage in the tit-for-tat with this individual, namely everyones non-favorite person AK or his weird dem-wit identities.
    Listen AK, if you call that baiting back-handed invitation to speak at the Rotary Club an actual invitation (which is the weirdest “invitation” I’ve ever received) then here’s a word for you not just for this, but on anything you will beg for in the future. That word is “NO”
    I don’t know how many times you need to be out-witted by Dickinsonisms or quite frankly how many times I have to rip you a new one on this site, and you’re probably thinking, wow, look at me I can get Bruce Dickinson’s attention, as you seem to be enjoying it. Well guess what?!? That is history, because I have no time to stroke your attention getting schemes or for any gadfly gnats buzzing around my ears as I try to concentrate on the issues at hand, especially those whom nobody really likes nor have much in the way of contribution or prescriptions for solutions. Also, little fella, unless you’re running for an election, you will know that deals, and I mean real deals, are made with meetings, rolodexes, and phone calls, not rotary engagements, halloween parties or campfires. I don’t think I need to give you more examples of how business gets done in the upper echelons, and trust me, to survive in the US recording industry and put out dynamite product, for five decades no less and make more money than I can every spend, I think I know a thing or two about the right formula for success.
    So your “invitation” to whatever speaking engagement, halloween party, phone call, campfire, waffle breakfast, blue-bottle lattes, and the like, the answer is simply NO. I will only respond to people whom I believe are making good faith contributions on this site whether I agree with them or not.

  26. fred

    On some websites when there is a long post they will end it with a one sentence synopsis which sums up the point of the post. It may be something to consider.
    Russ Cohen doesn’t deserve the appointment just because he lost two elections. If that were the case Ross Perot should be president.

  27. Arm chair philosophers ARE special.

    I actually think that you’d be a great speaker. Both an interesting career and apparently very knowledgeable on Burlingame issues, and presumably philanthropic.
    I think your heavy drug use has caught up to you.

  28. Holleyroller@hotwire.com

    Fred…
    Drug User?
    I wondered.

  29. resident

    Mr. Fred,
    Did you chose to leave out the election Russ won on purpose or did you forget?
    I think in the interest of keeping things moving in the city that a person who has already done the job has quite a bit of appeal. Also losing by 8 votes and choosing not to contest the count says something about the man’s character.
    Just a Resident

  30. fred

    “The county must certify the election by Dec. 3, said elections manager David Tom. Cohen will have five days from the certification to ask for a recount, he said.”
    “Cohen would have to bear the cost of the recount, added Tom. The cost would be about $956 a day, he said, and a full manual recount would take several days or more.”

  31. A reiterated statement of support for Russ

    Why appoint an applicant who didn’t have the commitment to run for the office recently?
    As someone who did risk the time, money, effort and potential criticism to run for Burlingame City Council and challenge the incumbents and some of their longtime practices (which directly complied with our campaign ethics agreement), I reiterate my support for Russ Cohen to be appointed.
    He’s by far the sharpest and most dedicated of all of those who ran (with the exception of Brownrigg) or who applied for appointment.
    Best wishes,
    AK

  32. Joe

    Fred, you only responded to half of Just a Resident’s comment 🙂
    Resident, the final margin was 9 votes, not 8–perhaps that makes a difference in some councilmembers’ minds????????

  33. fred

    Joe, I think they should appoint someone who guarantees they will not run for office in the next election. This appointment should be a temporary position. If someone is looking for an elected post they should run in the next election.

  34. just saying

    I have read all of the comments:
    1) Ortiz did only win by a few votes, but he did win. That’s the way it works
    2) Cohen lost…he came in fourth. There is no prize for losing, although it appears that several people want in fact to give a prize for loosing. I would bet that if that person who came in fourth was not a favorite of the Cohen supporters their tune would change quickly and would vehemently oppose such a prize.
    3)In looking at the votes cast per candidate in the last Council election there were two candidates who had great support from the schools, Ortiz and Bandrapalli. If Brandapalli had not run I suspect the vote between Ortiz and Cohen would not be very close and the discussion of 8 votes would instead be about hundreds of votes.
    4) Many of those who made comments I suspect would not be good umpires, judges, council members or decision makers of any kind as their bias is too great.
    5) Appointing a person to fill Deal’s vacancy would give that person the title of incumbent and believe that would be unfair to those running in the next November election.
    5) There are many qualified citizens that could fill the 12 month void and not run.
    Some have applied.

  35. Peter Garrison

    Given the above reasoning, we could save the time and trouble of elections and simply have the sitting council continue to appont members into the future with no input from the citizens.
    Don’t overthink this: appointing the runner-up is the fairest method- one learned in grade school.

  36. just saying

    Peter: not sure which comment you are responding to. If you are responding to the last post by “Fred” or by “just saying” your post doesn’t make any sense. Please clarify if you would.

  37. Peter Garrison

    Read the first paragraph tongue-in-cheek and the second as advice.
    My post will then apply to both of the above two posts.

  38. Bruce Dickinson

    Bruce Dickinson chuckles, yes, really laughs, when people give me advice on what makes an effective decision maker. My response: under my belt I have 90 million records produced for dozens of artists sold for a gross present dollar value of over $1.1 billion dollars.
    Guess how long a producer’s career lasts when he doesn’t try to listen to the bands he’s producing as well as to the consuming public and what they desire musical taste-wise. Let me answer this with a question: how many hours do you spend on the can going #2 in a year. Yes, if you don’t rain gold, you’re done pretty fast. I’ve seen a lot of these cocky types for 5 decades with myopic one-tracked brains who think they knew it all. And guess what? they’re also not driving Ferraris. Just sayin’ .
    Cohen did lose by an uncontested 9 votes, he was still Burlingame’s 4th choice, not just the choice of this blog or any other group, no matter how many fans he has on this site. It was the voters of Burlingame. It could have been someone else in 4th place, and that person would deserve an extremely close look and unless something were really wrong, they should be appointed. Then, when you couple that with his having served on the Council before and being a fixture in the community, leading and defining organizations such as the Historical Society, HSR boondoggle organizations and of course the Voice, which has some of the most insightful commentary in the community, if I may say so myself. Burlingame and quite frankly the rest of California and the US government should be thanking people like Russ for having the foresight to see what a financial disaster HSR actually was. Bruce Dickinson knows when a person deserves accolades and felicitations….and coming from me, that means a lot!
    Also, the “if you had adjusted for the schoolchildren who split the vote Cohen would have gotten fewer votes” nonsense. That is information pulled out of the same place poop is born. The last time I checked, there was no information on the number of kids in school of those who voted for City Council members. Might as well say, well, adjusted for the amount of dollars spent, if Russ had spent as much per vote as Ortiz, then he would have won. Maybe if no one else ran other than 5 people, Russ would have been in 2nd place. What if Russ didn’t have a cold the day he planned to knock on 20 more doors? What if he ordered a recount and he actually won? What if he censored all opponents from his own website instead of letting them freely say what they want, even if it was against him? What if Bruce Dickinson ran and defeated everyone? All of the above is pure speculation. One vote is one vote, period.
    Bottom line is, Russ Cohen appears to be highly qualified, he was the next best choice of Burlingame by quite a large margin, and call me old-school, but he is a guy with class who chose not to engage in a showdown or censor his opponents despite his power via the Voice. It could have been someone else that came in 4th, but it wasn’t. If Russ gets appointed, and trust me there will be very little controversy in the community. If he doesn’t, there will be controversy but may be ok as that may really galvanize the public with him as the underdog to defeat Nagel.
    I do agree that appointing someone who will not run is a good idea, but this cannot be enforced. Look what happened in SF. Burlingame does not want a liar in office.

  39. just saying

    I suspect many are not going to like this. But here goes. Let’s assume that the person who got the most votes of the loosing candidates should be anointed as an incumbent. Reading most of the posts this would be Cohen
    Ortiz 2,054 votes
    Cohen 2045 votes
    This is true as well as the following
    Ortiz only won by 9 votes.
    Ortiz was running for the first time
    Cohen has run three times
    Ortiz was not an incumbent
    Cohen had won a 2 year seat on the council against Don Lembi who did not campaign and
    who was missing in action on most of the issues at that time due to health issues.
    Cohen was a previous incumbent
    Now let us assume that appointing the first runner up of a loosing candidate is the way to go as previously stated many times on this blog
    More truth ( look it up as evidently not anyone else did)
    John Root who is seeking to fill the open seat ran against an incumbent in a previous election. The incumbent was Cathy Baylock
    John Root lost to Cathy Baylock by 27 votes
    How many votes did each get?
    Cathy Baylock 3,667 votes
    John Root 3,640 votes
    Hmmmm….the clear choice below
    John Root 3,640 votes
    Russ Cohen 2,045 votes
    John Root by 1,595 votes
    It was your idea and it has backfired. I know you will shoot this full of holes because when someone hates facts they must bloviate (long windy speeches)
    John was not my choice….he is the peoples choice. They have spoken

  40. Bruce Dickinson

    Backfired? You my friend are living in a fantasy land. Bruce Dickinson has no time for more hypotheticals comparing different elections. A people’s choice 4 years ago doesn’t mean it’s the same today, as the issues have changed dramatically let alone it also depends on the competition at the time. This assertion is so ridiculous that I consider this diarrhea of a “debate” over.
    Moreover, this is the 2nd time Ortiz has run.

  41. Peter Garrison

    I sense a fold in the space-time continuum has bent your argument.
    Mr. Root was not in tne same election as Mr. cohen.
    By your reasoning we should elect General George Washington as he won his election over there, back then.

  42. Just saying to Just Saying.

    JS,
    If you’re referring to the recent election, “Ortiz was running for the first time,” this is not correct.
    Ortiz ran once before and lost.
    Good point on John Root, however, I do wonder why he didn’t run in the last election.
    I heard on the street that Russ had already been chosen (1 1/2 weeks ago).
    I would like to know who the fake Bruce Dickinson really is. If you were that successful, why refer to yourself by name, “Bruce Dickinson” this and that. Didn’t they make fun of that in Seinfeld once? Why always gloat about your money with crass language and regular reference to poop, calling others Little Guy, etc? Why not just act like an adult and make your points about “Burlingame Voice” related issues, without all the never-ending arrogance?

  43. just saying

    JS to JS to JS
    Thank you as you are correct. Ortiz lost to Deal almost 4 years ago.
    I appreciate your post and wish more were like this.
    Let us avoid statements such as this:
    “By your reasoning we should elect General George Washington as he won his election over there, back then.”
    Where did this nonsense of a retort come from?
    Why O Why make such a statement!
    Washington is dead
    Washington did not run for election in Burlingame.
    Burlingame was not even a City and there was no California.
    Please stop with the Pee Wee Herman type dialogue such as……
    “I know you are but what am I?”
    There are many more…look them up on the internet. They may be funny in their context, but here they are out of context, immature and lacking in reason.

  44. Jennifer

    I’d like to thank all of of the above for this BV entertainment over the past several weeks. I cannot compete. Who needs Saturday Night Live, anyhow, when we’ve got Dickinson, Garrison, the Just Sayin’ and the Just Sayin’ to the Just Sayin’ crowd!
    (‘Have to respectfully disagree with “Fred” about the ‘too long posts’ remark made several weeks ago.)
    -Lucy

  45. Holleyroller@hotwire.com

    What about me?

  46. Been here forever

    And is age of the applicants a factor that the council is willing to consider? It should be.

  47. Jennifer

    Oh, mea culpa, Holly, you, too!

  48. Doug Radtke




    Rock On Bruce

  49. Bruce Dickinson

    Doug, baby, I’m afraid you have the wrong Bruce Dickinson, not to take away anything from Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson. I am *The Producer* Bruce Dickinson, aka, *the cock of the walk* as I was nicknamed during my famous sessions in the burgeoning 70s rock scene in Southern California, which Columbia Studios considered an outpost in the Wild West, literally, as it were. It was a big foray for Columbia and I had my fair share of fights to allow corporate to put on my silver spurs and head out West. Well, the controversy soon ended with what apparently was the next “Gold and Platinum Rush” of dynamite bands and records that I produced and lassoed in for Columbia. The rest, as they say, is legend. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that the other Dickinson is a dynamite guy and I never had the pleasure of producing him or Iron Maiden (huge talents in their own right), but that was not my production expertise ( namely folk, blues, and of course rock and alternative), Bruce and Iron Maiden did just fine, and back then, there was truth to the adage of “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” in the record biz.
    I gotta tell ya, one of my “guys” is a local fixture, plugged into all things Burlingame, whom I rely on, in addition to my “deal guy” (dealing in all things real estate, including many local deals) to just “give me the facts” so Dr. Dickinson can do what he does best, namely, to cut through the crap and adjudicate. Like any Chief Executive Officer, there is no way I can keep up with everything I’m involved in, so I do a ton of outsourcing on fact finding and lean heavily upon expertise so that I can keep the mind clear for my most important comparative advantage. I had my “guys” look into some of the things you have brought up with respect to development, regional agencies, city planning, finance, accounting, etc and I gotta tell ya, everything was corroborated by my guys and declared by them as being quote “spot on”. Bruce Dickinson welcomes continued knowledge sharing as you have done on this site, in a dynamite way, I might add, while wearing your big boy pants on the whole time, which is more than what I can say for some of the babies on this site who have yet to graduate from diapers. Keep up the great work, and yes, you will have my vote, and coming from me, that means a lot! The secret to most successful rock bands is not the singer or guitarist, but really the percussion section and to a lesser degree, the bass. After all, it’s really about tempo which defines and drives sound forward in rock n’roll. We need more good percussionists, to form the foundation of our communities, that help define the tempo and pace of action. Let’s make music, together, and help make Burlingame and San Mateo County a better place for everyone!

Leave a Reply

RECENT COMMENTS

RECENT POSTS

CATEGORIES

ABOUT THE VOICE

The Burlingame Voice is dedicated to informing and empowering the Burlingame community.  Our blog is a public forum for the discussion of issues that relate to Burlingame, California.  Opinions posted on the Burlingame Voice are those of the poster and commenter and not necessarily the opinion of the Editorial Board.  Comments are subject to the Terms of Use.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All content subject to Copyright 2003-2026

Discover more from The Burlingame Voice

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading