San Mateo resident David Lim is wasting no time letting the community know he is the first official candidate for City Council — whether by appointment to Carole Groom’s potentially vacant seat or in November’s election.

Lim is a Beresford/Hillsdale neighborhood resident with a wife and twin daughters. He works as a deputy district attorney for Alemeda County and has four years experience on the San Mateo Community Relations Commission. He supports public safety and smart growth, especially in the city’s south end.

Why announce his intent to file almost a year before election? Two reasons, said Lim. He wants to ensure himself a chance to be appointed to a vacant seat if Councilwoman Carole Groom is named to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors early next year. He also wants to give the community ample time to get to know him if or when he runs in November.

“I do need to go out there and let people know what I’ve done over the last five years or they’ll think I just came out of blue,” Lim said.

Lim is already meeting with city officials and community homeowners’ associations.

Three seats currently held by Groom, Jan Epstein and Brandt Grotte are up for re-election in November. Groom is a strong candidate to replace newly-elected Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, on the Board of Supervisors. The board will decide later this month whether to appoint someone to Hill’s vacant seat or call for a special election. The seat’s term expires in Jan 2011.

The board’s decision will likely have a ripple affect in San Mateo if Groom is chosen. The council could appoint someone to the seat until the November election and that person will have the advantage of running as an incumbent.

In 2000, the council appointed Groom to the seat left vacant by the death of councilman Gary Yates. By doing so, the council avoided a costly special election.

Lim said he is speaking with council members so they may consider him for the appointment. Otherwise, he is considering running for Epstein’s seat in November. She will be termed out next year after 12 years on the council. Grotte, in his first term, is expected to run for re-election.

As a member of the Community Relations Commission, Lim has overseen the distribution of approximately $5 million of community grants to local nonprofits. The commission goes relatively unnoticed and does not get the same recognition as other commissions, like planning and parks and recreation, Lim said.

Lim said he never intended to run for council when applying for the commission position in 2004. He also said he would not consider running for council if it were not for the pending vacancies. He thinks the council is doing a fine job, he said.

He considers himself a smart growth candidate who agrees with transit corridor development and wants to see areas in the southern end of the city redeveloped.

“I’ve never subscribed to the belief that reasonable business growth is mutually exclusive from maintaining neighborhood character,” Lim said. “If you don’t manage it, it will happen with or without you as rampant unchecked growth ... or you’ll just have decay.”

Lim knows the city is filled with vocal opponents of growth and is willing to speak at length with anyone willing to listen to his opinion, which cannot “be put into a sound bite,” he said.

Lim believes his position as a deputy district attorney will lend a unique view to public safety issues facing the city. With economic challenges expected in the coming year, the city will be forced to consider budget cuts and Lim wants to make sure nothing is done to debilitate the police or fire departments, he said.

He also wants to maintain focus on graffiti abatement and neighborhood traffic issues.

For more information about David Lim and his campaign visit www.vote

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. .