Candidate for
Member, Board of Supervisors; County of San Mateo; District 3

Richard Gordon was first elected to fill a vacancy on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in April of 1997. He was re-elected to his first full-term on the Board of Supervisors in 1998.

As a County Supervisor, Richard Gordon has worked to achieve government accountability by leading in the development of the County's outcome based budgeting. As a member of the County's Transportation Authority, he worked with Alameda and Santa Clara Counties to secure tax dollars to re-build the Dumbarton rail crossing. Supervisor Gordon was instrumental in the formation of the County's Library Joint Powers Agreement and he was the co-author of the County's afterschool homework center program.

Prior to his election to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Rich Gordon was a member of the County Board of Education. He was first elected to this Board in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996. From 1995 to 1997, Rich Gordon served as Vice President of the County Board of Education.

Rich Gordon received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 from the University of Southern California where he majored in Sociology. Supervisor Gordon served as a minister in the United Methodist Church and received his Masters of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in 1973.

In 1976, Rich Gordon began work in the nonprofit sector in San Mateo County. Originally with the YMCA and later with Youth and Family Assistance, Supervisor Gordon created some of the most innovative social programs for at-risk youth including Daybreak, the first suburban shelter for homeless youth in the country, and MiMe's Cafe. A public-private partnership, MiMe's Cafe is a full service restaurant in downtown Redwood City where the unemployed and homeless train for careers in culinary arts.

Since his election to the Board of Supervisors, Richard Gordon has represented the County on various Boards and Commissions. He currently serves on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Children and Families First Commission, the Transportation Authority, and the Health Plan of San Mateo. Supervisor Gordon is a member and current chair of the Local Agency Formation Commission and the San Mateo County Emergency Services Council.

Rich Gordon has been active with the Redwood City/San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce since 1991. During 1998, he served as Chairman of the Chamber's Board of Directors.

Supervisor Gordon is a third generation Californian - having been born and raised in San Mateo County. He currently resides in an unincorporated neighborhood in Menlo Park with his domestic partner of 19 years, Dr. Dennis McShane.