Crossing Guard Tide Turns

As reported in today's Daily Journal which has a reputation for having the inside scoop on what Councilwoman Rosalie O'Mahony is thinking:

O'Mahony said Tuesday she will ask the City Council to advance the $32,000 needed by the Burlingame Elementary District to fund crossing guards, contingent on a healthy positive closing financial statement for this fiscal year.?

Last week she advocated waiting until October but this change appears to speed the decision along since the 3-2 vote now swings in favor of funding the guards. One interesting thing about the article is that it does not mention that the traffic study results showed a clear need for adult supervision at all eight locations per Caltrans' guidelines. That probably had some impact on O'Mahony's thinking.

- Written by anson

Comments

[Raymond]

I was under the impression it cost $64,0000 to fund the crossing guards for one year. Didn't Safeway put in $32,000 and Citizens For a Better Burlingame put in the other $32,000?

If Ms. O'Mahoney is willing to fund the crossing guards, why is she only funding 1/2 of the cost? Where is the other half coming from?

[resident]

It is interesting to see Rosalie in the Daily just a couple of days after the Daily printed an editorial really criticizing the school district on this issue. ..where are they getting their info???? Hmmm..bad school district, wonderful councilwoman...but these are odd times at old city hall..some upper mgt get raises, while requests for donations to "save" the crossing guards go out with the water bills....

The crossing guards have never been a responsibility of the school district, despite two councilmembers trying to hand them to the district. The city is responsible for public safety-the streets and their crossings. Without Safeway and the CBB, the district would have had to budget/spend money--for the first time ever-to pay for the city's contracted crossing guards.

[Gerald]

The simple fact of the matter is that crossing guards SHOULD BE the responsibility of the City. Given how many millions of dollars in funds available, Burlingame ought to be able to find the "pennies" it takes to pay for this safety precaution.

[Fiona\liz]

Flippyyy floppyyy Rosalyyy. Now our incumbent-running-for-office has seen the light. Is she now not only the diva of Broadway (wrong) but the diva of the crossing guards (double wrong). As was pointed out at the study session, the crossing guards is a very hot potato election issue - guess Rosalyy has found the potato too hot!

Yuck - and I am being polite!

[fred]

Wow! Real nice way to treat a public servant that has served Burlingame for eons.

The ever civic minded never with a hidden agenda Fiona. Take a bow!

I was wondering how this question has not come up regarding the crossing guards.
How does one qualify?
(comment deleted)
CG's work with children.
What background check is performed, who does it?
If a person is hit by a car, in the cross walk, under the supervision of a CG, since the City of Burlingame pays their wage, is the City liable.
See question #1...
My understanding of the law holds employees responsable for their actions. Thereby,the employer responsible for the hiring of the individual.
(comment deleted)

This posting has been modified and two comments removed by the Editors in order to comply with the Terms of Use regarding comments about specific people.

I wonder, being a politican, how these questions would affect a council members backing of this issue.
Could we get an answer Roselie?
We know all the council members watch this site.
Now that you are behind this, how will you defer?

[Fiona]

I don't care a fig about how many years you have "served" Burlingame. Each decision a politician makes should be judged by that decision, her consequent flip flop decision, her motive and some scrutiny of past behaviour. Mahoney adamantanly refused with her comrade Galligan not - remember not - to fund crossing guards last year.

But I do love the hidden agenda comment - it is very appropos to an election issue. Thanks Fred!

[Peewee]

Hey everyone,
It's an election year. These politicians will say or do anything this year. They are just putting their finger up to the wind to see which way it's blowing. After they are elected, all bets are off the table. I wouldn't vote for Rosalie ever again. She has not been fair to people with her decisions and flip flops all the time. What she says and what she does are two different things. So what that she has served for years. IT is time for new thinking. I think people need to remember how angry and adament Rosalie was about not paying for crossing guards. She's for them this year but if she gets reelected just watch -they will go away next year.

Say what you want about the ethics of this obvious flip-flop, but you do have to give her credit for some PR skills. Somehow she got the following into an article in this morning's Burlingame Daily News, apparently written without a hint of irony (certainly without any mention of the fact that she cast the deciding vote to cut full funding for crossing guards less than 12 months ago).
"In other news, the Burlingame City Council on Monday could vote to partially fund school crossing guards next years (sic). Council member Rosalie O'Mahony will call on the council to include the $32,000 expenditure in the fiscal year 2006 budget set for approval Monday.?

[fred]

You may call it flip flop but at least she is not as predictible as other council members. I think she is good for the council she weighs the issues and then makes a decision but please go ahead and beat on this crossing guard issue all the way till November.

Short on ammo I see, crossing guards and school track teams. The fate of Burlingame is in your hands voters!

Biscuit, someone told me she doesn't look at this website. (Don't know for sure never spoke to her in my life) I don't blame her if she doesn't check it out. Unless you are Nagel, Baylock or Keighran it could seem a trifle nasty in here.

Fred,
You are the only nasty one, and always on the attack. Do you not think it is odd that O'Mahoney changes her mind on the issue of crossing guards? What has made her change her mind, other than the fac that she is trying to get re-elected? Why would she think it is so important now, and all she could do previously was try to place the burden on the school district. Is it not the responsibility of the city to PROTECT its citizens, large and small? That is just a no brainer, Fred.

Personally, I don't necessarily look for predictability in elected officials, but some consistency of beliefs and intellectual honesty in applying those beliefs to individual decisions would be nice. For instance, if her position had shifted from I know this is a city responsibility, but it's a low priority and the 2004 budget cannot afford it? to revenues are up in 2005, so now we can afford to fund half of the requirement?, I would know where she stands and be able to judge whether her beliefs on this topic mesh with my own.

At least the other folks' positions seem to be clear, either:
(A) I don't believe this is a city responsibility so I will continue to vote against it?; or,
(B) I believe this is a city responsibility and a high priority, so I will vote to cut other items before I vote against this?.

With this kind of clarity you can choose which fits better with your own views and vote accordingly. If someone shifts from (A) to (B), and does so just before the election, can I expect her to shift back to (A) if re-elected?

[Rich Grogan]

Fred
Paradigms need to be changed from time to time. This holds true to business and politics alike. If you doubt this concept take a look at the automobile industry. If an automaker did not continually change models, names, etc the rest of the industry would pass them by. An unchanging political paradigm results in a myriad of problems of which are stagnation and cronyism. Some of the ways to avoid this dangerous pitfall is through elections and term limits. Personally, I am in favor of term limits because this would help eliminate cronyism and prevent empire building. Rosalie has had her time at the helm, give someone else an opportunity to occupy her council chair.

Ian
Very cogent thread, thank you for your insightful contribution.

[fred]

Sue, "You are the only nasty one, and always on the attack"

Sue just because I have an opposing point of view why do you consider it an attack? I try hard not to get nasty here. But these comments were not made by me:

"Flippyyy floppyyy Rosalyyy. Now our incumbent-running-for-office has seen the light. Is she now not only the diva of Broadway (wrong) but the diva of the crossing guards (double wrong). As was pointed out at the study session, the crossing guards is a very hot potato election issue - guess Rosalyy has found the potato too hot!

Yuck - and I am being polite!"

Sue that is not nasty and not an attack? Is it just because your friend is making the comments?

Calling Mike Coffey - "dumb as a stump" I guess that wasn't nasty or an attack either.

I'd give some Galligan quotes but there are too many to list.

I get the feeling this website isn't put up here for conversation or open dialogue. Perhaps it was designed as a political platform to get certain people elected to Burlingame city council.

[fred]

Rich you don't trade in people like last year's car model. I highly doubt Rosalie is engaging in cronysim. The fact that she can go either direction on varying issues shows she at least uses her own mind to make a decision.

Sue -This is one of my normal comments. How is this a nasty attack? Outside of a few retorts to Fiona when she goes off in left field on occasion when am I attacking anyone?

[Peewee]

But Fred, Mike Coffey is dumb as a stump and he never shows up for any meetings. He is one LAZY councilman. He has checked out mentally and physically and when he does show up it is like listening to the nutty professor. he cannot string two cohesive sentances together. all the florida sun has fried his brain. you know, some people got on matt grocott down in san carlos to prove his residency, maybe coff coff should prove burlingame is his primpary address and not florida.Can we recall this guy? he's useless.

Oh Fred,
I hate it even lower myself to comment to your comments, other than I have never called Coffey "dumb as a stump," and would have used some other term of endearment to describe him (both when he is present at meetings and when he is not). And, yes, I do believe you are always on the attack, and can't stand that some people make comments about your "good ol' boys"(and I include O'Mahoney in that group) that don't sit well with you. It is called Freedom (I typed "Fredoom" to begin with...is that a slip or what?) of Speech, my friend. You just seem to have a difference in taste than some of the others, that's all, and your tone bugs me.

[james]

"I get the feeling this website isn't put up here for conversation or open dialogue."

I'm very curious to know where in Burlingame anyone can find a more open dialogue than right here???

Fred: "Short on ammo I see, crossing guards and school track teams."

There was a thread a couple of weeks ago where I asked people to contribute questions they wanted to hear candidates' view on - what issues do you feel are more important that crossing guards and track teams?

[al]

Hey! I claim authorship of the Coffey-is-dumb-as-a-stump assertion and I am upset that anyone would try to attribute it to another blogger regardless of how astute some of the others are. I stand by that assertion and it proves truer every week. And what is his reason for not voting to fund the crossing guards? The public can't even figure it out from his rambling, disjointed comments.

[Matilda]

A personal observation and response to James: There is no open dialogue here unless you happen to agree with the handful of people who control this blog, and if you do, you can say anything with a pat on the back, or insult anyone without being chastised.

Just remember, this handful of people doesn't represent everyone in Burlingame by any means. A lot of us just like to watch this blog for pure entertainment value, kind of like reading the National Enquirer.

Talk to your neighbors and watch what happens next.

[Peewee]

Dear Matilda, You say it's "a handful of people."

A handful of people knocked Mary Janney out of office and put in newcomer Terry Nagel. when you connect alls of these handfuls of people they make a powerhouse of voters.

I've talked to my neighbors who are not involved in any political group or civic organizations and they do not have any thing good to say about Galligan/Coffey and now Rosalie.

Time for a change. Anybody want to recall Coff Coff for being lazy?

[Russ]

Looks like open dialog to me. Sure, there's an occasional jab at someone in public office and there are some jabs at those who aren't. Including plenty of jabs at me. But hey, that's open dialog. Whatever's on your mind.
So to Matilda who thinks you have to agree with a small group of folks to blog here, to the contrary, just read some of the entries from people like Bruce. he certainly has a strong, unedited, open dialog opinon. BLOG ON FOLKS!!!

I don't recall the numbers from the last election but I do recall that it wasn't even close. Janney didn't just get beat, she got whomped. And Coffey slipped by by the skin of his teeth after spending a ton of money. The MONEY is what everyone will be watching this time. Where will Condon come up with the big bucks he appears ready to spend. Based on the turn out at his kick-off party, it won't be from "the neighbors", Matilda.

And when will the new runners speak up on where they stand on the crossing guards?