Good morning, it’s Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Eighteen years ago today, as White House physicians looked on, George W. Bush pulled up the sleeve of his shirt so an immunization technician from Walter Reed Army Medical Center could administer an injection in the president’s left arm.
At his own direction, Bush was being inoculated against smallpox, a dreaded scourge that over the previous two millennia had killed tens of millions of people. In one sense, Bush was doing what a good commander-in-chief should do: lead from the front. The previous week, he had announced that the Pentagon would administer the smallpox vaccine to 500,000 military personnel in “high-risk” areas, and that it would be made available to willing front-line health care workers.
Since some local jurisdictions, both large and small, have changed from at-large to district elections, often as a result of a legal challenge, there has been a steep price to pay. The loss of several outstanding officials who still had much to offer. Hereâs a recent list: Shelly Masur, Redwood City councilwoman, former elementary school board member, candidate for the State Senate. Redwood Cityâs new method of electing its council meant Masur ended up in the same new district as fellow councilwoman, Giselle Hale, who still has several years before her term is up unlike Masur whose term was up this year. In Menlo Park, Kirsten Keith, a major player in county affairs, lost her seat when the city changed to district elections. On the San Mateo County Community College Board of Trustees, the late Tom Mohr lost his seat to Richard Holober when the two were placed in the same district. Two years later, Dave Mandelkern, who brought a business perspective to the board, lost to col