By: Jack Peng, Flora Oliva, Marc McDaniel Staff Writers, and Leanna Yu Culture Editor
On November 6th, 2018, the Millbrae City Council Election will take place, where Millbrae residents will have to vote for two out of the three current candidates running for election. Two candidates, Anne Oliva, and Reuben Holober are experienced council members running for a second term, whereas You You Xue is a younger candidate who’s campaigning for the first time. As of October 2018, there are five council members in the Millbrae City Council, including the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and three council members. The current mayor of Millbrae is Gina Papan, who has been re-elected as a council member numerous times and was first elected as Mayor in 2013. Wayne Lee, the Vice Mayor, was recently elected into office in April of 2018. The current three council members consist of Ann Schneider, Anne Oliva, and Reuben Holober. These countless responsibilities of City Council and the complex election system in Millbrae can be an unclear topic for many Millbrae residents.
The responsibility of Mayor and City Council are condensed to setting the agenda for the Millbrae mayors and city council members, running Council meetings, appointing committee assignments, attending public events, and responding to issues about the City. Having the job of Mayor and City Council requires one to be responsible and to have the best interest of the citizens in Millbrae in mind at all times. With different positions in the council, a specific set of skills per individual are needed for the task. The demands of being mayor require making agendas for all the other council members and having a keen eye for weighing strengths and weaknesses of other council members in certain aspects. As a council member, they are obligated to go to meetings and list personal agenda, which will then be reported back to all members during the next city council meeting which happens every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. On top of that both City Council members and the Mayor respond to issues that appear on the media from citizens with concerns or comments regarding Millbrae. Which sway their priorties and goals.
The city council has myriad goals, many of which have already been accomplished. Some of these goals include: update the Priority Development Area’s fee schedules and assessments, improve the infrastructure of Millbrae’s streets and water pipe systems, and design community center. They have hired Tom Williams as city manager to replace Marcia Raines, who retired after 10 years as city manager. The city council wants to meet with the Community Development Department and evaluate the properties in Millbrae. They also needed to meet with staff and committees to approve goals by September 2018. The last few goals on their list are to review the design of Transit Oriented Development (TOD), discuss City Council Protocol, establish ordinances for temporary rentals, obtain Police & Fire Department updates & Annual Reports, and continue outreach at City Services Day, which is a day for community service. Finally, the Community Development Department, Economic Vitality Committee, and Millbrae Chamber of Commerce needed to address the feasibility of the Business Improvement District. The city council has been functioning on a cycle for the mayor.
Millbrae, for years, has used the rotational system, where the role of the mayor and vice mayor rotate. Although in the past couple of years in Millbrae, the system has given experience to the vice president, the “central circle” of the council has used the rotational system as an advantage in order to humiliate the vice mayor at that time. There have been times where the council has greedily chosen themselves to become vice mayor, in order to have control over the city. The council’s use of the rotational system in recent years have made the Millbrae City Council look unprofessional and immature. Ann Schneider, the former Millbrae City Council member, has called the acts of the City Council on the rotational system “…petty middle school behavior demonstrated by Wayne Lee, Anne Oliva, Gina Papan, Reuben Holober and Robert Gottschalk (City Council Members at the time)…” Ann Schneider has also stated that the actions of the Council have made the city of Millbrae a “laughing stock…” and “…make businesses think twice before going to Millbrae.” The City Council of other local Bay Area cities such as San Mateo, Redwood City, Pacifica, and Half Moon Bay have also used the same rotational system, but people have found ways to be placed in the Vice Mayor and Mayor positions without being in the rotation, with citizens feeling as if their vote is being neglected. In contrast to cities such as San Bruno, San Francisco, and Oakland, who are able to elect their mayors directly, Millbrae’s rotational system has caused conflicts and controversy within recent years. Nevertheless, the strenuous election process for council members is still highly competitive.
In hopes of being elected into the council, the job consists of active, tough and constant work, with relentless campaigning. Council member, Ann Schneider, recalls the actions that she took in hopes of getting elected, which included raising money, meeting with community groups for endorsements, participating in the Get Out The Vote, which increases the number of voters by using political strategies. Schneider used strategies such as phone banking, mailers, and also knocking on many doors. For the election, the incumbents, who are the owner of the office, usually succeed. Incumbents have been winning council positions for years, due to the fact that they have the name recognition, as well as most voters not keeping up with council actions, and having little information about who’s getting elected. In some rare cases, there have been times in the past where the “underdog” won the 2015 election. Millbrae council-member, Ann Schneider, surpassed two incumbents by over 400 votes, proving that change can happen in a small town. For years, the city council of Millbrae consisting of Wayne Lee, Anne Oliva, Gina Papan, and Reuben Holober has formed an “inner circle”, which makes it harder and more challenging for candidates who aren’t in it. However, when they work together, many tasks are discussed and completed to make Millbrae become a better town for its residents.
As citizens of Millbrae, we should evaluate all candidates running for office and cast a vote that improves and moves forward the lives of citizens living in the town. If you have not yet registered to vote for City Council, you can register by going on the County’s website at www.smcacre.org/register-vote or by going to the Secretary of State’s website at http://registertovote.ca.gov. If you prefer to go in person, you can also pick up registration forms at City Hall, located near the Millbrae Library. Seeing as the election will be held on November 6th, it is crucial for people to voice their opinions in order for them to be heard. If you truly want to impose change, it’s your responsibility to fight for it! To some people voting for something as minor as City Council seems useless and unnecessary, but it’s the act of voicing our opinions that drives us to have discussions of what we need to thrive. Voting not only has the power to change small towns like Millbrae, but has the influence to change the face of this country. Even if you are not of age, meaning that you aren’t eligible to vote, does not mean that you can’t be involved. As active participants in the government, you should encourage parents, friends, and other family members to vote in the upcoming elections.
