Firefighters Stand Behind Gina Papan in Supervisor Race

Local public safety and government officials endorsed Gina Papan during a Monday morning event at International Association of Firefighters Local 2400 headquarters in San Mateo, giving her a boost in the race for San Mateo County supervisor.

Supporters gathered at the Local 2400 building on S. Amphlett Boulevard in support of Papan in the May 3 election, which will be decided by . The five other candidates include three current elected officials -- Terry Nagel, mayor of Burlingame; Dave Pine, a San Mateo Union High School District trustee; and Richard Holober, a San Mateo County College District trustee -- as well as Demetrios Nikas and Michael Stogner. Hopefuls still have until April 19 to file nomination papers.

But many first-responders seemed especially supportive of Papan, who served as California Deputy Attorney General for 17 years.

“I can think of no other candidate who is better qualified to work with the county and the state,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks.

Raised in San Mateo County, Papan was mayor of Millbrae in 2008. She says it is her experience that differentiates her from the other candidates.

“We need to put people to work and make the budget sustainable,” she said. 

Papan admits the difficulty in preserving social services while struggling with tough financial times, but believed her background would facilitate public employees to make concessions.

“She spearheaded programs that share police and fire chiefs between cities, saving valuable resources while maintaining the same response times,” said San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane in a statement.

In addition to service consolidation, she also suggested the county fully utilize its assets to increase revenue, like capitalizing on the several public properties that she says are currently underused.

More on her platform can be found at www.ginapapan.com. More on all the candidates in the May 3 race for supervisor can be found at www.smartvoter.org.