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Aaron Peskin elected president after 17 rounds of voting
Summary
After a marathon series of ballots and a vote to reopen nominations, Supervisor Aaron Peskin won the San Francisco Board of Supervisors presidency on the 17th ballot, receiving 7 votes to four for Supervisor Shamann Walton.
Aaron Peskin was elected president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Jan. 9, 2023, after members completed 17 rounds of balloting and a roll-call vote to reopen nominations. Peskin received seven votes on the deciding ballot to Shamann Walton’s four, a majority of the 11-member board.
The board began the day with three nominees for president—Supervisor Shamann Walton, Supervisor Connie Chan and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman—after nominations were taken at the start of the inaugural meeting. Nominations remained deadlocked through multiple ballots. On a motion by Supervisor Connie Chan, seconded by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the board voted 9–2 to reopen nominations; Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Joel Engardio recorded the only “no” votes on that roll call. After nominations were reopened, Peskin nominated himself.
The election was decided on the 17th ballot. On that round the following supervisors declared their votes: Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Supervisor Joel Engardio, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Myrna Melgar and Supervisor Catherine Stefani voted for Peskin; Supervisors Ahsha Safaí, Dean Preston, Shamann Walton and Supervisor Catherine Walton voted for Walton. (The transcript records votes in roll-call sequence; the final announced tally was Peskin 7, Walton 4.) The clerk declared Peskin elected when he reached a majority.
The balloting drew repeated pauses and brief recesses as members sought to resolve the impasse. The clerk’s office managed the multiple rounds and a public comment period occurred while nominations were pending; callers and in‑chamber speakers voiced support for several nominees during the public-comment period. Supervisor Ronan and Supervisor Melgar each gave floor nominations earlier in the proceedings when the contest included three candidates.
Peskin took the dais and gave brief remarks after being sworn in as president. The board then moved on to the day’s remarks and other inaugural business.
Votes and key procedural steps from the meeting are publicly recorded in the official board minutes and the clerk’s certification of the roll-call tallies.
