[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 21, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 RECOGNIZING THE DEPARTURE OF THE HONORABLE ANN O'BRIEN KEIGHRAN FROM 
                     THE CITY COUNCIL OF BURLINGAME

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 21, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Ann O'Brien Keighran 
as she departs public service after 17 years on the Burlingame City 
Council, serving four times as Mayor, and another seven years as a 
planning commissioner, Ann has been a tireless advocate for 
Burlingame's quality of life and for business improvement.
  Burlingame is a city with 30,000 residents who enjoy a small-town 
environment just a few miles south of bustling San Francisco. Its tree-
lined avenues and older homes combine with outstanding schools to 
entice the region's entrepreneurs, professionals, and hard-working 
skilled workers to raise families in the midst of a beautiful 
environment. Ann was raised in Burlingame, graduated from Mercy High 
School, and attended the University of San Francisco where she earned 
her Master of Science in nursing. She later practiced at Sequoia 
Hospital and taught nursing at our local community college and the 
University of San Francisco.
  During her combined 25 years on the planning commission and city 
council, she worked tirelessly with her colleagues to retain the small 
town feel of the community while also adapting it to the evolving 
economy. Ann's tenure on the council included final determination of 
the future of the city's golf course, ongoing work on the storm drain 
system to eliminate frequent flooding and growing the tax base by 
approving major new office and housing developments. How many hours in 
the public interest has Ann given over a quarter century of service? 
It's hard to estimate, but it's safe to say she had zero time to watch 
re-runs streaming on Amazon.
  Significant improvements created during her time in public service 
include a new Community Center. Discussion about this facility began 
when she first took office, waxed and waned through economic cycles, 
and finally resulted in a successful bond measure. The building opened 
this year and is stunning. Ann was one of the center's earliest and 
most consistent voices.
  She supported other long-needed improvements, including the 
reconstruction of the Broadway/Highway 101 interchange and an enormous 
improvement to Burlingame Avenue, one of the city's central business 
districts. As she noted in her comments to the public upon announcing 
her retirement from public life, the Burlingame Avenue project, ``. . . 
brought beauty and commerce together to delight shoppers and 
residents.''
  Ann and her colleagues approved a new Safeway, but not without 
controversy. Two years into her council service, her diplomacy was key 
to getting this reconstruction accomplished.
  She fought hard to make California's High Speed Rail project 
amendable to Burlingame's needs and supported construction of 
affordable housing on a city parking lot and the creation of Peninsula 
Clean Energy. Her record of public and private contributions also 
includes serving on the fire board, as the council's ongoing liaison to 
the Chamber of Commerce, as the city/school liaison, as an advisor to 
our local shelter for women, on task forces for housing and universal 
healthcare coverage, and as a long-time parishioner in Our Lady of 
Angels Church. From dog parks to redesign of our grand boulevard, the 
El Camino Real, to serving as a basketball team coach at her children's 
school, she's done it all.
  As she retires from public office, Ann should look back over her time 
in public service as one of tremendous accomplishment. She noted in 
announcing her retirement that she shares credit with Burlingame staff 
and her many colleagues on the council. This is true, but it 
understates the fact that she made difficult decisions without rancor 
and helped keep the community's finances sound when things were really 
tough over many years.
  Looking forward, her adult children, Kerry and Kate Rose, will now 
have more time to spend with their mother. Ann will work in her 
position with the Center for Age Friendly Excellence, helping to guide 
communities to become healthier, more accessible places for seniors. Of 
course, her quiet leadership will be missed. Her biography notes that 
she's quite an accomplished Celtic dancer. Maybe now that the gavel on 
a dais no longer dominates her weeks, she will find time to concentrate 
on this skill. From 1998, when she joined the planning commission, to 
the present, Ann danced for us on the public stage. She was an 
accomplished public policymaker, a real leader, and she's a tough act 
to follow. I wish her well in the years ahead.

                          ____________________