Candidates spar once again

The contenders for the four-year seat include incumbents Cathy Baylock and Rosalie O'Mahony and challengers Dan Andersen, Gene Condon, Ann Keighran, Paul Prendiville and John Root. Racing for the two-year seat are Russ Cohen and Don Lembi. Mayor Joe Galligan is not running again and Councilman Mike Coffey resigned in July.

Concerns about Safeway's future were shared across the board. Many hope to see a new Safeway but said the grocer needs to be flexible and listen to some of the city's ideas.

Lembi expressed his hope to turn the Burlingame Safeway into something comparable to the Safeway in Santa Barbara with its open-market and welcoming feel.

Keighran said when she was working with the Safeway plans as planning commissioner she strongly encouraged underground parking.

O'Mahony said she was the first to initiate renewed talks with Safeway, although Safeway has not been very cooperative.

Prendiville said he would like to see a more Mediterranean feel to the Safeway building.

But the concern before Safeway, most said, is finishing the downtown plan. The city needs to decide what it wants downtown to look like then have Safeway shape its plans to that desire.

"It's our southern entrance of town. Let's not let Safeway decide how we want it to look," Condon said.

O'Mahony, Root and Andersen all mentioned the downtown plan as one of the important issues facing Burlingame.

Regarding downtown, candidates addressed maintaining and welcoming small businesses in Broadway and Burlingame Avenue. This is another issues many candidates said should be addressed in a downtown plan.

Cohen, Lembi, Andersen and Keighran are supporters of mixed-use development of housing, offices and retail.

Baylock mentioned using the Mills Act on a voluntary basis with buildings on Burlingame Avenue. The Mills Act would give a property tax break to owners in exchange for them maintaining its historical integrity. This opens the opportunity for small business owners to entertain the option of purchasing their business space, Baylock said.

Keighran and O'Mahony spoke about utilizing the side streets and Howard Avenue for shops.

Downtown transportation was also a spot of conversation for the candidates, most expressing their concern over the ramifications of the Broadway stations already diminished service.

Cohen, like many others, said it was time to plan ahead. He said money needs to be put away in anticipation of grade separation, construction that would either lower or raise the tracks and the road. This would ensure the city more options when the time comes, he said.

One concern that nearly united the views of the candidates was housing on the Bayfront property. All candidates except Prendiville were against housing on the Bayfront. The echoed agreement was the area's lack of infrastructure, such as firehouses or grocery stores. Prendiville said there is an eight-acre parcel next to the former Burlingame Drive-In site just right for housing.

Many thought the development in the area should be focused around aiding the hotels and bringing in further revenue.

Root suggested something like a convention center which would draw in crowds and fill hotel rooms. Andersen, on the other hand, said a convention center would be too large for that area and suggested a performing arts building.

Baylock said she would like to see something like an entertainment center that would serve not only visitors but the residents of the community.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.