Today, interim Mayor Ed Lee decided to break his promise to the people of San Francisco and run for a full four-year term this November.
While it is true that Ed Lee would never have been appointed interim Mayor had he not made a solemn promise not to run, the fact is that we live in a great democracy and anyone has the right to run for public office.
However, the real question is, who helped Ed Lee change his mind and why?
While claims have been made that it was “grassroots support” generated by the Run Ed Run group that convinced Ed Lee to break his vow, already the Ethics Commission is taking action against the Run Ed Run committee for failing to follow campaign finance laws, and the San Francisco Chronicle has reported that this committee was primarily funded by city contractors with close ties to power broker Rose Pak.
That’s not grassroots support. It’s a blatant attempt by inside power brokers to win influence at City Hall. San Francisco can’t afford to go backwards to the times when City Hall has been run by – and often served – the inside power brokers, rather than the people of San Francisco.
I believe this election offers the voters of San Francisco a clear choice. For 23 years, Leland Yee has been an independent voice -- independent of the downtown interests, of the City Hall insiders, and the political power brokers.
He has helped pass major reforms at the state and local level that have brought sunshine into our government, toughened ethics laws, reined in executive compensation and curbed abuses of power.
His record has earned him the endorsements of some of our most respected organizations, including the Sierra Club and the California Nurses Association.
And Senator Yee has shown San Francisco the path to an independent government with his recently published 21-point plan to clean up City Hall, strengthen our ethics laws and crack down on illegal lobbying.
Our campaign is ready for the challenges ahead. We’re ready to take on the powerful interests and political power brokers to build an independent City Hall. Are you? Join us.
Thank you for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Jim Stearns
Campaign Manager