Francisco Zermeño competes to be re-elected to the council of the city of Hayward.
As a citizen of Hayward and current member of the Hayward political arena, Zermeño said he has seen the need in Hayward and decided to change it.
In 2008, Zermeño was elected city council member for the first time after trying to be elected in 2000 and again in 2004 without success.
Zermeño now competes with eight contenders, namely Barbara Halliday, Olden Henson, Shahla Azimi, Peter Bufete, Ralph Farias Jr., Greg Jones, Fahim Khan and Al Mendall, for the four positions that will be available in a few months.
“I started as a councilmember thinking I was going to just like the work but I realized that I really love what I do,” Zermeño said.
Born in México, Zermeño came to the United States at age 12 with his mother and brothers and has since dedicated his life to prepare academically.
“I wanted to succeed to give a good example and to show others from similar backgrounds that it can be done,” Zermeño said emotionally.
Zermeño said his priorities are to “have a safe city, a clean city, a green city, but we can not have those three things without first ensuring that the economy is a vibrant economy.”
Zermeño, who also has taught Spanish at Chabot Community College for over thirty years, told The Pioneer his objectives are to improve the city of Hayward, to inspire other Latinos to get involved in helping to improve the city and impact the community with his desire and dedication to political service.
Zermeño has not only shown interest in helping his students but has also worked to help small business owners in Hayward.
Oscar Cisneros, owner of “Azteca Your Store” on B Street in Hayward said, “Francisco Zermeño has supported us from the beginning and that’s something we need in this city.”
Zermeno focuses on visiting small businesses in Hayward to see the needs they might have, erasing graffiti around the city, and helping students to stay focused in continue their education.
“I feel very proud that a boy or girl may be inspired by me,” Zermeño said.
Maggie Lawther, a student in one of Zermeño’s Spanish classes, expressed her appreciation for Zermeño as a personal and academic mentor.
“In class he makes us feel like a small family and always comes to class with a good attitude,” Lawther said. “I learned a lot in class because they are interactive and he helps us practice Spanish.”
Zermeño also wants the city of Hayward rise in the classification of “City of Trees” to “Urban Forest,” which he describes will help the city in becoming healthier for its residents.
“We are the fifth largest city in the Bay Area; we are a major city,” Zermeño said.
Zermeño, who is fluent in four languages, has not only studied in the United States, but in Spain, Europe and Mexico.
Although he is Latino, he says he wants to help the general population of Hayward, saying “my mission is to represent everybody,” Zermeño said.
The elections will be held June 5 in the city of Hayward, and if he is re-elected, he says he will continue working for Hayward’s growth and for it to be a place where residents can feel safer.
“I will continue cleaning up the city and focusing on more businesses to come to Hayward to have economic vitality in this city,” Zermeño said.
