By Luke Thomas
August 8, 2011
Following the confirmation last eve that San Francisco interim Mayor Ed Lee will break his promise to the Board of Supervisors and to the City about not using the privilege of his “caretaker” mayoral appointment to seek a full-term, a new video has surfaced on YouTube entitled, “Lie, Ed, Lie: Ed Lee Announces His Mayoral Campaign.”
“I stand before you to announce my candidacy for mayor,” the video, posted by “RunRosePakRun” begins. “I did not make this decision lightly. After much pressure from Rose Pak, Willie Brown and Recology executives, I have decided that I really am a politician, a short mustached, lying one. My change of mind in seeking this office has everything to do with what’s best for Rose Pak and me. See, I’ve always been a liar, a stooge for Rose Pak and Willie Brown.”
Lee told FCJ in May and other news sources, including during a BayCitizen.org interview, he was a man of his word and remained unequivocal about not seeking a full-term, despite pressure from unnamed individuals who were pressuring Lee to run. “I have to keep warding them off,” Lee said.
More recently when asked who was pressuring him to run, Lee said, “It’s not so much pressure. It’s really a decision that I have to make.”
According to a recent poll conducted by CBS5, Lee will be the instant frontrunner in a crowd of candidates that includes Senator Leland Yee, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Board of Supervisor President David Chiu, Supervisor John Avalos, Assessor-Record Phil Ting, former Supervisors Michael Alioto-Pier and Bevan Dufty and Tony Hall, and venture capitalist Joanna Rees.
Lee will officially declare his candidacy for mayor today at 9am outside the San Francisco Department of Elections at City Hall.
August 8, 2011 at 9:43 am
Conversation Hour with Ed Lee & Rose Pak, http://youtu.be/Aa-BhnHrjgU