Supervisors Appoint Mark Farrell As Interim Mayor

Supervisors Appoint Mark Farrell As Interim Mayor

Photo: Katie Utehs/Twitter

Walter Thompson
Published on January 24, 2018

In a 6-3 vote, members of the Board of Supervisors voted last night to make Mark Farrell San Francisco's interim mayor. 

Farrell, who represented District 2, will occupy the mayor's office until the June 5th special election and will be permitted to appoint his successor. 

Since the death of Mayor Ed Lee on December 12th, London Breed served as acting mayor and president of the Board of Supervisors, but Supervisor Aaron Peskin called for the vote to emphasize "the importance of a separation of powers in city government," according to the Chronicle

Peskin said Breed's twin roles gave her the right to appoint people to various commissions and boards and would give her an unfair advantage in the special election. To redistribute power, Peskin and others sought to appoint a caretaker mayor.

Supervisors voted twice to select an interim mayor: in the first round, members voted 7-2 to appoint Farrell, but after District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang asked to rescind her vote, a 6-3 vote ensured that the Marina district supervisor would move into Room 200 at City Hall.

Tang was joined by Malia Cohen and Ahsha Safai, who nominated Breed for interim mayor.

Interim Mayor Mark Farrell and reporter Carolyn Tyler. | Photo: Carolyn Tyler/Twitter

Bay City News reported that Farrell's elevation "drew an angry response from the audience, which was stacked with dozens of Breed's largely African-American supporters." Many attendees shouted accusations of racism, which led to a brief adjournment before order was restored.

"It is not a pleasant conversation to have, it is a very painful to have. Watching the divisions around racial divides, around gender is very painful, but it is a conversation we are supposed to have," Peskin said.

Farrell, who was sworn in by City Attorney Dennis Herrera, told reporters that last night's vote "isn’t about politics," but was intended to address "a situation that our City Charter contemplated."

Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who hasn't endorsed a mayoral candidate, said she voted for Farrell because "the power and resources of the Mayor’s office will give an insurmountable advantage to any candidate who’s running."

To create a more level playing field, Ronen said she'd vote "for any caretaker who can get the vote to fill the office for the next 5 months."

After the final vote, Breed thanked constituents who attended the hearing. "I am still on the ballot on June 5th," she said. "We need to get lined up and ready to go."