Howard Wettan and Jen Faber will face off Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the only contested seat on Burlingame’s City Council ballot.
Election results are pending. This article will be updated as election officials release vote totals.
The District 3 race, covering the city’s southwest side, will decide who replaces Mayor Michael Brownrigg, who chose not to run again, according to The Burlingame B. Districts 1 and 5 are also on the ballot, but Vice Mayor Andrea Pappajohn and Councilmember Peter Stevenson are running unopposed in those seats, according to the city’s candidate roster.
The winner will serve a four-year term ending in 2030.
Howard Wettan
Wettan, a 17-year Burlingame resident, has spent years on city boards and commissions. He served on the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Traffic Safety and Parking Commission, and says he has chaired the Burlingame School District’s bond oversight committee since 2019, according to his campaign biography. The Burlingame B reported that his oversight work involved more than $200 million in capital spending on K-8 schools.
His campaign website lists public safety, emergency preparedness, parks and community spaces, housing, fiscal accountability and environmental resilience among his priorities. He studied applied math-economics and law, lives in Burlingame with his wife, Keeley, and three daughters, and received the H. Jay Burns Award for Public Service, according to the site.
His priorities page calls for more community facilities, better access to downtown businesses and preparation for natural hazards.
He has endorsements from Rep. Kevin Mullin, former state Sen. Jerry Hill, five former Burlingame council members and more than 20 current and former city commissioners, according to his campaign endorsement list.
Jen Faber
Faber served four years as president of the Burlingame Community for Education Foundation, according to The Burlingame B. During that time, she led work on passing Measure GG, the publication reported. The parcel tax was approved in 2024 with estimated annual revenue of $3.6 million, according to the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission.
Her campaign website says she has managed relationships across the nonprofit, health care and research sectors.
Faber told The Burlingame B she wants to improve city communication, including a daily citywide e-newsletter covering street closures, traffic and community events. She also said she plans to work with Central County Fire to give residents better access to fire safety information.
Her endorsement list includes Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assemblywoman Diane Papan, San Mateo County Supervisors David Canepa and Ray Mueller, Councilmember Stevenson, at-large Councilmember Donna Colson, the Burlingame Police Officers Association, the Burlingame Education Association and AFSCME Local 829.
Candidate forum
A candidate forum held Oct. 6 drew an estimated 30 attendees, the Burlingame Voice blog reported. The city’s ballot information page links to a recording of the event.
How to vote and find results
Voting locations are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday, according to the California Secretary of State. Residents can find voting information through the city’s elections page.
Voters can follow returns through San Mateo County’s official election results page. The county plans its first results release at 8:10 p.m. Election-night totals are unofficial until canvassing and certification are complete.
