San Francisco supervisors select Mandelman to serve as new board president
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Wednesday selected a new president after the freshly appointed members were sworn in.
District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who is the longest serving member on the Board, received a unanimous vote after getting the sole nomination from District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan.
"It is my distinct honor to place the name of Rafael Mandelman as the nomination for president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors," said Dorsey in a speech to explain why he thought Mandelman was the best choice. "What in my view recommends Rafael to the Presidency of this Board, at this time, is a temperament, and intellect, and good heart of someone who has worked cooperatively and well across ideological lines throughout his public life."
Since joining the Board in 2018, Mandelman has been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, the city's public transportation system, affordable housing, and addressing behavioral health challenges.
He's the first LGBTQ+ person in more than 20 years to serve as president of the Board.
"He has been a fearless champion for the LGBTQ+ community that we are both a part of," Dorsey said. "From the earliest days of the marriage equality fight in 2004 ... To today's fight to ban transgender homelessness and fund HIV/AIDS services that continue to be a national model."
Before voting on a new president, the reelected and newly elected supervisors raised their right hand in unison as they took an oath of office as one body.
The five new members are Stephen Sherrill for District 2, Danny Sauter for District 3, Bilal Mahmood for District 5, Jackie Fielder for District 9, and Chyanne Chen for District 11. Six members of the previous Board remain.
District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who won reelection in November, felt optimistic yet slightly nervous about working with her new colleagues.
"I am excited to have a group of people with fresh eyes," Melgar said in an interview. "I am a little bit anxious because everybody is from outside of government."
Newly inaugurated Mayor Daniel Lurie also sat on the dais next to Mandelman to congratulate him and welcome the freshly sworn in supervisors.
"President, they have bestowed upon you a unanimous vote," Lurie said. "I don't know when that last happened. I see a bright future for our city because the 11 of you put aside your differences for the betterment of our city."
He advised the new supervisors that they will have to depend on the more seasoned members in order to get up to speed on the ins and outs of working in the city's legislative body.
"We have five new ones and six that have tremendous experience that we are going to lean on in the coming days, weeks, and months," Lurie said. "We've got work to do."