Ed Lee: Timeline of a Turnaround
Interim San Francisco mayor's shift from reluctant appointee to likely candidate
In just over six months, interim San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has gone from a reluctant appointee who described himself as "not a politician" to a likely candidate who threatens to overshadow most of the declared mayoral contenders.
Here's a look at the shift in Lee's tone over time:
A Reluctant Ed Lee Is Thrust into the Spotlight
Jan. 3: A last-minute, behind-the-scenes push by Chinatown power broker Rose Pak, former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. and Mayor Gavin Newsom convinces a reluctant Ed Lee, then the city administrator, to consider serving as mayor, and secures the support of several supervisors. Lee's primary concern is that he be allowed to return to his previous job after leaving the mayor's office. Full story.
Political Fireworks as Lee Wins a Majority
Jan. 4: Lee gains the support of the majority of the Board of Supervisors after a closed-door meeting between holdout Supervisor Bevan Dufty and Mayor Gavin Newsom. Progressive Supervisor Chris Daly calls the maneuver “the biggest fumble in the history of San Francisco progressive politics” before famously declaring, “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” Full story.
Swearing-In Ceremony
Jan. 11: Lee is sworn in as San Francisco's first Chinese-American mayor.
The Speculation Begins
Jan. 20: Barely a week after Lee takes office, the Chronicle's C.W. Nevius writes: "Lee may be the interim, but don't kid yourself. There are people right now who are asking him if he'd like to make a run for the office in November."
An Emphatic Denial
Feb. 9: Lee tells the San Francisco Examiner he is "solidly in the ‘no’ column on running.”
'My Goal Is to Restore the Trust'
Feb. 15: Lee tells a room full of Bay Citizen reporters and editors definitively that he won't run. "Part of my goal in this year is to restore the trust" that people used to have in the mayor's office, he said. "That, to me, is the foundation of trust-building with the public. You promise something, or you indicate there’s something that we should be doing and you support it — you carry it out." Full story.
A Committee Is Formed
May 16: The Progress for All committee, the group behind the "Run, Ed, Run" campaign, files its first paperwork with the city's Ethics Commission.
Signature Gathering Begins
May 18: The Bay Citizen reports that former San Francisco supervisors have begun gathering signatures and raising money to push Lee to run. Full story.
A Campaign without a Candidate
June: The "Run, Ed, Run" campaign launches a website and qualifies as an official committee. The campaign's headquarters open on Mission Street June 24. Lee still gives no sign of planning to run. Full story.
Questions about Financing
June 24: A San Francisco Examiner article explores potential problems surrounding the Progress for All committee's fundraising activities. Former Supervisor Chris Daly tells The Bay Citizen that Lee's supporters have "found possibly the biggest loophole in campaign finance laws having Ed Lee play the reluctant candidate."
Big Spending
July 19: The "Run, Ed, Run" campaign's lawyers send a letter to the Ethics Commission detailing nearly $60,000 in expenditures from June 4 through July 19.
A Shift in Tone
July 21: For the first time, Lee declines to rule out a run for mayor, telling the San Francisco Chronicle that he has been involved in "interesting discussions about the future of the city." Meanwhile, organizers say they have gathered 30,000 signatures in support of the "Run, Ed, Run" campaign.
Four More Years?
July 26: Lee says he has talked with his wife and daughters about the possibility of spending four more years in the mayor's office. "They've also been asking how I feel, if I'm healthy, and when I'm going to play another round of golf," he said. Full story.
Feelings of Betrayal
July 28: Lee's apparent shift sends shockwaves through the campaigns of some of the declared candidates. “We hope that he’d be a man of his word and a man of integrity,” board President David Chiu tells The Bay Citizen. Full story.
Deadline for a Declaration
Aug. 12: The deadline for Lee to file papers to enter the race.
Related
Mattia Nuzzo
I hope he runs and wins. The past seven months have been wonderfully free of the aggressive politics that plagued Gavin's administration. Now they're starting back up again, and it's terrible to see. Ed Lee has proven himself in the role of mayor, and I'd like to see him to stick around. I want him to run, and I want him to have the opportunity to do so without fear of reprisal. If the public chooses to vote against him, so be it, but it shouldn't be because he offers to stay on a job he's clearly good at. The Twitter deal, planning for the America's Cup, helping get Reiskin in; these are big issues for our city's future, and they were all handled beautifully -- and drama-free. Can we keep it that way?
Stitch_94133
I think that's the real fear, that Ed Lee has been drama free and non-political.
If he runs then Ed Lee just become another politician, catering to those who got him there.
Robert Bakewell
If it's upsetting tea party-ish progressives - then maybe its a good thing.
Rob Anderson
I'm a conservative Democrat and I think he looks like a liar.
h. brown
Great letter to editor in Chron,
This guy has a great idea that helps Ed Lee keep his Mister Clean image and still run for Mayor.
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Subject: Hennessey for new Interim Mayor?
From: "h. brown" <h@ludd.net>
Date: Sat, July 30, 2011 8:05 am
To: h@ludd.net
Priority: Normal
Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as a file | View Message Details
boys and girls,
An SF ophthalmologist has a letter in the
editorial section of the Chron today which, I
believe, presents the perfect solution to the
dilemma in which Ed Lee finds himself.
Put succinctly, Dr. Craig H. Kliger suggests
that:
"In any event, while I won't say he can't change
his mind, because circumstances have evolved, if
he truly believes he should run, I don't believe
he can do so credibly if he doesn't resign the
mayorship and forfeit any guarantee he may have
to the city administrator post first.
By doing so he would not only express his confidence
in securing the people's blessing but also not have
an unfair advantage over other candidates based
on perceived misrepresentation."
I like the way this boy thinks.
And, for a chaos freak such as myself, this just
tosses more cherry bombs into the chuck full SF
political toilet.
Then, we get a new 'Interim' mayor and who, pray
tell will that be?
I think Mike Hennessey makes sense.
Then he can choose his own replacement as Sheriff..
Ah, the mind boggles.
Giants at 10am?!?
Great game last night.
MVP w/game winning hit ... Edgar Renteria!
(Is this an echo of last Fall?)
h.
Delete & Prev | Delete & Next
Move to:
Rob Anderson
Lee is the ultimate "family" candidate. He represents the City Hall consensus on every important issue facing us. That would be fine if that consensus wasn't so awful for the city on those issues, from the traffic-snarling, anti-car policies, to the Central Subway boondoggle, to the alarming Treasure Island and Parkmerced projects, etc. Lee can be trusted to continue these destructive transportation and planning policies.
And his cheesy smile and Shiklgruber moustache are already getting old.
Greg Dewar
Ed Lee will not necessarily "overshadow" the other contenders, and it's insulting for the writer to say so. Then again, most of the press has been acting as unpaid PR hacks for the Temp Mayor, so it's not surprising.
A pity instead we don't give him the same thorough examination other electeds who have served the public for years (Yee, Herrera, etc) have received over and over again. Recology contract? FBI Investigation? Shady fundraising?
I realize most of these predate the arrival of many in our press corps but they did happen and you really need to look at them more closely.
Kim
If he wants to run then resign now and run with the rest of them.
The whole thing stinks!