Board names Supervisor Mark Farrell successor mayor after contested hearing on interim appointment

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors appointed Supervisor Mark Farrell to serve as successor mayor to complete the remainder of Mayor Ed Lee’s term, voting 8–2 on a motion the board had approved in committee on Jan. 23, 2018.

The decision followed a daylong, often emotional public hearing and repeated debate among supervisors about whether the city should appoint a neutral, non‑candidate caretaker for the six‑month period before the June 5, 2018, special election — or allow the board president, Acting Mayor London Breed, to remain in both the legislative and executive roles through the election.

The question mattered to many speakers and supervisors because of competing principles: adherence to the city charter’s succession language, the perceived incumbency advantage if an officeholder runs while serving as mayor, and the racial and gender dynamics of replacing an African American woman who had been elected board president and was serving as acting mayor.

The board’s vote followed a multi‑step process the supervisors adopted earlier in the meeting. As amended by the board, the procedure required that any person nominated to be successor mayor must be physically present in the chamber and state “yes” to accept the nomination. Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who led the amendment, told colleagues: “Simply stated, anybody that is nominated here has to either be in this room and they have to say ‘yes, I accept’ or ‘no, I reject.’”

Supervisor Jane Kim and several members of the public had urged the board to name a neutral, non‑candidate interim mayor — listing experienced city managers and senior officials such as City Administrator Naomi Kelly as possible choices — to avoid the perception of an incumbency advantage. Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who had not endorsed a mayoral candidate, said the city needed “a radical change in…