Council directs staff to follow artist-selection process after commission recommends different Posey Park sculpture

San Bruno — At a Feb. 10 meeting, city staff briefed the City Council on a months‑long artist selection for a Posey Park sculpture and the council unanimously directed staff to follow the advertised evaluation process rather than override numerical scoring.

Tim Wallace, community services superintendent and staff liaison to the Culture & Arts Commission, told the council the city received 40 qualified submissions after an August 2025 call to artists. A review committee narrowed those to a top 10 and scored each proposal on artistic merit, technical quality, site appropriateness and artist qualifications. Wallace said the public survey produced 542 responses—462 from San Bruno residents—and that the review committee and survey results were combined to create an overall ranking. By combined score, Wallace said, Maxwell MK’s Pulsive Connection finished first, while Solomon Bassoff’s Endangered Butterflies of San Bruno finished third.

"While the call to artists focused on the scoring process and directed the commission to consider the review committee's recommendation and survey results, it did not explicitly require the commission to recommend the top‑scoring proposal," Wallace said, noting a divergence between numerical results and the Culture & Arts Commission’s eventual recommendation.

Artist Solomon Bassoff, who spoke during public comment, described his proposal as three iridescent mosaic butterflies intended to highlight local endangered species and to serve as a colorful gateway to downtown. Bassoff said the mosaics would be designed to minimize climability and highlighted the safety and visual qualities of the proposed glass tiles.

Council members debated whether to follow the quantitative scoring or the commission’s recommendation. "Art is subjective by its very nature," Council member Hamilton said, arguing the council should respect the process used to evaluate proposals: "We have the process. Everybody knew what the process was." Several colleagues, including Council member Salazar and Vice Mayor Alvarez, expressed concerns about weighing public input, distinctiveness and construction details, and asked for price and timeline information before a final decision.

Mayor Rico Medina summarized council direction: "Follow the process," and the council confirmed by consensus (5–0) that staff should return with the top‑scoring options, including cost estimates, schedule and safety details, for a decision at a later meeting.

What happens next: Staff will return with price and timeline information for the top proposals and any cost, safety and site‑compatibility clarifications requested by the council. The council’s direction was procedural rather than a final award of the commission‑recommended design.