Burlingame mayor will not seek reelection: Howard Wettan and Jennifer Faber are running for Michael Brownrigg’s District 3 City Council seat 

Wettan has served on a number of local Burlingame commissions over the years, according to his campaign website, including the Bicycle Pedestrian Oversight Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee. Faber is the Burlingame Community for Education president, per her website. 

Brownrigg is currently in his fourth term on the Burlingame City Council and rotated into the mayoral position in 2026. His decision to retire from his longtime public service career is twofold, he said, both because he hopes to allow for fresh ideas and because of the commitment to his private-sector job. 

During his tenure on council, he was integral to a variety of large-scale projects, including housing development in the North Rollins area, the El Camino Real Renewal project, mitigating sea-level rise along the Bayfront and the construction of a new town square. 

“Nothing big is easy. If it were easy, it would already be done. So you’ve got to persuade people,” he said. “It helps when, in your mind and your heart of hearts, you believe this is what most thoughtful Burlingame people would want.” 

Brownrigg co-founded Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, an organization that transitions companies into 100% employee-owned businesses. He will continue his work with the business, which is growing in size and scope. Prior to his career as a Burlingame councilmember, he worked as a diplomat to Syria and a chief economic and trade negotiator to Hong Kong. 

His career in public service has always been built on the idea of big visions and realistic application. 

“It’s really fun to believe that you can see a way to make a big institution better, and then have the chance and the resources,” he said. “It’s really gratifying.” 

Burlingame City Manager Lisa Goldman said that Brownrigg always brought the idea to life that while Burlingame is a small city, it punches above its weight class. 

“We may be small, but we have a voice, and we’re going to exercise our voice, and we’re going to be ambitious and innovative,” she said. “We’re very forward thinking, and I think a lot of that is due to his vision for the community.” 

Burlingame’s official filing period for open City Council races does not open until mid-July, Hassel-Shearer said. Wettan and Faber are the only two candidates who have filed campaign committee paperwork with the state allowing them to raise money for their election campaigns, she said.  

Elections for the District 1 and District 5 seats will also be held this year. District 5 Councilmember Peter Stevenson and District 1 Councilmember Andrea Pappajohn, who is currently serving as vice mayor, both said they would be seeking reelection.