Rob Silano, a director of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and a resident of the Suburban Park neighborhood, has taken the first steps to launch a recall campaign to oust Menlo Park City Councilman and Mayor Drew Combs.
Silano and others in Suburban Park have opposed the development of teacher housing on the former site of Flood School at 320 Sheridan Drive.
Specifically, Silano wants a second full access to the development, and Combs opposes it.
“The developer has committed to an emergency second access, and the project complies with applicable fire and building codes and has been reviewed by the Fire Marshal,” Combs wrote in his email newsletter to constituents. “I have been open to discussing a full second access, but have been skeptical of this option in part because it would require the creation of a new street. To be frank, a full second access seems to be a disingenuous effort to have the future residents of this project mostly access it through the Flood Triangle neighborhood instead of the Suburban Park neighborhood.”
In 2023, Menlo Park voters indicated they supported housing on the Flood School site when they defeated Measure V that would have blocked the project.
“This current recall attempt appears to be the latest effort by some who have a disappointingly myopic view of our community and who should be included in it,” Combs said in his newsletter. “I look forward to the discussion of my record as a member of the City Council that will occur in the weeks and months ahead. I also look forward to demonstrating to my two children that leadership, at its best, has to be about being grounded in core values such as inclusion, empathy and fairness.”
Silano explained his reasons for the recall in what Combs said was a confusing email he received on Friday.
Silano, a member of the five-person board that runs the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, claims the second access point is an issue of fire safety.
“I cannot stand by while my home and so many other homes are put in peril due to government incompetence,” Silano wrote in his email to Combs. “Suburban Park will not become a burnt down Malibu while I’m alive. In our hearts we understand the need for low income housing however it cannot rise above the commitment to ensure safety to our residents and first responders responding to emergencies.”
Combs was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. His term expires in 2026. Silano has been on the fire board since 2011. He and Virginia Chang Kiraly were re-elected in November without opposition.
Well I was not a fan of this development in the first place the voters have been the park chose not to allow the residents of suburban Park to block the development. Therefore it is moving forward. Silano seems to be upset that there is no support for a second entrance which is essentially just people in Suburban Park trying to push the problem on to another neighborhood. If this is what he thinks is worthy of a recall maybe one should be started against him.
My bad voice typing Kept getting the name wrong
Silano is a Bozo. Drew has nothing to worry about.
IW your real name AF, why are your hiding behind a computer screen?
It’starting with lightning speed after Combs equivocated on the Downtown High Density Low Income Housing Plan RFQ playing politics and joining the other council members to make the Yes vote unanimous.
Nash, the driver of this whole unconscionable Downtown High Density Affordable Housing Project since 2022, and newbie “unopposed” renter, recent MP arrival, J. Wise, running point for Nash, are soon to be next…
Long time Menlo residents, downtown merchants and business owners, downtown building owners are outraged by Jan. 14 oblivious unanimous vote for this fiasco.
Stay tuned!
And those outraged long time Menlo voters will join to oust Combs, even if not in his Dist. 2, and roll Nash and Wise into the mix.
I agree. This issue isn’t just about affordable housing for teachers or the second access point. As a long-time District 2 resident, I believe Combs, along with other ideologically driven city council members, has blindsided the community by supporting the Downtown High-Density Low-Income Housing Plan. This is the main reason I support removing him. There are far better and more suitable locations in Menlo Park for building affordable housing. There’s no need to drastically reshape Downtown Menlo Park and harm small businesses in the process. It’s time for him to go.
As a career public safety official myself, I feel Dir. Silano is 100% correct when outlining the need for a dedicated second entrance and not just an “emergency second access.” Fires, floods, earthquakes, hazmat events requiring immediate evacuations and law enforcement contingencies are all potential risks. The council needs to have a broader view of the project, particularly the benefits and safety of the community overall.
If you’ve ever worked with Silano you know he’s a buffoon. He never knows what he is talking about, but he likes to talk as if he’s an expert. He is constantly embarrassed at fire board meetings by his ignorance.
And he doesn’t know what he’s talking about on this issue either. There is support for a second emergency fire entrance but there is not support for shifting the primary entrance from Suburban Park to flood triangle. That seems to be what the buffoon wants, NIMBY. They tried to get the residents in Menlo Park to support them and that ballot measure failed, this is just another attempt and a much less rational one.
He sits on the Fire District board, this project would need to be approved by them to meet fire safety standards. Therefore they have a say in a second access fire vehicles. Why doesn’t he convince the board that they require a second entrance? probably because he can’t force that second entrance to be the primary entrance to the development shifting most traffic from Suburban Park to flood triangle and that’s what he seems to be upset about.
He’s not a doctor
Silano doesn’t want the school teachers who will occupy these apartments to drive down his street. This is simply the latest in his attempt to keep them out of his neighborhood. It’s disgusting.
And you know this how? Rob and I live near teachers and we love all of our neighbors. BTW, use your break bmw in posts.
Rob, now you’re calling yourself Katrina? Anyway, well said.
What is the value of those surrounding neighborhoods, hundred of millions? If they do burn down due to the bottle neck of the narrow street that the city has now been put on notice for, Menlo Park is gone as a city, poof. Hundred of millions in liability exposure, is the city attorneys office asleep? I would probably listen to the person with years of public safety experience not low level politicians that at best maybe have responded to a grocery store late night for a quick gallon of milk.
The fire chief and fire marshal (actual experts) told Silano in their December 17 meeting that this development actually exceeded the district’s standards for fire safety and they had no concerns about their ability to respond to any emergency. This is not about emergency response or safety – it’s about Silano wanting to divert traffic from his neighborhood. It’s shocking that Silano has continued his fear-mongering, and borderline corrupt that he is attempting to leverage his role as fire director in this way. Perhaps we should be discussing a different recall.
Silano is erring on the side of caution. Should an emergency occur, certainly two entrances/exits instead of one would be more desirable. Silano is a public safety expert. Perhaps it’s his conscious based on his experience that motivates him. I agree with Silano, why not two…
Thank you Rob.
Pete and MH, give Silano a well deserved break on your groundless public forum belittlement. See that he lives on the long way around access to the Sheridan teacher/staff housing site. And he likely is on a blind curve that is a car/cyclist/pedestrian safety concern.
Do a Google map Point A to B and he isn’t the preferred route for future Ravenswood teacher staff route. It’s Greenwood, southern Hedge to Sheridan, a much more driver friendly and safer route. Think of the Ravenswood provided shuttles for residents to get to the Ravenswood campuses and maintenance facilities.
Check his CV with yours, and then understand Rob has a passionate career based public service and safety record that makes you online troll critics out of bounds. And more..
Sure, but if you dream of knowing better, then post your CV credentials and run for a Fire Board seat in the the next election.
“Check his CV” — that’s a fair question. What exactly did Rob do before retiring in Menlo Park? He says he was a police detective in Miami, but I know a longtime Miami-Dade police employee who never heard of Rob. If you ask Rob about his past, he’s evasive. So let’s see his CV. That should be interesting.
Sorry Pete, here are the facts. Rob was a Maiami, Florida police officer (riding motors) and then a special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. He’s a dedicated public safety subject matter expert.
His campaign website has a photoshopped phot of him accepting an award… probably doesn’t help his CV much
Rob was not at Miami-Dade, get your facts straight Pete…is that your real name? Federal agents don’t relay a lot about their pasts because have TS clearance and so under cover work. You don’t know what these guys go through, especially Barbara’s. Perhaps a thank you to Rob is called for his service for over 30 years, both domestic and internationally. Look at his LinkedIn, which barely touches upon what he has done for our country.
You’re not going to get his CV because he’ll deflect the question, claiming he was once a DEA agent and therefore everything in his past has to be kept secret. When he told me that, I laughed because I knew that was a lie. But he sees himself as some sort of James Bond figure. From what I’ve seen, he’s closer to Inspector Clouseau or Maxwell Smart.
Hi Kit
Please post his address so we can do that comparison and back you up on your statement
Drew Combs is one of the few actual grownups on MPCC
Silano was in fact a Miami police officer, I don’t know about being a detective but did ride motors for awhile. He then went on to be a special agent with the federal DEA.
I don’t understand why, if you’re dropping a dense housing project between two neighborhoods, those neighborhoods shouldn’t share access. It’s just the city council being petty and punitive for Measure V. In Suburban Par there are only 2 streets to access Bay Road. Adding a second entrance increases that access to Bay Road to a dozen different streets. There’s simply no reason not to build a second access.
It’s not like council can just wave a wand and build an exit – it’s not their land. You want to put the project on hold for two years while Caltrans charges someone (who? you?) a lot of money to study whether they should allow it? Maybe so. But this is how affordable housing becomes unaffordable.
As someone without any expertise in safety or emergencies, the only quesrion I have is WHY NOT, err on the side of caution and go beyond the standard with a second entrance/exit? If something happens and having only one, as required, results in loss of life that otherwise would’ve been prevented with two, then isn’t Silano correct in his assessment?!
Silano hasn’t been a leader on the Fire Board since Carpenter made him his second. Rob has been eclipsed by the other members of the board and would do well to assume a leadership role in his own office instead of pretending
Why don’t reporters fact check before printing lies about someone? Did you check if any paperwork was filed for a recall? No, nothing has been filed. Stop playing the childhood game of “telephone”.
Hi Rob. Thank you for your thoughts.