7 vying for 3 council seats in Burlingame

In District 1, appointed Councilmember Andrea Pappajohn — who was selected to replace former Councilmember Ricardo Ortiz after his resignation earlier this year — is running unopposed to conclude the remainder of the term.

She did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but her candidate statement highlighted her previous service as a volunteer, member of city staff and chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. If reelected, she would continue prioritizing residents getting use out of open spaces, the grade separation plan and Burlingame’s new town square, the candidate statement said.

District 2

In District 2, an open seat has attracted four candidates: business owners Rachel Ni, Hadia Khoury and Nirmala Idumalla Bandrapalli, as well as scientist and educator Desiree Thayer.

Ni is a small business owner that worked in Burlingame the last 20 years and lived in the city for the last two, she said — and as a Realtor, she has a passion for creating pathways for first-time homeowners to purchase property.

Housing-related funding could also be used to assist individuals with down payments on first-time home buys, a practice Ni said would not only help individuals retain residency in the community but also bolster the economy. As a business owner and Business Improvement District board member, Ni would also be an advocate for Burlingame’s business community.

“The economy of our city, the vibrancy, is based on two major things: homeowners paying property tax and the other is businesses.”

“Our business is the core point of our economy, so we need to collaborate and foster a good environment for business to thrive,” she said.

Ni is also running on a platform of public safety, advocating for completion of the Broadway grade separation project and development of another fire station on Rollins Road.

The Broadway grade separation project would also be a priority for Khoury if elected, she said. Additionally, she’s an advocate for clean and safe neighborhoods and a safer, more pedestrian-friendly El Camino Real.

“I live on El Camino. I know the struggles of El Camino, how hard it is for pedestrians to walk on the sidewalk,” she said. “This will be my major project to focus on.”

As a Burlingame Beautification Commissioner, she’s focused her energy on making the city more inviting and beautiful, adding flowers downtown — an initiative she’d like to see continued if elected to the City Council, alongside adding more lighting. Khoury would also focus on the revamp of the Burlingame waterfront, making it more inviting and business-friendly.

Ultimately, her personal experiences in the city have made her committed to creating an open, inviting and welcoming space for all residents and visitors.

“My passion comes from being a single mother and a business owner, which makes me a more compassionate, strong and resourceful leader, which is what our city requires,” Khoury said. “I raised my daughters on a single income, which makes me understand needs and how hard it is to raise a family in Burlingame. I’m open to everyone living in Burlingame and enjoying everything we have to offer.”

As the former Burlingame Lions Club president, former Burlingame Planning Commission chair, school site councilmember, and longtime Burlingame resident, Bandrapalli believes her experience would make her the most qualified candidate for the job.

“I work tirelessly for Burlingame and the county. I understand the issues that matter most to people, to our community, because they matter most to me too,” she said.

If elected, she’d take a multipronged approach to addressing traffic congestion in the city — including on California Drive, Bandrapalli said. That could include working with city staff to alleviate parking issues downtown with sensors and digital signage to guide drivers to open parking spaces and making the area more pedestrian-friendly, she said.

Bandrapalli would also advocate for energy-efficient infrastructure and cost-saving practices for residents and in city buildings.

Another tenet of her platform is addressing the rising mental health challenges faced by both young people and senior citizens through intergenerational events and programming like mentoring and collaborative workshops.

“Our youth are the future of Burlingame. They deserve every opportunity to thrive,” she said. “Seniors are pillars of experience and wisdom. They deserve our support in navigating the complexities of this modern life.”

Thayer, a PhD scientist and educator, believes she can bring a unique perspective to the Burlingame City Council if elected.

“What I really like about Burlingame is it’s such a diverse place to live. I have, like everyone, a personal background and life experiences that shape who I am,” she said. “I’m a woman, younger than most people on City Council, biracial Asian American and renter. … I would hope to represent people like me, who have been missing representation on the council.”

Her scientific background makes her an analytical and logical thinker, Thayer said, skills that make her uniquely qualified for the job. She’s also served on the Peninsula Clean Energy community advisory committee and the Burlingame Citizens Environmental Council.

A top priority for her if elected would be work on the Broadway Specific Plan, which aims to improve pedestrian access, streets and community use of the restaurant and retail-heavy area.

“It’s one of the commercial areas in my district. I think it’s going to take a lot of outreach to community and businesses to come up with a well-rounded plan for the future here, [and] push people to move outside of, ‘Oh, things are fine now,’ [and have] that longer vision — what about 10, 20 years from now?”

District 4

Burlingame Mayor Donna Colson is running for council reelection against challenger Tony Paul, a Caltrans senior transportation engineer. Colson currently holds an at-large seat on the council and is now running for the District 4 position after Burlingame’s switch to district elections.

Colson wants to see through the completion of several integral city projects that she’s played roles in while serving on the City Council, including funding and coordinating the Broadway grade separation — which is “critical for safety” as more housing is built in the city, she said — and El Camino Real redevelopment.

“With all the turnover on our council, I felt it was really important for someone with 25-year lived experience in Burlingame and 12 on council [to run],” she said. “Bringing all that to bear is going to be really important to wrap up and conclude all these really important projects.”

She’s also established connections and leadership roles on regional advisory committees throughout the county and is currently the chair of the Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors.

“I’ve been able to ascend to higher strategic feats in really important commissions around the county. That helps me to be able to bring funding expertise and prioritization to Burlingame and the region in general,” she said.

Challenger Tony Paul began working with Caltrans since 1998 and sees his expertise as an asset to the City Council as they continue work on large-scale public infrastructure projects.

“I want to serve the public, and the reason I’m running is because of the lack of councilmembers with my expertise,” he said. “I want to see building things to standard, bike lanes on California Drive. A lot of people are upset about no lights at night, [or] lights are not spaced correctly.”

If elected, he would work to develop solutions to road issues like sight distance, blind curbs, accidents, intersection signage and the data system for public complaints, he said.

Paul also wants to improve the city’s mass transit systems, including the BART shuttle to Burlingame and more frequent stops at the Burlingame Caltrain station.

“My hunger is to improve and to innovate,” he said.