Last night at the San Francisco mayoral debate hosted by the Alliance for Sustainable Job Growth, each of the 11 participating candidates tried -- somewhat futilely -- to distinguish themselves. Ninety-second replies don’t lend themselves well to details, and political platitudes ruled the day. There were, however, a few moments that stood out, almost all in round where candidates directed questions to each other.
Interim-mayor Ed Lee took the brunt of these salvos, with three tossed his way. Board of Supervisors President David Chiu took aim at the mayor’s decision to run after proclaiming repeatedly that he would not, implying that pressure from political powerhouses Rose Pak and Willie Brown was the primary impetus for his change of heart. That got a rise out of the audience, which laughed, booed, and clapped. The mayor, however, had an answer at the ready, pointing to a new civility at City Hall and his ability in getting things done. That answer gained Lee long and spirited applause.
Listen to the exchange here:
Ed Lee parries David Chiu's question on changing his mind about running