Ed Lee Mayor Race: Acting San Francisco Mayor Changes Mind, Will Seek Full Term

After much rumored anticipation, Mayor Ed Lee announced Monday that he is running for mayor in November's election.

"I've changed my mind," Lee told The San Francisco Chronicle. "I know it might be hard for people to understand that change...but my change of mind in seeking this office has everything to do with wanting what's best for this city." Lee officially listed himself as a candidate at the Department of Elections at 9am on Monday morning.

Lee was appointed interim mayor by the Board of Supervisors in January to serve out the remainder of former mayor Gavin Newsom's term when Newsom was elected Lieutenant Governor. At the time, Lee's disinterest in running for mayor in November was considered a keystone in his selection as Newsom's replacement.

Opponents like Leland Yee have expressed outrage at the change, claiming that Lee has "broken a promise." Earlier rumors of his possibly candidacy created sharp divides in the San Francisco political scene.

But after seven months in office and a community-organized guerilla campaign titled "Run Ed Run," Lee will indeed be on the ballot.

Upon hearing the news, former supervisor Chris Daly organized a small protest outside of City Hall on Monday while Lee formalized his paperwork, according to SF Weekly. "Ed Lee never 'changed his mind.'" Daly wrote. "Rose [Pak] and Willie [Brown] have had him running since the beginning. Ed Lee is a liar and should be greeted as such. Our first opportunity will be this morning as Ed Lee pulls papers to run for Mayor."

Wasting no time, Lee also announced that he would participate in Monday night's forum at the Castro Theatre. "I'm jumping right in," Lee told The Chronicle. "I'm not taking anything for granted just because I'm mayor."

For Lee supporters, Monday's celebrations marked the end of a long road of encouragement, and the beginning of a serious campaign. And for Lee opponents, Monday was the day when all suspicions were confirmed.

Comments

[Miller-Time]

10:25 AM on 08/15/2011

Want to know about Ed Lee: He is in bed with the most corrupt players in City Hall. His intention to run was always there but kept us at bay until the end and until deals were struck behind closed doors. http://www.citireport.com/2011/08/ed-lee-freight-train-or-train-wreck/

[econ1]

12:25 PM on 08/09/2011

A politician saying one thing and doing something else...if you can't get over that then you won't be able to vote for anybody.

[Seacliff]

05:35 AM on 08/09/2011

A politician changes his mind? There's a new one.

[sfbbmom]

11:07 PM on 08/08/2011

People change their minds every day. What is the big deal?? Personally I favor Leland Yee, but I do not oppose Lee because he changed his mind. Get real, people.

[corwin]

06:43 PM on 08/08/2011

Diffidently, I want to be the first to point out ,SF beats LA for the highest % of jobs lost 2001-2010 in the country.(Except for Detroit,which doesn't count. ) Source.City/Joel Kotkin. Now,most HP readers practice avoidance,not denial, but what do the readers feel is the path of the city i the next 5 years?

[sfbbmom]

11:08 PM on 08/08/2011

And this relates to Lee how?

[Mr Bad Example]

06:20 PM on 08/08/2011

What's interesting here is that his opponents can't really focus on Lee, because he's gotten the job done...instead, they focus on two of the most savvy politicos in SF, Willie Brown and Rose Pak...completely ignoring history, which says that the two of them have forgotten more about SF politics than all these other hac...people will ever know.

And as an observer 100 miles up the road, I've got to say that compared to the alternatives, if i was voting in the city, I'd rank the man first-he seems to keep in mind that he is a trustee of the public, not a minor deity, unlike some politicians in SF.

I do like Chris Daly running his mouth again, though...we've needed some entertainment from him for a while.

[laflamablanca57]

05:53 PM on 08/08/2011

one of the last places a liberal can win an election

[ObamAtomic]

08:40 PM on 08/08/2011

Tell about Wisconsin ,I bet after tomorrow you will gulping Tea non stop.

Jose La flama blanca ? Where are those flames?

[Totto]

03:55 PM on 08/08/2011

Clang. clang, clang goes the MUNI. Ding, dong, ding goes the City.

[victorvelasco]

03:11 PM on 08/08/2011

If they can pull it off, this will be the greatest triumph of Rose and Willie; one last big payday for them and their friends. Getting around the ranked choice balloting has to make it interesting and challenging for two of the savviest politicos we've ever seen; who will align with whom? who'll get screwed? who really has the power? This race will make a typical season of "Survivor" look like a Girl Scout cookie drive.

[WHTrout]

01:00 PM on 08/08/2011

There are only two reasons Ed Lee should not be elected mayor.
1) Willie Brown
2) Rose Pak
If those two are behind him, you just KNOW that there has been a LOT of underhanded back-room tit-for-tat shenanigans going on.

[NamithaSF]

12:05 PM on 08/08/2011

Good news.

Ed Lee will be forced to explain a lot now including:

why he accepted very weak pension modifications which do not eliminate the crisis
why he is issuing bonds and taxes to pay for basic street maintenance
why he have the cops a 5% raise when all other cities in the state have renegotiated raise. SF cops are paid about 35% above nearby cities to begin with. More important, when he gave these raises, did he know he was planning a run for the mayorship?
What is his relationship with "Auntie" Rose Pak

No way this scum%ag gets elected.

[Miller-Time]

10:26 AM on 08/15/2011

http://www.citireport.com/2011/08/ed-lee-freight-train-or-train-wreck/

[Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj]

06:10 AM on 08/08/2011

I am curious though, as to what was originally in the political playbook?