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Gov. Jerry Brown announced the early appointment of former Danville Mayor Candace Andersen to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. Andersen was elected June 5 for a term set to begin in January, but the office was vacated when former Supervisor Gayle Uilkema died May 19.

Although the Board of Supervisors was scheduled to pass a resolution asking the governor to appoint Andersen during its Tuesday meeting, she was sworn in by Contra Costa County Clerk Steve Weir around 9:45 a.m. and immediately took her new seat. All four supervisors spoke very nicely of Andersen and said they looked forward to working with her, noted Danville Vice Mayor Newell Arnerich.

"Were doing to dearly miss Candace from being on the council. She's been a good friend and just a great community leader," Arnerich said.

Andersen, 51, has served as mayor and councilmember for Danville since 2003 and was a councilmember in Morgan Hill from 1993 to 1994. She was an attorney at the Law Offices of Craig J. Bassett from 1988 to 1991 as well as a clerk and deputy prosecuting attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1983 to 1987.

"It's interesting how common the issues are to Danville on a larger scale," Andersen said of her first meeting as supervisor. "I feel very comfortable with what I'm doing, but as I was driving home I thought 'I will really miss being the mayor of Danville and working with the council….I am truly going to miss each one of them.'"

Andersen will keep the District 2 office at 309 Diablo Road in Danville, as well as a satellite office in Contra Costa County Fire District Headquarters in Lafayette. Uilkema also had an office in Martinez that she'd opened when it was part of her district.

"The Martinez office won't be necessary," Andersen told the Express earlier this month. "I'll have access to facilities if I need to meet with someone."

Andersen resigned from her position as mayor on Monday evening. At its July 3 meeting, the Town Council will appoint a new mayor and vice mayor, ostensibly Vice Mayor Arnerich and Councilmember Robert Storer, to finish out the term ending Dec. 4, 2012.

Still, Andersen's appointment leaves a vacancy on the council that cannot be filled until November, said City Attorney Robert Ewing. An appointment of a new councilmember is not possible due to state laws that prohibit a majority appointed council; Storer and Councilmember Karen Stepper were appointed at the end of their previous terms in 2010.

Because a special election would fall at the same time as the already scheduled November election, there is no need to set aside a special election date. The council seat will remain vacant until the November general election and the elected replacement will take office in December.

In the meantime, the remaining councilmembers will divide Andersen's work on regional boards and committees until a new official is elected. Arnerich said he expects the transition to go smoothly, citing the recent completion of Danville's capital expenditure plan.

The position of supervisor does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $97,483. Andersen said several people wrote letters to the governor requesting that she be appointed early and cited Orinda Mayor Steve Glazer, who works closely with the governor, as instrumental in turning Gov. Brown's ear.

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