San Mateo is without a mayor following a lengthy City Council debate over who to nominate to the vacancy, with an uncertain timeline of when a new city leader will be appointed.
A nearly eight-hour Dec. 5 meeting centered on if the new four-person council should make Councilmember Amourence Lee the mayor, following the traditional norms of having a rotating mayor system in which the senior councilmember is made city leader. However, a decision could not be reached, resulting in the meeting being continued until Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. to try and find a compromise between the two sides.
The council now comprises Lee, the only member with council experience, and newcomers Adam Loraine, Lisa Diaz Nash and Robert Newsom, after the departure of three other councilmembers following the November elections. The fifth council seat is absent because former Deputy Mayor Diane Papan won the election to the state Assembly and resigned with two years left in her term. The fifth seat is an at-large seat scheduled to be filled on Dec. 12 by the council.
Diaz Nash and Newsom argued that the council should wait until after the final vacancy occurs to appoint a mayor. Both suggested it is the fair and representative thing to do and ensures the future mayor would not have a tiebreaking vote for the vacant seat decision, offering an unequal distribution of power. If the council deadlocks 2-2, the city charter says the mayor makes the tiebreaking decision for the vacant council seat.
“I’m not comfortable nominating tonight until we fill that fifth seat, and I think once we fill that fifth seat, then we can go ahead and choose the mayor,’ Councilmember Rob Newsom said.
However, Lee and Loraine argued the council should pick the mayor at the meeting. The pair noted the city charter states that at the first regular council meeting in December after an election, the council will swear in the new members and elect a mayor and deputy mayor. Under current city guidelines, Lee is due for rotation into the mayor position, with the newly elected members drawing lots for the deputy mayor position.
“There is a guideline to adhere to, and there is tradition and respectability of our city,” Lee said. “I think this is an embarrassment to San Mateo.”
San Mateo City Attorney Prasanna Rasiah recommended the council to make a mayor and deputy mayor decision at the Dec. 5 meeting because of the critical roles the positions play for the functioning of city government. However, the council decided to continue the decision to Dec. 7. Diaz Nash said that, given her understanding, it would not violate the charter, and she preferred to hold off on appointing a mayor.
“I would want to wait until I saw everyone who applied for the [council] position,” Diaz Nash said of her decision.
Over several hours, Loraine and Lee nominated voting for her to be mayor several times, which failed to get a majority to pass it. Diaz Nash and Newsom also nominated continuing the meeting until Dec. 13, which did not pass. Lee said she was ashamed of what she categorized as the stagnation of the governance structure, calling it a sad day for San Mateo.
The night had a rare moment of two public comment times, an unusual precedent since most items at a council meeting only get one period of public comment. Dozens of speakers spoke both in favor and against appointing a mayor. Supporters of appointing Lee mayor noted she was the only one with legislative council experience and would fulfill traditional precedent when appointing a mayor. Other public speakers pointed to her leadership and character, along with the importance of having a North Central resident and the first Asian American woman as mayor. Public speaker David Clark highlighted her track record and accomplishment as a reason to be named mayor.
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“We have a jewel of a candidate in Amourence Lee who has 15 years of nonprofit, public and private experience,” Clark said. “Nobody else on the dais comes close.”
Noelia Corzo, the San Mateo County District 2 supervisor-elect and San Mateo resident, attended the meeting and urged the council to vote to make Lee mayor given her experience.
“Everyone here, you are elected to represent, but you are not beholden to them,” Corzo said. “You were elected, no one else, and you have the moral obligation to work together for the best of this community.”
Those against appointing a mayor wanted to wait a week until the council appointed a new member at the Dec. 12 meeting. Public speakers argued it was prudent to do this given the mayor could be a tiebreaker if there is a tie vote on the fifth councilmember.
“I’m in agreement with those who have spoken to postpone the vote for mayor until the fifth member is seated,” public speaker Martha Park said.
“There should be a consensus,” public speaker Kevin Simpson said. “All four current members should have a fair shot at appointing the best-qualified person. It shouldn’t be the handpicked candidate of any one member of the council.”
San Mateo City Manager Drew Corbett runs daily operations for the city and said in a statement that service would remain uninterrupted. He noted while the situation was unusual and created challenges around policy direction, staff would continue to urge the council to work to reach a decision.
“The role of a councilmember is to consider the perspectives of everyone in the community and recognize the need to negotiate and build consensus,” Corbett said in a statement. “It’s natural for there to be some with divergent views in the community, and I hope our council comes together to recognize that everyone who serves does so because they care about San Mateo and that getting a mayor appointed as soon as possible is what is best for all stakeholders. If there is a split vote on the selection of the mayor, we will continue to meet until there are enough votes to move a motion forward.”
The council eventually voted to reconvene the meeting on Dec. 7, citing time needed to think about decisions.
Diaz Nash represents District 1, which includes San Mateo Park, Baywood, Aragon and portions of the Hayward Park neighborhoods. Newsom in District 3 represents the Central, Sunnybrae, 19th Avenue Park and Bay Meadows neighborhoods and Loraine represents District 5, which includes the Beresford Hillsdale neighborhood. Lee represents an at-large district and is from North Central. The final council seat is an at-large position that will become a seat representing District 4 in two years. In 2021, the city approved an ordinance transitioning San Mateo from at-large elections to five by-district elections. At the meeting, Mayor Rick Bonilla, Councilmember Joe Goethals and Councilmember Eric Rodriguez were recognized for their service and the completion of their terms. All three decided against running again for election.
(11) comments
A public thank you for the common sense and common decency exhibited by Councilmembers Lisa Diaz Nash and Rob Newsom last night in an intimidating environment meant to force their hands and have them turn a blind eye to the concerns of many of their constituents.
While respected former mayors Claire Mack and Jack Matthews spoke in strong support of appointing a 5th councilmember prior to naming a mayor - a position Diaz Nash and Newsom advocated - Councilmembers Lee and Loraine continued a tooth and nail knock down, drag out fight for the immediate naming of a mayor. All for a 5 day timeframe difference.
The word deplorable comes to mind when some of the weapons used were out and out untruths (a speaker who stated she saw a Recall Lee magnet on Councilmember Newsom's vehicle), and did anyone believe Councilmember Lee's statement that two backdoor deals were offered to her to choose 'the right' 5th councilmember to allow her to immediately have the mayoral title? "I hope you reported that, " Lisa Diaz Nash said. Then Newsom asked Lee if she had reported it and Lee stated she was reporting it "right now" at the dais. Something smells rotten, especially as Loraine immediately suggested Diaz-Nash and Newsom could rectify the backroom deals by anointing Lee mayor there and then.
While the Lee-Loraine minions will fill the media with their narrative, one merely has to watch the shenanigans that went on to understand what it is we have come to - and stand and applaud the backbone and decency exhibited by Diaz Nash and Newsom under relentless circumstances.
With a plea from the City Manager, it was determined at midnight that all would reconvene December 12th (the original date Diaz Nash and Newsom had very reasonably requested two days ago). I hope everyone can find their moral compasses for that, because there obviously aren't enough to go around.
All members on the new council show resolve. I hope they can be united to oppose unfunded mandates and bullying from higher government and best represent the residents of our community. The truth is there are two very different visions of what the City of San Mateo should look like. Two of the council members share one vision and two the other. In my opinion, it is in the best interests of the council and the residents to have the fifth member appointed before appointing the mayor. In a two to two council the side with the mayor will control the council as the mayor is the tie breaker. Suggest the current council members have a closed session and work out a compromise on the fifth seat and then make Ammourence Lee the mayor. Both sides need to be comfortable.
People who talk about embarrassment ignore the fact that the council needs to pick a fifth member in less than a week. And that if that gets stalled, the Mayor wil pick that person, singlehandedly. Talk about an embarrassing lack of democracy.
Those who resist appointing a mayor this week are focused on trying to keep a level playing field and keep their equal voice in that decision. Without a mayor right away, the person chosen is likely to represent a moderate compromise for a divided city and council. A consensus builder that we all need now.
Imagine the power play that Ms Lee can pull, engineering a girdlock so that she can make that choice - one that would bolster a majority for her views that she would enjoy for the next 2 years. If she is the best candidate, she wil still be so after that appointment, and the rotation can, and should, be honered then.
So kick the can down the line and allow Newsom and Nash to deadlock the fifth member vote? That makes no sense.
Thank you DJ for reminding us that those engaging in a naked power grab are also fine people.
Speaks volumes that Diaz Nash and Newsom's first actions on Council are to ignore precedent and practice because they want to have it their way. How selfish and entitled they are. Utterly shameful that they bring such petty energy to our city's governance.
Ironic that Newsom/Nash will do anything to block a mayor from North Central.
The move to district elections was motivated due to San Mateo at-large elections discriminating against neighborhoods like North Central--to the benefit of affluent neighborhoods like District 1.
Embarrassing for San Mateo, embarrassing for Nash & Newsom.
Diaz Nash and Newsom are embarrassing themselves with an obvious power play. They spent Monday's meeting smugly talking about compromise where there is nothing to compromise about. There's a process to follow. Ultimately, they're going to have to follow the charter after the tantrum is over.
From what I have read in the DJ, Ms. Lee is a prejudiced bigot against Catholics. Attacking Roman Catholics for their beliefs is no way to win anyone over to your side. The Bay Area is the only place in the nation where her actions would be tolerated. BTW, I am a very liberal Catholic and I would never vote for her due to her prejudice.
She showed her Cathophobia in the last election when she attacked Linares for working for the church. The DJ should look in to this.
What a complete embarrassment for The City of San Mateo.
Utter chaos and havoc.
Leadership at odds.
Where are the Bertha Sanchez's when we need them.
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