Despite four other candidates (and one off-ballot performance artist) running against incumbent Scott Wiener for District 8's Board of Supervisor seat, Wiener secured the seat for four more years in yesterday's general election.
Wiener let his opponents know they could eat crow by announcing on Twitter last night that he had been reelected with 77 percent of the vote, the "highest percentage ever received in District 8."
Supervisor Wiener has been a champion for public transportation and an advocate for land developers, supporting legislation to prioritize funding for Muni and legislation to streamline land development through CEQA reform. Weiner has taken heat on some of his other legislative endeavors over the past four years, including his successful campaign to ban nudity throughout San Francisco and to make it illegal to be in a city park after midnight.
Thank you voters for reelecting me to Bd of Supervisors w 77% of vote - highest percentage ever received in District 8. I'm deeply grateful.
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) November 5, 2014A couple of skeptical Hoodline commenters took a stab at guessing how many votes the campaign's self-described "protest candidate" Michael Petrelis would collect, with guesses in the 100-500 range. It looks like the results may or may not surprise: despite being outspent 104:1 by Supervisor Wiener, Petrelis still managed to make a dent, coming in second with just under 1,500 votes. Petrelis' results were followed by Tommy Basso (1,189 votes), George Davis (1,016 votes), and John Nulty (993 votes).
In an email that asked about Supervisor Wiener's immediate legislative priorities for District 8 now that he has won reelection, Wiener wrote:
"My priorities going forward will be the same as they've been: focusing on housing affordability, transit investment, improving our public spaces, and addressing our community's health needs. I'll be increasing our focus on the needs of seniors and expect to move various pieces of legislation shortly to address those needs. And, I'll continue to work to improve public safety by re-staffing the police department."
Two of the Supervisor's sponsored measures on the ballot last night presented results that were a mixed bag. The sugary beverage tax, Proposition E, failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to pass, but Proposition B, which would tie Muni funding to population growth, easily passed with over 60 percent of the vote.
The fight against sugary beverages is not over yet, according to Wiener. While Wiener said the campaign was "disappointed" it didn't receive the two-thirds required vote to pass, he said the soda industry received "two black eyes yesterday" with the 55 percent "yes" vote from voters and a landmark victory against big soda in Berkeley. "... With voters seeing through the industry's hollow arguments ... we will keep fighting," Wiener said of plans to continue the fight.
"Win, lose, or draw, the explosion of Type 2 diabetes is one of the most important health problems confronting our country," said Wiener. "We need to take firm steps, as we did with smoking, to reduce consumption. I'll continue to work with our coalition of health, education, nutrition, and park advocates to pursue smart public policies to achieve this goal."
Let's see what Supervisor Wiener has planned for the next four years in San Francisco's District 8.
