37 responses to “Blowing the Whistle on City Staff?”

1. dtn

   January 18, 2015

   Maybe Queen Terry will answer you directly. The transparency play is well-put. How can the Little Queen not answer that question? Because she cannot think that far ahead.

2. mike

   January 20, 2015

   Maybe asking the right authority will answer your questions directly, hope you sort this out soon!

3. Joe

   January 20, 2015

   I got a very timely response:
   “Should the City Council elect to move forward this evening with establishing a whistleblower hotline, we will develop procedures regarding the public disclosure of whistleblower complaints.”.
   There were no such whistleblower complaints that came to mind in the last couple of years which is good.

4. Been here forever

   January 21, 2015

   Yeah vice mayor Nagel. Way to go. Let’s encourage less transparency and more if the holier than thou attitude that is already pervasive in burlingame. Who ARE you?

5. Joe

   January 22, 2015

   Here is a bit of the DJ article that you can find here
   http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2015-01-22/whistle-blower-hotline-on-hold-in-burlingame-council-cannot-find-consensus-on-proposal-to-establish-phone-line-for-anonymous-complaints/1776425137074
   A debate over whether the city of Burlingame should establish a whistle-blower hotline that would allow residents to anonymously voice complaints about city staff ended in deadlock at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
   Two councilmembers, Mayor Terry Nagel and John Root, voted in favor of establishing the hotline, while Vice Mayor Ann Keighran and Ricardo Ortiz dissented. Councilman Michael Brownrigg was absent from the meeting.
   Nagel recommended establishing a phone line, which would connect to an answering machine in the City Manager’s Office, in an effort to establish a simple way for concerned parties to voice their grievances.
   But Keighran said the city already offers a variety of alternatives for residents to express themselves to the council and city staff, and establishing another anonymous outlet would not be fruitful.
   “I think we have options for people to voice their complaints,” said Keighran. “It’s better that people are straightforward, and say who they are because it means more.”
   City Manager Lisa Goldman noted that those who want to contact the city anonymously have a variety of already established avenues, such as using the Citizen Connect function on the city website, writing emails from an alias account, blocking the caller identification on their phone before contacting the city office or sending a handwritten letter without a return address.

6. Been here forever

   January 22, 2015

   Yep. So Nagel has Root on board with her I see. Oh goody, two who fear transparency. Makes me wanna puke.

7. Bruce Dickinson

   January 22, 2015

   Guys, is this the City Council or Security Council? In a classic diplo move, Brownrigg pulls the “UN abstain vote” trick thereby resulting in a deadlocked Council. Unless there was an emergency, in this era of cell phones, he could have called in and graced council chambers with his echoing voice. Who knows, but something seems fishy to Bruce Dickinson.
   Which brings me to a “whistleblower hotline”. So proposing to have one of these implies something nefarious is going on in the City, because if everyone’s a good actor, then why bring in the Stasi to monitor? Now if its rampantly full of corruption, maybe a hotline is needed, but it sounds like that is not the case, so what gives? Makes no sense to me at all, and its a pretty rare occasion when Bruce Dickinson misses something.
   Rather than pretending this is the “Cold War” I believe Ms. Keighran and Mr. Ortiz are spot on. When I have an issue and I want maximum effect, what do I do? Well just ask those who have been “Dickinsoned” namely, a target of a verbal broadside once I get on the horn and start dialing people. Snitch lines are for internal staff, external parties are much better at going right to the Staff’s bosses, the City Council. Lines for the public are a passive aggressive way of dealing with problems, rather than going directly and calling someone up or meeting them in person. It sounds like “RootNagle” doesn’t like dealing with issues or complaints head on and seem to have some trust issues with City staff, maybe these are warranted, but again, they’re the bosses. What do bosses do? Hire, fire, reward or punish. If you can’t do that, then you’re not fit for management or Supervisor responsibilities.
   Which all ties in to passive-aggressiveness in dancing around issues such as HSR, Cal-train, Cal-trans, ABAG, et al, or abstaining from votes, etc etc. This is no Cold War “push button” “dial-a-missile” warfare, but instead is nitty-gritty boots on the ground battlefield where you gotta get your hands dirty in confronting issues head on and tactically deal with them. Much easier to sit in a missile silo and “turn the key” rather than command a platoon to storm the trenches, if you will.

8. hollyroller@hotwire.com

   January 22, 2015

   The city Elders are supposed to be the guardians of “Our fair City.”
   If they are unable to contend with mismanagement of any sort vote them out or have a recall.
   Who is going to answer the Hotline, and what are they going to do with it?
   Burlingame, or East Berlin?
   To me it seems like Nagle and Root are on one side, Kerrigan and Ortiz are on the other and Brownrigg is on top in the middle waiting to see wear the wind will blow.
   Maybe this is a “Windblower Case.”

9. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

   January 22, 2015

   Folks,
   [I removed this section…]one city council member, which probably caused him to suddenly resign and move. Victory for standing up to corruption.
   And, yeah, there IS lots of corruption in every town and in every government. I’ve witnessed it first hand, many times.
   What does that mean YOU should do? Do NOT support bigger and bigger government, for one! Why? Because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
   You know when you were in school and the cool kids would know of some key party and they only want to share the invite with other cool kids?
   Well, as much as I like a good keg party (and yes, I was mostly a cool kid), in the adult world, people get obsessed with making money – because it’s for THEIR KIDS college fund, blah, blah.
   So, when there’s an opportunity to make some sick money, and when you’re in power you see the opportunities ALL the time…then, some people cross the line and break the law to go get some for…their kid’s college fund, of course.
   What am I talking about? Do you read the newspaper? There’s probably a list of about 50 GOVERNNMENT officials that have lied, cheated and stole or worse in the last 10 years from the Bay Area and gotten busted. And that’s the tip of the iceberg.
   OK, so back to Burlingame.
   Money. For their kids college fund.
   Yeah, so like Joe says, “Follow the money”. Whistleblowing is less likely to be necessary for city staff, except those folks that used to tell planning/development applicants to “Just hire [city council member, name not typed] and your application will go right through”.
   Yeah, that’s corruption.
   The other is created from the essential structure of so-called Liberal California.
   The Laborers are forced to join Unions, or else.
   The Unions wield a lot of power as a result. And you heard what happens from power that’s unchecked and balanced.
   So, The Unions are sometimes corrupt. And, the mafia is obviously corrupt. And, the Unions need enforcers, so they ask the mafia to enforce for them. The Unions don’t need to pay the mafia, because the Unions control the Police department and the Fire department and the city workers and the builders and the Caltrans and the Schools and the as-much-as-they-can-get-their-hands-on.
   So the police and the government officials like Judges let the mafia do illegal things which makes the mafia a ton of MONEY. And, the mafia supplies drugs and prostitutes to the Union laborers, sometimes as payment for not busting the mafia.
   So, you see, it’s one big happy family, right! And, you LOVE IT, right?
   So, folks, a friggin’ whistleblower phone number is NOT the answer.
   Vote accordingly – you fools!
   You don’t have to eat the whole dirt sandwich just because you love trees, gay rights, schools, worker’s rights, women’s rights, and redistribution of wealth. I’m a big fan of all that except not the later.
   You’re voting for a DEEPLY corrupt party. The Dem-wits that don’t know what I’m talking about aren’t the corrupt ones – the corrupt ones are the ones who have the actual power.

10. hillsider

    January 22, 2015

    Gawd I wish Alex Kent had moved further away. Idaho sounds good. What about Idaho, Kent?
    John Root had a solid reputation for years at the County as not being able to handle management challenges. He is John Milquetoast. The perfect guy for Nagel to walk all over. Maybe Ortiz and Brownrigg have learned their lesson. Too late for this year but not for next year.

11. the truth

    January 22, 2015

    Hillsider,
    You can’t handle the truth.
    You clueless butt-kiss.

12. Need someone to talk to?

    January 22, 2015

    Holly are you giving AK some of your moonshine? Seriously, the tone is getting creepy.

13. hollyroller@hotwire.com

    January 23, 2015

    That did sound like AK, didn’t it.

14. Bruce Dickinson

    January 25, 2015

    Guys, Bruce Dickinson says c’mon stop with this labor union, mob, city council corruption/ paranoia conspiracy theories. In addition to whomever has some “attention gathering issues” all that gobbledegook sounds like a bad network miniseries mix of rip-offs from the Sopranos, Hoffa, and Batman. At least come up with something original instead of being a wedding “cover band” singing other people’s songs and doing a bad job at it.. No this isn’t Gotham City, it’s Burlingame, a dynamite city with its own set if weaknesses, not so talented politicians, and conflicts of interests, and some degree of corruption as exist in Anytown, USA.
    The difference is that Burlingame is sitting right in the middle of one of the most innovative, vibrant, socially diverse, culturally rich and wealthy areas in the entire world. On its own the Bay Area can be considered a Great Civilization. Folks, stuff is being created that has revolutionized the way the world lives and it will continue to do so, for many of the reasons that Bruce Dickinson has spoken about in the past. And guess what, all this happened IN SPITE of the often talentless, myopic, and sometimes downright stupid government officials and agencies. That’s right, Silicon Valley and Biotech Central will continue to do just fine no matter which party is in office or how which governor is “in charge” of the ungovernable California. Guess what, all this talent, the universities, researchers, innovators, VC firms are staying put right here in California and that isn’t changing. Take it from me, Bruce Dickinson, I know these guys and I can tell you they spend very little time thinking about the Democratic Party, Labor Unions, alleged corruption, etc etc and why should they as their time is valuable and minimally affected by the above.
    Please don’t give these attention seeking babies any more of our time, which by the way, seems a lot more valuable than theirs, quite frankly. Much better to spend time and effort debating real issues, not creating not-so-creative tales that have little to no relevance to the issues at hand.

15. Bruce, you are wrong.

    January 25, 2015

    Bruce, you are wrong.

16. hillsider

    January 25, 2015

    Alex, please explain why he is wrong without sounding like a “cover band”. Use your brain if you have one instead of namecalling. You butt-kiss 😛

17. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

    January 25, 2015

    First of all, my name is Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained. And, your attempt to write a potential fellow author’s name on this site, is in bad taste.
    Hillsider, you are a sheltered, and gullible sheep. I can imagine the obnoxious sound of your voice. I’m sharing actual experiences of me being victimized by felons that live and work and own property and business in our area and their motivations with the people of Burlingame, and all you and fake-Bruce can do is be arrogant, smart-asses.
    You are brainwashed.
    You want me to use my top-ranked education brain? I am a PRIMARY resource, you Dem-wit.

18. Bruce Dickinson

    January 26, 2015

    Listen little fella, or fellas, namely Nothing Worthwhile and other delinquents, as I don’t know whether its one or multiple spammers, but either put your big-boy pants on or keep your diapers on and go tantrum in some other corner….doesn’t diapers.com have its own blog? Bruce Dickinson is tired of the defecation all over this site. Go poop somewhere else.
    I also got another message for the mental “little people” who cannot engage in a meaningful dialogue: ideas cannot be silenced, censored, covered-up, or shot down. In fact, ideas are bulletproof! Never question *the* Bruce Dickinson!

19. Joe

    January 26, 2015

    Could we perhaps stay somewhere in the vicinity of the topic of this thread – the pros and cons of an anonymous whistleblower phone line- recording function in City Hall?

20. Bruce Dickinson

    January 27, 2015

    Joe, to be fair, everything was on topic, until the poop started excreting all over the place, and Bruce Dickinson believes that the subsequent bathroom haz-mat diarrhea cleanup responses by yours truly and others were warranted and appropriate. Look, no one wants to waste any more time cleaning more toilets than they have to, quite frankly. I would be remiss if I didn’t suggest that completely off topic posts of a defecatory nature be banned, as they are basically the same as spam, in my humble opinion!

21. hollyroller@hotwire.com

    January 27, 2015

    Hey Bruce…..
    “Hic to you too.”

22. BeenAround

    January 27, 2015

    There is a need for a whistleblower hotline. Headlines in the news: Public Works employee steals gas. Fire Chief arrested. Years ago the library was embezzled out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The building official was doing child porn at his City desk you can find him on Megan’s Law he served time in prison. There is no time card punching at City Hall all the honor system. The info.org system is an automated response. Poorly staffed as well. But seriously any whistleblowing just gets swept under the carpet anyway only when there is press and usually bad press will anybody do anything about the issues and only then do they go into over drive and say nobody knew anything about these things. Managements job is to make you feel secure oh yeah we have this under control NOW that you found out about it. Before that how many times were these things swept under the rug???? That is what you need to ask yourself.

23. hollyroller@hotwire.com

    January 28, 2015

    That’s true.
    There was also a handgun found in a desk at City Hall, a park employee attacked my neighbors son, and threatened him with a knife-that man was arrested and fired.
    I guess wherever you have people working together. Unfortunately, this is Human Nature. I am sure that we would not know about these things if they had been swept under the rug.
    Seems to me, The City Elders have done an OK job, so far.

24. it’s all one equally disgusting team, right?

    January 28, 2015

    Ladies and Gentlemen,
    You are assuming that the City Staff and City Council are in some kind of organizational vacuum, aren’t you?
    Don’t you understand that The Democratic Party both controls the ASFME Union and they control who gets prepped and appointed as official Dem endorsed candidates for City Council and also they control who will get prepped and appointed to run for higher level positions like Senator, ala Leland Yee?
    It’s all the same team, folks, debate Bruce’s attempts to minimalize that fact with equally disgusting bathroom imagery.
    http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/leland-yee-craziness/

25. Bruce Dickinson

    February 3, 2015

    Holy-baby’s question of who will answer the phone on the whistleblower hotline reminded me of something. In the early 1990’s U2 basically reinvented themselves with a completely different sound and one of their songs from their dynamite album Achtung Baby was a creepy, dark, but punchy, song called “the Fly” which had fantastic music video about Bono watching himself watch TV, on which U2 were performing, etc, i.e the “Fly on the Wall” sorta theme, that diverged a bit from a point of the song, but alas, I digress.
    Anyway, I ran into him at a pub in London during one of my Dickinson production jaunts and said asked him, wow, heard the song, it’s incredible, completely different from anything you’ve done, it has this distorted speaker phone like quality to the vocals like a conversation, a gritty voice followed by a gospel like counterpoint. And he told me,” Bruce, you are one brilliant motherf&^%#r , that’s exactly what I meant and you of all people nailed it!” well you get the drift as I know it’s a family show (dammit, as I I never got to produce any of U2s projects, still kills me).
    He then told me the song is about an anonymous phone call, and that phone call is from someone calling directly from a payphone in Hell, to tell the one answering the phone all the truisms of life that he learned before the approaching apocalypse/judgment day. Well a few of the “truisms” as the caller sees it, are “its no secret that a friend, is someone who lets you help”, “it’s no secret that a liar, won’t believe anyone else” and “it’s no secret that ambition bites the nails of success”. The receiver of the phone call (the listener, or you, hearing the song), after hearing these proclamations, then decides upon your alignment of the ways of the world and whether to change that behavior prior to being judged, based on some hellish version of an anonymous person’s point of view (who sounds like he’s telling the truth, but you’re really not sure, because he’s from Hell). Brilliant observations on so many levels, and coming from me that means a lot. But taking this to another level, one can’t help but think whether the need for a hotline is reflective of a lying, paranoid, fearful, and distrustful culture in the City of Burlingame, where all the truisms about what is really going on can only be heard via an unknown caller and his version of the truth, and the listener decides whether to act upon it, prior to being “judged” by the public at large. Pretty chilling analogy! One to chew and get those noggin’ neurons firing, if you will!

26. Try to separate window dressing from reality.

    February 5, 2015

    Bruce, producing records and hanging out with rockstars may be cool and it’s clearly inflated your ego, but it does not make you omniscient.
    If you want to understand the real face of evil, get to know Dem politicians and The Unions that the Dems prop up – and the people that enforce for them. Hey, I like Unions folks, just not the evil ones.
    Try to separate window dressing from reality.
    http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/California-State-Senator-Leland-Yee-Arrested-on-Bribery-And-Corruption-Charges-252452181

27. hollyroller@hotwire.com

    February 5, 2015

    Dear TTSWDFR.
    There are Shitheads everywhere and in my opinion they are equally represented through out every race, creed, color, politician, and financial institution. Rich and poor.
    Senator Lee got caught. Ed Jew got caught. I believe the State of Illinois since the 1980’s has had three Governors serve jail time.
    The only reason there seems to be more is due to the many media outlets available to the “common folks.”
    Unions represent workers that believe they can band together and ask for just the basic human rights that every single person who works and lives in this country-The SF Bay Area for a fair wage. A wage that allow workers to provide services to communities, according to the particular communities demands. For example-
    Burlingame vs. Daly City.
    Burlingame @ 30,000 vs Daly City 120,000.
    Beautiful Parks, Schools, shopping districts great weather, and libraies in Burlingame.
    Large Police Force, terrible weather, little or no Parks, a very large immigrant community that tends to remain separate politically, and financially.
    Once you open yourself up to the realities of being blessed that your parents, and you grew up in Burlingame. Are able to comprehend our neighbors that literally surround Burlingame culturally you might come to an understanding that this is the way of life.
    Some of us are lucky, some are not.
    Let those people fix there own problems, and do not let them cause problems in Burlingame.
    At the very least do not feel sorry for anyone.
    In the mean time, lets start building a Rampart to protect “Our Way of Life.”
    I know that sounds goofy. When you start comparing Leland Yee, Ed Jew to Nagel, and Root you will easily see that both teams have agendas that are for their “communities” and that is really in the best interest of the people they represent.
    No matter how wrong.
    More Cow Bell!

28. Carry-on

    February 6, 2015

    Holly,
    If Bruce could orchestrate California government like he orchestrated so many dynamite tracks, then he WOULD be omniscient.
    I’d just be happy if he finally convinced Steelhead to host live bands again.
    It’s true, “Never Question” Bruce Dickinson.
    I agree, everything is wonderful. Carry-on. Carry-on.
    Now about the biggest issue that we should all focus on…Sea Level Rise…did you know that the City of Palo Alto is estimating a 5 foot rise of the Bay!
    
    
    

29. fred

    February 6, 2015

    Bruce Dickinson, the record producer, lives in New York and I doubt he has ever been to Burlingame.
    https://www.linkedin.com/pub/bruce-dickinson/7/71/503
    The prolix imposter with potty issues most assuredly does live in Burlingame.
    blo·vi·ate – ˈblōvēˌāt/
    verb – US informal
    Talk at length, especially in an inflated or empty way.

30. hollyroller@hotwire.com

    February 6, 2015

    Wherever the Man, The Legend, The Wizard of Odd, lives, he continues to provoke thought regarding life in the incredibly small, incredibly affluent, City of Burlingame.
    I believe his ability to antagonize is exactly what I have been attempting to encourage from the very first post.
    This is the process that has helped the EU reconcile and integrate people.
    The majority of people there REALLY DO contribute to the political process by voting, protesting, and communicating in, at times, unconventional.
    Everyone cares.
    In the US, getting involved in a protest-unless you do so for looting and vandalism is a “Major Inconvenience.”
    Not getting involved in a protest is what allows the poor behavior to continue unchecked.
    Bruce Dickenson is a very important contributor to this site.
    So is, Fred, Me, Hillsider, Anne,Russ and everyone else.
    Thank you Joe for the heart and soul you have shared with us all.
    More Cow Bell!

31. Everything you know is wrong…..

    February 6, 2015

    Funny man you are, Bruce Dickinson. The most obvious thing about the “The Fly” is the percussion features a prominent cowbell being played
    
    
    
    I will say this is an awesome video and song on a lot of levels!

32. hollyroller@hotwire.com

    February 7, 2015

    That is a GREAT photo of Mr. Dickenson.
    Thank you.
    Though it could be anyone for all I know. Nevertheless it shows the guy has been making an impact on you.

33. Luke

    February 11, 2015

    Long time lurker, first time poster. That man pictured is exactly who I saw step out of a Ferrari 599 near Peets coffee on burlingame ave just looked a little older. We chatted a bit about his 599 and said his name was Bruce but that was it. Kinda crazy this guy lives in burlingame and finally I put two and two together after seeing the linkedin resume above. Cars like that get a lot of attention.

34. pat giorni

    February 12, 2015

    While cruising about town on my all terrain open air custom built Mikkelsen bicycle, always decked out in a colorful day-glow Caltrans construction vest, I’m often found sitting at an intersection waiting for the traffic light to change. If, perchance, I am positioned next to a really, really fabulous car, preferably a convertible with the top down, I ALWAYS speak right up, “Nice car! Can I be your girlfriend?” I’ve always gotten at least a laugh from the driver…except once. (Details on demand)
    Fair warning Mr. Dickinson, I’ll be lookin’ for you.

35. hillsider

    February 12, 2015

    Details, please. I’ve always thought of you more as a Vette woman or perhaps a Harley lover. A Ferrari. Not so much.

36. pat giorni

    February 13, 2015

    Ah, Hillsider; always at your disposal.
    My passion for high performance vehicles was nurtured by my grandfather, a storied auto mechanic, proving ironic in that I eschew operating anything gas powered. In my girlhood I was enamored of the Route 66 Vette and continued through the early 70’s to admire the morphed styling of the Stingray. Later, when it’s styling dramatically changed, it became the nadir of desire. Only in the last couple of years has it regained my attention.
    There is NOTHING that sounds or rides like a Harley and quite a bit of my youth was spent on the buddy seat. But common sense, or realization of mortality finally caught up when I decided that not sitting in the driver’s seat gave me no situational control. Alas.
    But I digress….
    It was a July 4th parade in Provincetown, when standing front and center on a crowded street corner as a Thunderbird hard-top convertible slowly passed I shamelessly shouted, “Nice car! Can I be your girlfriend?”, whereby uproariously thunderous laughter arose from all but the driver. His glaringly contrary reaction might have been otherwise had there been no gender difference.
    Ferrari? Com’on; I’m married to an Italian boy.
    With no intention of hijacking this thread, all further minutia of my color filled journey through the Game of Life, trademarked by Hasbro, can be divulged over a cuppa at Il Piccolo, or better yet, over a shot and a beer at The American Bull—best chicken wings in town—don’t argue with a Buffalo girl.
    One final note…I can still gracefully enter and exit a Lotus, a skill akin to bicycle riding: once learned, never forgotten.

37. Bruce Dickinson

    February 19, 2015

    9 Cowbell rings for Pat’s great story! And Bruce Dickinson thought he had the gift of the gab! Sorry Pat, I would have given you 10 cowbell rings, had it not been your pot-shot at Ferraris and instead extolling the virtues of America’s Front-engined Fiberglass Favorite, the Corvette. Is it just me, or does every ‘Vette driver seem to wear a mustache? I kid, I kid!
    I will give it to you for Harleys, however.. now those are something Americans can really be proud of…almost like Rock n’ Roll!