Tale of the Tyger

There is a lot packed into that preceding word string. First, very few of us have full names that constitute a complete sentence. Second, very few of us would have expected someone with such a unique name to win an election to public office. And, third, perhaps none of us outside of Pacifica would have expected someone named Tygerjas Twyrls Bigstyck to be the harbinger of a return to civility and consensus-building in our local disagreements.

But there you go.

Christened Jonathan Arthur Shufton, Bigstyck changed his name 10 years ago in his mid-20s. His name is the result of a personal journey. He frequently wore tiger-illustrated T-shirts, now accessorized with a tiger-themed safety mask. He was known for walking around town, twirling a blond, rattan walking stick, and for walking the full 24 hours in the annual Pacifica Relay for Life. “My reputation for walking is solidified,” he said.

But more than a label reflecting superficial accessories, his name change was the result of deep, reflective thought about who he was and who he wished to be, influenced by the William Blake poem, “The Tyger,” best known for its opening line: “Tyger, tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night.” Hence the spelling of his first name, with the last three letters — JAS — a nod to his birth name.

Eloquent and thoughtful, author of two novels on the subject of a spiritual life, Bigstyck’s decision to change his name was an evolution, leading ultimately to the realization, “This is really who I am.” He called it “rising from the ashes. … I was largely somebody who did not know what self-respect looked like and, therefore, couldn’t muster the respect I should give to other people.” Ultimately, he determined to provide himself “a name to live up to.”

The tiger was not only apparel, it became his spirit animal. “No matter how friendly I appear, let’s keep me friendly,” he said. “I’m truly not a mean person. I’m also somebody who is willing to bite if pushed.”

His political journey was equally thoughtful and evolutionary. He began attending council meetings just to learn about city issues. He spoke only occasionally at the meetings and largely with a determination to be constructive. His activism increased with the debate over rent control that culminated in a 2017 ballot measure. He was appalled. And he was concerned that it was all-too-typical of too many debates in town.

“If they start with the premise, ‘We’re going to do this now,’ both sides of the equation come out to say how wrong the other side is, and they start yelling at each other,” he said. For quite a while, the council has been “two people who lean one way, three people who lean the other. Depending on the makeup of that 2-3 split, it’s vicious, gnarly decision-making that leads to bad policy or no policy. They had this raucous big fight that led to nothing. It’s a despicable waste of time.”

His campaign message was quite basic. “There has to be someone inside of Pacifica who is willing to listen more closely and bring solutions more closely to a middle ground,” Bigstyck said.

It helped that his earnest manner won him an appointment to the Planning Commission. And it helped, perhaps even more, that he had a high-profile job supervising the checkers at the local Safeway. “After serving at the biggest watering hole in town for 14 years, a vast majority of the community had been served by me,’” he said.

And campaigning came easily to him.

“I found my niche pretty quickly as the community-oriented guy and someone to use my skills as a storyteller to put into words what was going on so everyone could understand,” he said.

A SIMPLE SOLUTION: The newly constructed South San Francisco City Council voted this week to appoint someone to fill the remaining two years on an at-large seat vacated by Mark Nagales, who opted to run for a full four-year term in a new district. There’s really only one choice — 18-year council veteran Rich Garbarino. His re-election loss was by the narrowest of margins. It’s safe to assume that he would have won another term had the race been citywide. The council wouldn’t have to worry if they’re anointing someone who might run for the seat in two years. And he knows how to do the job.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.