City clerks in Burlingame and San Carlos are best chosen by appointment rather than election, according to voters who opted in their respective cities to change how the city fills the position.

San Carlos passed Measure V with 60.9 percent of the vote while Burlingame passed Measure I with 54 percent.

The clerk position is not the only city job that faced changes this election.

Millbrae also put its treasurer up for evaluation and after a close beginning — 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent in favor — voters approved appointment with 51.3 percent of the vote.

Although the clerk question was relatively uncontroversial in San Carlos, the debate divided some officials in Burlingame. Some like Mayor Ann Keighran cited technical challenges as a reason for appointment while Vice Mayor Cathy Baylock said an elected person is more accountable to the people.

Burlingame posed the same question in 1999 but it failed with 47.6 percent of the vote.

In December, Doris Mortensen retired as Burlingame’s city clerk and deputy city clerk Mary Ellen Kearney was appointed in her place until the term expires in November. Kearney ran uncontested and will serve the next four years.

Current San Carlos City Clerk Christine Boland’s term runs through 2011 and her duties include both the elected position — serving as a liaison between the public and City Council and overseeing city records, the council agenda and managing the department’s budget — and the appointed assistant city clerk position which is charged with more professional duties. Like the City Council, Boland endorsed the job being appointed rather than elected.

The Millbrae treasurer measure was too close to call for most of the evening and its outcome had a ripple effect on the separate election for treasurer.

After two terms as Millbrae’s treasurer, Mary Vella Treseler decided not to run for re-election causing the city to reconsider the position’s elected status. Former mayor Doris Morse pulled papers for the city treasurer position, leaving her in the odd position of winning her election but having it be a moot point because the position will be dissolved.

Morse, unopposed, received 100 percent of the vote.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.