With less than four days for county supervisor hopefuls to return an application, the public is asked to tell the Board of Supervisors what criteria it should use to appoint a replacement for the now-state Assemblyman Jerry Hill’s vacant seat.

Applications were made available Dec. 1 and are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will hear from the public what guidelines it thinks should be used to pick Hill’s successor. The board is currently scheduled to hold public presentations from each applicant next Monday followed by either an appointment Dec. 16 or a call to instead hold a special election.

The criteria will include but isn’t limited to “the qualities and experience that are appropriate for the position,” County Counsel Mike Murphy stated in a staff memo.

No other suggestions or recommendations were included.

As of Friday, one only application from a Belmont resident had been returned to the county, according to spokesman Marshall Wilson.

A handful of other possibilities, such as San Mateo Councilwoman Carole Groom, have also been rumored but none has returned an application yet.

While the county will release the names of applicants on a daily basis as they are returned, no further information will be given until after the deadline to insure no one has an unfair advantage.

Hill resigned his position Nov. 30 after winning the Nov. 4 election for the 19th District state Assembly seat. He was sworn into office Dec. 1.

District Two, the San Mateo County jurisdiction previously represented by Hill, includes portions of San Mateo, Belmont and Foster City.

If the board opts for a potentially $1.6 million special election rather than an appointment, possible election dates include March 3,  according to Murphy.

Both Republic and Democratic groups have called for an election, noting that appointments typically stretch into multiple terms on the board, but supervisors have previously leaned toward sparing the county the hefty price tag.

The Board of Supervisors meets 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 in Board Chambers, 400 County Government Center, Redwood City.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.