2nd year for Millbrae’s Mayor Fung

Reuben Holober and Stephen Rainaldi were sworn in to their respective District 3 and District 1 positions at the Dec. 10 meeting, followed by Fung, who was reelected after a four-year term. Holober was previously elected to the council from 2013-18 and was selected as vice mayor for the upcoming year. 

The reorganization process, mirrored by other city councils across the Peninsula, follows the unprecedented two-year appointment of Bob Nguyen for District 4 and Sissy Riley for District 2. Nguyen and Riley were appointed by the City Council after the recall of two previous councilmembers, Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman. 

Both Holober and Rainaldi — who, by protocol, would have been up for the mayoral and vice mayoral positions — said they were supportive of Fung’s nomination. 

“When I declared I was running for council, serving as mayor in the first year was not something that crossed my mind one time,” Holober said. “While I appreciate that vote of confidence from members of the public, I’m happy to support the nomination that’s been made.” 

“We are in unprecedented times and, right now, we need experience,” Rainaldi said. “There’s two people that have that experience that are up here — one being Reuben Holober and the other being Mayor Anders Fung. I want to strongly support this nomination, given the agreement with the rest of the City Council.” 

This opinion was not shared by the two outgoing members of the City Council, Ann Schneider and Gina Papan. In her concluding comments, Schneider — who previously held the mayoral seat through a break in protocol — told new councilmembers this was a year to follow the rotation and said Fung had exceeded his power as mayor. 

“I am grateful to all of you, but I am going to have to finish this somewhat negatively,” she said. “The mayor’s role in Millbrae is predominantly running meetings. It is not saying what can and cannot go on an agenda. It is not stopping the work of your other councilmembers.” 

For his part, Fung espoused the city’s fast-growing housing and life sciences development and said he “didn’t take any of this personally” as his focus was his constituents. 

“We’re creating jobs, we’re creating housing, we have a balanced budget,” he said. “Millbrae has really turned a corner and really turned a page. We are more focused than we have ever been in the past. We are no longer only living in the potential of the city, we are realizing the potential of the city.” 

Schneider and Papan were both honored at the beginning of the reorganization ceremony for their multiple terms of service and work on affordable housing, transit and sustainability issues, among others. Assemblymember Diane Papan — Gina Papan’s sister — as well as a representative for Kevin Mullin both spoke highly of their time on the City Council. 

“Two absolutely phenomenal leaders, strong women, strong leaders, it’s been an honor to serve under you,” City Manager Tom Williams said. “All the accomplishments that have happened here in the city of Millbrae, day in and day out, in the trenches, seven days a week, sometimes 24 hours a day.” 

Papan said that experiencing and participating in Millbrae’s development over the years had been an honor. 

“Watching the city grow has just been a wonderful experience, and doing that with the people of Millbrae,” she said. “It’s definitely an exciting time in Millbrae and we can all see what we can do working together, working with a great staff and working with you, the residents.” 

Schneider, similarly, expressed gratitude for her time on City Council. 

“I love what we do as a city — the policy, the processes, the excitement of getting to change the world,” she said.