Council Corner: Summer Concerts and a Tribute

By Vice Mayor Art Kiesel

This is my first Council Corner since the 4th of July.

With financial support from the City for both the 4th of July fireworks and the Summer Concerts being one of many potential budget cuts, I looked at each of these events with a very objective perspective. The fireworks display this year ran for over 20 minutes and as usual, Leo Ryan Park was filled with those who wanted to enjoy the show. Judging by the traffic leaving the City after the fireworks, there were a great many people in attendance – indicating that many were from out-of-town. There is no doubt that the Foster City fireworks display is a must-see event and we are the only show for miles in any direction.

The Summer Concerts continue to be a great success and are well attended. You find a picnic-like atmosphere and find people enjoying themselves before, during, and after the entertainment. It is an enjoyable sight to see the children dancing to the music in front of the stage area.

There are fundraising efforts to help defray the costs of these events. On the 4th of July, the Lions Club initiated a $10 charge for parking in the Parkside Towers garage, raising over $14,000 this year. When it was explained to the drivers that all the money collected from the parking fee was going to offset the cost of the fireworks, people were eager to pay their way. At the Summer Concerts, a voluntary collection has been made and has raised over $5,000 thus far with one concert remaining.

Whether or not we are able to continue these events remains to be seen. I, for one, would like to see these types of community events continue, but economic conditions, unemployment and a possible double-dip recession may say otherwise.


My Tribute to Ron Cox

On July 9 of this year, Foster City lost someone it should be very proud of and whose loss will be sorely missed – Ron Cox. If you look up "volunteer" in the dictionary, you will find definitions like “one who enters into or offers himself for a service of his own free will” and “a person who renders aid, performs a service, or assumes an obligation of their own free will." Both definitions fit Ron very well.

If you asked Ron to help with some project, either by rebuilding the stage in the meadow of Leo Ryan Park or barbecue some hot dogs or hamburgers, he made himself available. Ron thoroughly enjoyed cooking hot dogs and drooled at the opportunities when asked to cook them.

Ron had a passion for youth sports, and promoted and personally supported their activities.

Each year you would see him at Sea Cloud Park cooking hot dogs for the annual Hit-a-Thon and Kick-a-Thon events. At each of these events, he reached some level of disappointment when the hot dog count did not reach 2,400. I think he measured his success by the number of hot dogs we cooked.

Ron was a very active member of the Foster City Lions Club and served as chairman of the 4th of July Committee. Although Ron’s health was failing, he worked all day on the 4th this year; you could not keep him away.

Ron was a deep, caring person for family values and traditions. He loved Foster City so much that his personalized license plate read “I love (in the form of a heart) FC CA” He served on the Park and Recreation Committee for several years, then on the Planning Commission, the City Council and, after he was termed-out, he went back to the Planning Commission. While on the City Council, he served as liaison to both the Planning Commission and Park and Recreation Committee.

Ron got me heavily involved in the City by encouraging me to apply to the Planning Commission. Running for the City Council was my idea – with his blessing.

Ron lived his life on his terms and departed on his terms – we should all be so lucky. Ron will be sincerely missed, as he was part of the fabric of Foster City - a city and community that he loved so dearly.

I would appreciate your comments on this and other issues by emailing me at akiesel@fostercity.org.