For more than a decade, I served on local boards and councils, some that were divided and contentious and some that were collegial, deliberative and collaborative. Over the course of 2023, San Mateo County has far too often resembled the divided national body politic rather than the thoughtful, respectful and forward-minded county it has historically been.
Despite our affluence and our extensive resources, we continue to face major challenges: housing is expensive and as a result too many of our sisters and brothers are unhoused or on the verge of being unhoused; schools are underfunded and, despite our teachers’ best efforts, we are not doing enough for our children; and far too many families live in poverty.
I was proud to serve with our local leaders like Assemblymember Diane Papan to face these issues with innovative solutions. Gina Papan in Millbrae and Emily Beach in Burlingame have also shined bright, not only in their cities, but in our region with transit and sustainability. We are blessed with many women like them across the county who are poised to solve local issues with their steel resolve, collaborative leadership and admirable civility in how they conduct our county’s business.
Recent letters to the editor have confounded the collegial and collaborative spirit for which our county was once known. Congresswoman Jackie Speier has been unjustly and unfairly criticized. Jackie has done nothing but serve San Mateo County and her constituents for most of our lifetimes. She has made sacrifices and experienced personal tragedies and did not falter in her steadfast commitment to our residents. Her many accomplishments include fighting against human trafficking by organizing the collaboration of a task force of local law enforcement, creating accountability for the victims of sexual harassment and abuse in the military, facilitating the sea-level rise district to address the effects of climate change, protecting reproductive rights, leading gun buyback programs and other efforts to address gun violence, and she has supported our vital public transit by delivering hundreds of millions of federal funds for Caltrain and SamTrans over the years.
With her leadership and collaboration with our other local leaders, we can restore civility, eliminate child poverty and restore our faith in government. Government can be a powerful source for good. Lean efficient government can be a thriving landscape for businesses of all sizes. Responsible government can protect workers from wage theft and unfair employment practices. No one can match Jackie’s accomplishments. No one stands in a position to criticize her life of sacrifice and service. No one can question the love Jackie has for our community.
I have raised my daughters to be engaged citizens. They have grown up admiring Jackie for her toughness and her leadership. My daughters and I also love to explore the rich history and the hidden gems that our county has to offer. Filoli is one of those San Mateo County gems and an historic landmark. The Filoli motto “fight the good fight, love your fellow man, and live a good life,” is embodied by Jackie and I am grateful for her past, present and future service to our communities.
Good morning, Joe... and thanks for submitting a guest perspective re: Jackie's announcement.
There certainly has been a lot of commentary on this subject, and most of it appears to disagree with Jackie's decision to run for a Board of Supervisors position next year. Where do you think a lot of that opposition is coming from?
You wrote, "San Mateo County has far too often resembled the divided national body politic..." However, I'm not sure the real division we sadly see across the land explains criticism of Jackie's decision. This is not an issue that pits the red tribe against the blue tribe... IMO it is a blue vs. blue dispute.
Who would express such criticism? Probably disappointed supporters of Gina and Emily... those folks are not conservatives. We have already seen blue vs. blue brawling emerge in county politics. In the last election cycle, we saw the denigration of candidates who were not progressive enough. We also saw dyed-in-the-wool former electeds publicly disagree with that denigration.
If criticism of Jackie's decision is largely coming from the left, then Gina and Emily's reactions may have come too hastily. However, if you feel it is coming mostly from the right side of the aisle, can you explain why you think that is the case?
Way to go Joe! Well said. Both you and Jon Mays hit the nail well on its head. Jackie Speier has given the lie to the old phrase "career politician" as being a bad adjective (well, noun). Folks like her and the Bernie Sanders of the country show that making a career of public service is a noble thing when you mainain your integrity and vision.
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(2) comments
Good morning, Joe... and thanks for submitting a guest perspective re: Jackie's announcement.
There certainly has been a lot of commentary on this subject, and most of it appears to disagree with Jackie's decision to run for a Board of Supervisors position next year. Where do you think a lot of that opposition is coming from?
You wrote, "San Mateo County has far too often resembled the divided national body politic..." However, I'm not sure the real division we sadly see across the land explains criticism of Jackie's decision. This is not an issue that pits the red tribe against the blue tribe... IMO it is a blue vs. blue dispute.
Who would express such criticism? Probably disappointed supporters of Gina and Emily... those folks are not conservatives. We have already seen blue vs. blue brawling emerge in county politics. In the last election cycle, we saw the denigration of candidates who were not progressive enough. We also saw dyed-in-the-wool former electeds publicly disagree with that denigration.
If criticism of Jackie's decision is largely coming from the left, then Gina and Emily's reactions may have come too hastily. However, if you feel it is coming mostly from the right side of the aisle, can you explain why you think that is the case?
Way to go Joe! Well said. Both you and Jon Mays hit the nail well on its head. Jackie Speier has given the lie to the old phrase "career politician" as being a bad adjective (well, noun). Folks like her and the Bernie Sanders of the country show that making a career of public service is a noble thing when you mainain your integrity and vision.
Well said indeed.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.