Interim at-large councilmember picked in Burlingame 

She also has a master’s in Public Administration, served on Burlingame’s Parks and Recreation Commission, Measure I Oversight Committee, Senior Advisory Committee, and helped develop Burlingame’s Age-Friendly Action Plan, among other volunteer efforts.  

“In the wake of the loss of two senior councilmembers in a number of months, the city has a stability issue,” she said. “With this loss, it takes some effort and all of our part to help continue the high-quality governance we’ve had. I believe I can help with that.” 

Given the short nature of the position — only nine council meetings — Lee doesn’t have a specific political agenda to advance, she said, but is passionate about increasing awareness around the loneliness epidemic in young people and seniors. 

Four-time mayor and 17-year former Councilmember Ann Keighran also endorsed Lee for the position. 

Four candidates are in the running for the new District 2 seat, three of which also interviewed for the interim position: business owners Hadia Khoury, Nirmala Bandrapalli and educator and scientist Desiree Thayer. Councilmember Michael Brownrigg previously expressed opposition to appointing a District 2 candidate to the position, fearing a City Council endorsement of any candidate would be inappropriate — a concern other councilmembers echoed. 

He asked Khoury, Bandrapalli and Thayer why they should override those concerns and was not impressed with the responses, he said. 

“I asked each of the people running to give me a reason why we should, and I didn’t get a very good answer, to be honest. I thought Ms. Thayer’s answer was probably the most honest — which is, it’s a strategic decision not to unilaterally disarm. I understand that logic, but I don’t find it compelling,” he said. 

Both Bandrapalli and Khoury said they understood the concerns but thought they could add value to the council if appointed. Thayer also said she could succeed in the position, but said due the blinded nature of the application process she was unsure which of her competitors would be in the running for the appointment. 

“If I was the only one, if three out of four applied and I didn’t, it wouldn’t look good to the public,” she said. “I thought it was in my best interest, and also, I have been preparing for this seat, attending meetings for the past two years.” 

Rachel Ni, the only District 2 candidate not to apply for the at-large interim seat, spoke during the meeting at public comment. 

“It was my understanding that the appointment tonight would be someone not seeking the permanent seat in November,” she said. 

Other candidates to put their hat in the ring for the position included former two-term Millbrae Councilmember Linda Larson, who is now a five-year Burlingame resident. Like Lee, she also did not have specific political aspirations for the temporary tenure, but wanted to perform a civic duty for her new community. 

“What I hope to accomplish in this nine-meeting position is to support the integrity and protocols of the council and the business and the affairs of the city of Burlingame,” she said. 

High-tech executive John Giere and Apple Business Affairs Director Kimberly Kilgo also interviewed for the position. 

Mayor Donna Colson emphasized that the selection process for Beach’s former seat accepted all Burlingame residents because it would remain an at-large seat until the switch to districts in the upcoming election. 

That was in contrast to the appointment of Andrea Pappajohn to the District 1 seat earlier this year following former Councilmember Ricardo Ortiz’s resignation, because the seat was previously districted. 

“I wanted to point that out because I didn’t want anyone to think we treated the two different races and appointments unfairly or not systematically,” she said. “In fact that is the rules, and that’s what we had to do.”