So much for passing the baton

Obviously, they both thought they still have something to bring to the table. That may be true, but in Jackie Speier’s case, she has advocated during her 40-year career for women to consider local leadership roles and now she is clearly preventing a qualified woman to compete for local office. She is also preventing a new generation of leadership to step forward and serve when the talk about our national leadership staying far too long is continuing to be debated.

I applauded Jackie’s decision to step aside and let new ideas from new leaders emerge and launch her foundation that will help address child poverty (a noble cause to focus on in her retirement).

Her announcement to run for a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors decades after she originally served is baffling to say the least, especially when she has said publicly that she promised her husband she would step away at age 72 and that it was time to “pass the baton.” She spoke these words on a podcast called “Burlingame, it’s a small town” just five months ago. It all begs the question, what was so wrong with the two candidates running for the seat that she needed to enter the race that has resulted in both candidates dropping out? So much for passing the baton.

Russ Cohen

Burlingame