Mitch Postel, age 69, was born in Chicago but he moved to San Mateo when he was 7 years old. The family bought a house in the city’s Lakeshore District and from there he could look across the lagoon and watch the birth and growth of Foster City. That seeded his interest in how things can change and ultimately his devotion to history. He attended University of California, Santa Barbara where he received a masters in the environmental history of the Bay in spring 1977.
Unfortunately, there were not many jobs for history majors so he returned to San Mateo and worked for his father who traveled throughout the country selling specialty lines. Postel worked on a commission and traveled throughout the west, including several rural areas “where they were delighted to see me.” Some days he made nothing. Others he did well including one time when he made $500 in one day. But fate had other plans for him.
In 1977, he came home and found an ad in the San Mateo Times. The local San Mateo historical association was looking for someone to do research. It was a job funded by President Jimmy Carter’s CETA program. He applied and got the job. But the museum had lost most of its funding because of Proposition 13 and Postel had to write grants and become a fundraiser, an art which he has mastered as the museum undertakes a major capital expansion.
He finally received a job offer to help raise money for the Fort Point museum underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. He was hired to become the first executive director and served three years there. Then San Mateo councilmember Jack Murray asked Postel to return to San Mateo and help the struggling county museum. He has served as its director since 1984. Today, he manages the operation of three museums: the Sanchez Adobe of Pacifica, the Woodside Store in Woodside and the San Mateo County History Museum in the “Old Courthouse” building in Redwood City.
Postel has been a fantastic fundraiser. As most people will tell you it’s hard to say “no” to Mitch. Between 1998 and 2006, he raised enough money to renovate the old courthouse, the new home for the museum and help with the construction of the courthouse plaza. His next big campaign is to raise funds for a major expansion, the Taube Foundation carriage house where he plans to exhibit some of the museum’s hidden treasures.
In two years, when the San Mateo Rotary Club will be celebrating its centennial, it has asked Mitch Postel, a longtime member, to serve as president.
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It was surprising to see a campaign sign for Supervisor Dave Canepa on the window of a favorite small grocery store in downtown San Mateo.
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Canepa has already announced he plans to open a campaign office in San Mateo and Redwood City. He is running for Congress against Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin and Burlingame Councilmember Emily Beach. But it will be hard to catch up to Mullin in local support and financial strength, especially when you are running for Assembly or Congress and its PAC money, the big bucks, which fuel state and national campaigns.
Mullin has just sent out to his constituents a booklet on his significant achievements in the state Assembly. He has the advantage of a loyal list of voters plus the ability to raise money which will be almost impossible for either Beach or Canepa to match in the long run.
What Canepa does have is an amazing county staff, his two aides, Ann Keighran, Burlingame councilmember, and Bill Silverfarb, former reporter for San Mateo Daily Journal who spent a few months working for Jackie Speier in her D.C. office.
But if they are on the county payroll they are not allowed to do any political work for their boss. Beach has the advantage of being well respected among her county peers and the fact she is the only woman in the race. It will be interesting to see which of the two faces Mullin in a runoff.
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