Wanted: A San Mateo County Supervisor

Non-Approved Candidates Need Not Apply

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has released its application for candidates interested in replacing former supervisor and now Assemblyman Jerry Hill on the county board. The application, according to an article in the San Mateo County Times, is the first step in a process adopted by the four remaining supervisors to appoint a replacement for Hill in lieu of calling a special election.

Under the plan approved by the board, any and all candidates must submit an application for the board members to consider. On Dec. 9, the board will hold a public hearing for input on possible appointment criteria. Candidates would offer a 15-minute public presentation Monday, Dec. 15 followed by 10 minutes of public testimony on each applicant’s behalf. The public hearings could be mediated by either the League of Women Voters or another third party. The following day, Dec. 16, the Board of Supervisors would either appoint one of the candidates or set a date for a special election.

The application released today asks only for a brief description of past service in elective office, local service work, educational background and work history. The simple application belies the intense political process that the board will undertake as the decision to appoint Hill’s replacement has touched off a chorus of criticism from local activists, orgaizations and other local elected officials who have decried the anti-democratic approach.

Opposition has arisen from such organizations such as the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan, San Mateo Union High School District Trustee Dave Pine as well as the Daily Journal, Daily News Columnist Bill Paul and the San Mateo County Times.

The names of several potential candidates including San Mateo Mayor Carole Groom, San Mateo County Board of Education member Rod Hsiao and former clerk to the Board of Supervisors Ric Silver have been bandied about as potential contenders but in the end the public will have very little input on selecting the fifth member of the Board of Supervisors.

Local citizens interested in applying can fill out the questionnaire and run the gauntlet of the appointment process but it is likely that the board members already have an idea who the next supervisor will be.