A longtime San Mateo resident and community activist is quietly discussing with city officials his intentions to be named to the City Council if or when Carole Groom is appointed to the county Board of Supervisors.

Rich Hedges said he first discussed the idea with Groom and has since talked to the rest of the council about being appointed to the council if Groom becomes a supervisor. Hedges is active in regional transportation issues, the Central Labor Council and was the founding member of San Mateo NOW, a group that supported the Bay Meadows redevelopment.

“Several people have asked me to step up,” Hedges said. “There is a tremendous need for someone to take on the challenges the city has.”

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.

Hedges wants to focus on the city’s budget, development —only in the transit corridor and close to train stations — and pedestrian safety.

Hedges said he can offer the council a fresh pair of eyes when looking for way to cut the city budget. However, he said he is not sure if cuts are even possible considering the number of cutbacks in recent years.

A strong advocate for the Bay Meadows redevelopment plan, Hedges wants to see development in the city happen within one-quarter mile of train stations. Studies show people leaving within that vicinity of a station are more likely to use mass transit than their cars, he said.

Hedges also said his work with various transportation groups will help the council prepare for high speed rail on the peninsula. That same experience can help the city improve pedestrian safety, he said.

“With high speed rail coming up, you have to plan ahead. The infrastructure we have didn’t appear in one day it took years of planning, saving and spending,” Hedges said.

Hedges moved to San Mateo from Kansas City, Kan. in 1970. He worked as a substitute teacher and attended San Francisco State University where he received a master of arts degree in 1973.

He was employed by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union where he held positions as organizer, negotiator, president of a local union and his last position was as executive assistant to the director of region eight with direct responsibility for Northern California and Hawaii.  He in is now retired but remains active in the Central Labor Council.

He served on the Citizens Advisory Committee for Bay Meadows II and the Transportation Corridor. He serves on the executive board of the United Home Owners Association of Greater San Mateo, the Executive Board of the San Mateo County Central Labor, the Citizens Advisory Committee to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, the Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Elderly and Disabled Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and he is a Board Member of the State of California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.

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