always unanimous. it has been good that we have been able to get consensus of a lot of the times. some of the more important items that i think we have addressed the i have presided over, i believe, to some degree of success, recommendations that we made on the health care security ordinance. and comments that were made during the hearing of the proposed legislation that was taking into account by the mayor and when it was put forward by supervisor cohen and supervisor david chiu. the first, as i mentioned earlier, the first version that came out would have quite a brutal impact on the small business community. we were very instrumental in getting a version that ultimately passed.

we had a discussion on yellow page legislation, a discussion on fliers, a discussion on pet stores. we saw some problems with that -- what we discussed tonight. also instrumental in opening up a new front, i don't like using military terms, but starting a dialogue to discuss matters matter of mutual concern. these would include items like formula retail. and permit issues. i would recognize, coincidentally, my colleague and fellow nomination, commissioner

dooley is well-versed in these items as well. it is an even situation there. but we also oversaw the logo and branding for the new office of small business. we also dealt with legislation with scott wienreer, just to mention a few. these are all important items, many important different people throughout the city that we have dealt with. in the future, i am looking forward to working with the president and working on the planning code legitimization for eastern neighborhoods. it reopens impact fees.

some people think that is just a development fee. we saw the bowling alley that was an attempt to be started. also, we literally afford to being involved with the proposal for the new charter amendment, giving focus to the small business commission, something that i alluded to earlier, having looked into for quite some time. i pride myself on remembering to remember those that are being overlooked in the very small businesses. they don't maybe know that there is such a thing for a small business commission that arrived here. i pride myself in remembering after everybody has late in -- weighed in, that their voices

are heard. items that are brought to me by the public, it concludes my statement. it is time for commissioner comments. commissioner clyde: i would like to speak about my nomination of commissioner dooley for the coming year. i would like to recognize her work over the last four years of service. commissioner dooley, you have i think single-handedly turned out more people on various issues through your advocacy of the ada, the pet stores, the small pet stores. you'rr organizing with them became a force. who knew that this little group

of pet shop owners could have such a dramatic impact here at city hall? it was your advocacy and leadership with them that brought an entire new constituency into city hall. your work on out reach, i believe your work with commercial corridors again, not just your own the no. waterfront neighborhood, it really qualifies you to go forward. commissioners, i think we need some diversity on the board. i see rotating leadership and it is important. it is a sign of strength. i believe that a stronger commission can take my place, i am stepping off of this commission because i have to for personal reasons, but i am not afraid to step off of this commission. we have to look at broadening our leadership.

it is time that both sides of city hall have representation at the top leadership. i have great respect for commissioner o'brien's service. he brought himself very well, and his advocacy along with the work of every commissioner and the work of the small business community that didn't turn out in force with the very important issues -- when the small business community gets a b and thereby, they turn themselves out just fine. -- gets a bee in their bonnet, they turn themselves out just fine. i have to give the credit to the broader hong small business community and business community there.

from retail, we have not had a business leader at the top, the executive positions, as you would say, is from ground-floor retail. we really need to look at that and we need development in city hall. the liquor lobby is very strong. there is a lot of money there to have that advocacy. little retail stores don't have the same power. they don't have the same resources. they don't have the same organizations. when you look at someone who is basically a citizen that owned a flower business who can do the work and to reach, i have to say, i think going forward, commissioner dooley would be an excellent representative of this

body for vice-president going forward. it pertains particularly when it comes to bridges across the aisle. commissioner riley: commissioner o'brien, you did an excellent job of being the president last year. when i found out they you were interested in continue to serve, i am happy to nominate you. you have very good common sense and you have proactively worked on a lot of legislation issues. i support you. president o'brien: any other commissioner's comments? below open it up for public comment. -- we will open it up for public comment. >> please speak your name clearly and it will be limited

to 3 minutes per person. >> my name is john, i am the former president of the save san francisco coalition. i think i have been there plenty of nights, it is nice to see you. i have had the good fortune of meeting commissioner dooley over a year-and-a-half ago when we were fighting for that expres project that we ultimately lost. we had a fighting chance there. soon after that, we had the monumental battle in front of us. it will abolish two or three pet stores around the area, one of which was mine. if it wasn't for commissioner dooley coming to all the meetings and advising her our

coalition which i am here representing 15 stores. we would not have any kind of a chance to push back any of the biggest threats to come to our business and our neighborhoods that we have seen in quite a long time. in the future, what is happening, there are other huge challenges in front of us and we need a commissioner that is going to be there for the small business, not only in mind but in presence. it was vitally important to have that happen. i think she embodies the spirit of this particular commission which not only benefits the commission, it benefits the city and it benefits the small businesses ub sab -- in san francisco.

if we lose that spirit cannot get boots on the ground, we'll lose the fabric of the city which has made it so popular. for tourists, for the merchant corridors, for the public. it is vitally important that we have a commissioner that does that. her guidance during all of the meetings that we have had with the 15 stores, walking through a minefield of regulations, possibilities, city hall procedures, it would have been completely lost. none of us had the experience that it takes to go through the kind of minefield. with her expertise, with her encouraging comments and encouraging actions to keep me

going as the president, which was invaluable. i truly believe that without her and her boots on the ground, with her coming all the time and guiding us through this was an invaluable lesson to me. [chime] thank you, glad to be in front of you again. >> before the next speaker, there was one letter of public correspondentce. page 11 there is a letter. >> good evening, commissioners. i am here to speak in support kathlen dooley. luke o'brien summed up the best. not a larger scale business.

as current president of the association, i have had the opportunity to work with her on several projects over the years. this includes her being the president of the merchants association. it greatly affect the small businesses and also having current legislation, it was the policy. first of all, also have been served on the committee for a year-and-a-half, it helps coordinate -- i spent the

weekend with her in december. i would like to speak about her attendance. her record is incredible. i need that as advocacy for somewhere in the city. i think it is super important. these are just a couple of examples, i could go on and on. she worked tirelessly where 95% of businesses are registered and considered to be a small business. with the current economic downturn, we have leadership in the small business commission and represent the small businesses. i think balance is extremely important.

the mom-and-pop, the small- business atmosphere. to have someone represent the small business commission. thank you very much. president o'brien: any further public comment? public comment is closed. >> as stated during the instruction phase, i will call each nominee in the order in which they were nominated. we will then take a rollcall vote of yes or no for that nominee. the first nominee to reach a total of four votes will be elected vice president. if no nominee receives the required four votes, it will be up to the commission to hold another round of nominations where new or the same commissioners can be nominated. if the commission desires, a

motion could be made to continue this item to february or a later date with a vote of four or more. i'd want to lay that out. kathleen dooley nominated by janet clyde. commissioner adams: no. commissioner clyde: yes. commissioner dooley: yes. president o'brien: no. commissioner o'connor: yes. commissioner riley: no. >> that's 3-3, it does not pass. on the motion for o'commissionerb -- o'brien. [vote] >> that motion fails 3-3.

>> let me state that the basis we will take comments shortly. -- let me state that the basisi -- -- >> we want to redo the votes, or if the commission wants to continue the matter, a motion needs to be made. a motion needs to be made in terms of giving direction. a motion can be made to do a recall of the nominations and votes.

or a motion can be made to extend the election for the vice presidents to the february meeting. commissioner riley: i would like to move to extend the election to february. commissioner adams: i'll second that. >> i will vote against that motion, i think that we should release him down and while we are sitting here, consider this very carefully. the basis of that, there is not a commissioner that sits here today that has spoken had more meetings at city hall, has taken her time to go and advocate position by position. there is no more fear this person that stood in front of rules, stood in front of land use, stood in front of any other and really told it like it was an advocated for small

business people. i will vote against the motion, thank you. president o'brien: i am not sure now if i am taking comments or a roll call. >> we can take commissioner comments and then do public comment and roll call. president o'brien: commissioner riley, you have spoken. commissioner clyde, hav ye yo u spoken? i will let everybody comment and we will take roll call. commissioner o'connor: so these leadership positions on commissions are sometimes made too big a deal out of. however, they are significant,

and people to like titles, people like to be seen in leadership. i was proud to be president of the commission. i appreciate the work and represented the commission while -- i don't sink it is that big deal. that is the bubble gum statement. the other statement is, we are small business people. real small business people the

open and close their doors of public payroll. pay all these things -- do all these things to open and run a business. that is what the commission was started, that is what it is all about. 98 of them will basically tell you that is correct and mortar, mom-and-pop type businesses. those are the people that by and large are the people that we serve, that we are supposed to serve. once you open your doors, you can't afford to have an ideology. you have to keep paying bills,

and i don't really understand why, you know, the mayor's office doesn't want to put any actual small business people on the commission, they have given up thinking about that. any type of comment or points i have made, it is not personal toward anybody on this commission. you know, the commission that i serve with, they are all great people. really great people. but, you know, increasingly so, i'm more decreasingly involved because i have had my heart broken on this commission. i live and die by small businesses, it is what i do

every day. i don't really care that much about this commission anymore because i don't think it does that much. i think it is sad. we have a commissioner that has been here for several years, and she would like a tidal. she is involved with small business, so the board appointed her. i don't think that it matters -- i am not a moderate or progressive. for anybody to label me a progressive, it is silly if they looked at my voting record. if they label me a moderate, that is silly, too. my views change, i am interested in what makes sense. what is going to work for san francisco and the majority of san franciscans? for the majority of small

businesses? today, we have just seen a mayor who is overwhelmingly, easily elected who could have appointed a moderate to fill the district 5 supervisor's seat. as it affected me personally, i give mayor lee credit for saying that i am not going into this throwing stones and pointing fingers. having said that, i will probably be running for district 5 supervisor in ten months. this is where we are. we have appointed a very significant progressive today. a simple seat as vice president, for multiple years in a row.

honestly, it has become, ". i don't know what is going on behind the scenes, news flash. room 200 doesn't care about this commission. if anything, they want us to be quiet and go away. our job is not to be quiet and go away, our job is to represent people that are struggling to go through the daily chores, making jobs, paying bills, hopefully making some money. i was president two years and a rol - -in -- in a row. because nobody else wanted to do it. i was more than happy to share the ball and pass the ball off.

one-year was enough, it was fun to be president, i didn't need to keep it going. after i dropped off as president, i would want to be vice president for something else, but somebody else wanted to do it. i think it is great that everybody gets their shot at having that title. silly or not silly, beneficial or not beneficial, that is my two cents. commissioner clyde: i am very concerned that the commission, it will be very easy because of this -- can i say it? because this inability to share or -- what i don't understand is with strong communities or strong leadership, the obvious

leadership roles in the committee structure. there is also significant time commitment. i am concerned that both the president and vice-president -- or the structure simply flip flops, the time challenge will be continued. many meetings have been canceled because both commissioners had no time because they both have very significant of full-time jobs and they are simply not available or maybe not interested, i don't know. there have been many missed meetings. i really am confused why the strongest commission can't be formed. i don't believe this is the strongest team, and i believe it will be a much stronger team if we had an actual small business owner on the seat. you know, it is in the

interests of the strongest commission, and frankly, it is easy enough for a majority of the board the marginalize this position. there are two very strong positions for dea lot of work de very few opportunities and very few places for the really small business people to make their voices heraard at city hall. this fear, this reluctance doesn't make for the strongest commission. i find it troubling, frankly. it will be much, much easier to simply marginalize the commission and say, they are really out of touch. they will pick and choose where they come, and obviously

commissioner dooley will continue her work on the commission. i don't think it makes the strongest structure. we fought very hard to have the strongest commissioners in these seats. commissioner brian would not be the best leader for permiting or policy, i think he would be an excellent leadership in those roles, but having someone with experience in both roles is important, and it has to do with the credibility across the city. there are some big questions right now. commissioner dooley: i would like to say commissioner o'brien d