The Burlingame Voice

Cars in the Park

Wow what an event today! Cars in the Park presented by the Lions Club included so many cars (was it 207?), so many prizes, a great young volunteer on the raffle table and all under the beautiful trees of Washington Park.

There were four council candidates with booths and it was great to talk to three of them! A great way to ask questions of our candidates and hear what other residents are saying about the present bunch.

Thanks to the Lions Club and we look forward to next year's Cars in the Park!

- Written by Fiona

To Run or Not to Run, that is the Question!

According to Mr. Horgan the mayor will be discussing with his wife in August whether he will file his documents. "It is premature" that he may bow out. He picked up the papers, prepared a campaign statement but the fireside chat will happen in August.

When the strategic games have been laid and the orchestration in place, we look forward to hearing the mayor is filing his papers.

- Written by Fiona

Serious crime in Burlingame

An armed robbery this week in a Burlingame store and now this article in the San Mateo Times:

BURLINGAME Police are looking for a man who held a knife to a hitchhiker's throat and tried to rape her, then dragged her with his car as she tried to escape. Police found the woman, bleeding and bruised, around 4:15 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Broadway and Bernal Avenue, after area residents heard her screams, according to a police report. The woman's face was cut, her jeans were torn and she was missing a shoe. The woman told police the man, whom she didn't know, picked her up around 3:40 a.m. near the intersection of El Camino Real and Lincoln Avenue in Redwood City and agreed to give her a ride to Burlingame.

When they reached Burlingame, he pulled over near Broadway and Bernal and held a bendable plastic steak knife to her throat as he mumbled something she couldn't understand, the report said. The woman struggled
with him but managed to escape after punching the man in the face twice.The woman unlocked the car door and climbed out but got caught in the seat belt as he drove off. She was dragged for a short distance before she became untangled, the report said.

The woman described her attacker as Latino, in his early 30s, 5 foot 8 inches tall and 160 pounds, with large gaps between his teeth. He wore a white T-shirt and multicolored shorts. The car he was driving is believed to be a four-door, possibly a station wagon, with a stuffed animal in the back window.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the Burlingame Police Department at 777-4100

- Written by Fiona

School House Rock

There is a great show for the family:

SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK stars students from the City of Burlingame's Parks & Recreation Department's Summer Drama program.

WHEN: Saturday, July 30th, at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm.
WHERE: Burlingame Intermediate School, 1715 Quesada Way.
PRICE: $5 each

Thanks to the very talented students and director Cathy Foxhoven for a great show.

PS. See if you can recognize the campaign colors in the boas!

- Written by Fiona

Mondays Council Meeting

It promises to be another interesting Council Meeting this Monday with the following topics:

• FY06 Budget Amendment No. 1 - $65,000 School Crossing Guards Appropriation Discuss/Take Action
• Burlingame Historical Society Appropriation
  Discuss/Take Action
• Introduce an Ordinance to amend Section 6.54.030 to provide a process to fill a vacancy on the Burlingame Avenue Business Improvement District Advisory Board by appointment by City Council.

And if that is not enough grist for the mill, perhaps we might get a repeat rant on meter persons!

- Written by Fiona

What happened to BABY GAP?

Has anyone else noticed the empty Baby Gap Store on Burlingame Avenue? Weren't we just recently commenting on the overabundance of baby clothing stores here in Burlingame. Well, here is perhaps a casualty. Does anyone know the story?

- Written by Jen

The Pez's of Burlingame!

For one of the gems of Burlingame, there is an article in today's Daily Journal about Burlingame's Pez Museum at 214 California. Who would have known that there is a Make-a-Face Mr. Potato Head Pez dispenser worth $3,000!

Thanks, Gary and Nancy.

- Written by Fiona

Russ for Us

From the Daily Journal today about our newest candidate:

Burlingame Historical Society President Russ Cohen said Tuesday he will run for the Burlingame City Council's two-year seat vacated by Mike Coffey. Cohen, the first candidate to aim for the two-year post, came up about 170 votes shy of Coffey in the last election, and said it was natural for him to try for Coffey's seat.

Cohen, 46, is helping build a historical museum in the Burlingame Train Depot and forming a museum foundation. He said he mulled the decision to run. I tell you it wasn't an easy decision,? he said. I've always thought of myself as a multi-tasker.? As chair of the Traffic, Safety and Parking Commission, Cohen helped develop a bike and pedestrian pathway master plan. He is also the vice president of the Burlingame Lions Club.

An advertising executive, Cohen worked with the Downtown Burlingame Improvement District, which was attacked by Burlingame Mayor Joe Galligan in April for being too close to its advertising and Web services contractors. After a review of its financial records, the district and its contractors were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Galligan has said he is running again but has not filed candidacy papers. The deadline is Aug. 12.

However, Cohen said in a statement, Maintaining the status quo is not an option.?

Great news - the race is now beginning to get interesting!

Interesting too that Galligan has not yet filed candidacy papers because noone has filed as yet but only picked up the papers. We wait to see if the city official who has been feeding us the line that Galligan will not run is correct. We just thought it was wishful thinking on his part. Come on, mayor, you can make this election an extraordinarily interesting race!

- Written by Fiona

Caution to Joggers

Female joggers who stray across the border to San Mateo Park and Hillsborough's southeast neighborhood are cautioned by the police. We would like to caution anyone who jogs or walks in the area to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity,? police said in the statement.

A man has attacked two female joggers in the last four months. They believe attacks on April 17 on Poplar Drive in San Mateo and July 20 on Santa Inez Avenue in Hillsborough were committed by the same man. One victim described the attacker as 5 feet 8 inches tall, 160 pounds, muscular build and possibly Hispanic. His face was covered and he was wearing a dark sleeveless shirt, red athletic shorts and gray running shoes, according to the statement. The second victim described the attacker as 6 feet tall, dark complexion, dark, ear-length sideburns and his face was covered. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, black pants and tennis shoes. Police said they did not know how old he is.

Residents who see suspicious activity should call 911 immediately.

- Written by Fiona

Her Running Shoes are Officially on.

According to the San Mateo Times:

Burlingame Councilwoman Rosalie O'Mahony picked up her nomination papers Monday morning. "I love Burlingame deeply," O'Mahony said. "I shall work with the council and the (Burlingame) Planning Commission to develop the best downtown-specific area plan that is now being launched. I want to do that so that the mixed-use (developments) advocated in the downtown area will enhance the community's quality of life without choking (the streets leading) in and out of town."

O'Mahony was first elected in 1989 and served as mayor in 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2004. If re-elected, she wants to protect and enhance the city's reserve funds, strengthen school and community teamwork, keep the city at the top of Caltrain's list of highway projects and improve the city's Broadway interchange. O'Mahony said there's still some work to do in securing federal and state money for the project. "Every position (Caltrain) puts you in determines when funds will be available," O'Mahony said. O'Mahony is unfazed at the number of candidates running.

"It's important to talk to people, hear their points of view and to understand their needs and respond to them," she said. "The more candidates running, there's a better chance of the community getting interested in the electoral process. It's, in a way, a healthy development."

We too love Burlingame deeply and look forward to apres November when Burlingame will look healthy again!

- Written by Fiona