Assessor Phil Ting Running For San Francisco Mayor
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting announced Wednesday his intent to run for mayor in November 2011, joining an already crowded field of candidates.
Ting has served as assessor-recorder since being appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in July 2005. He was elected to the post in November 2005, again in 2006, and in last month's election.
The responsibilities of the assessor-recorder's office include keeping track of all taxable property in the county, listing all property values, collecting city revenues, and maintaining public records.
Ting is a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and is the former executive director of the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco.
"To put San Franciscans back to work, we need to make our government work more effectively," Ting said in a statement. "From attracting new high-wage jobs to creating successful public schools that are the key for long-term growth, our city government can and should do more - and do it better."
Ting joins a group of mayoral candidates that already includes state Sen. Leland Yee, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, venture capitalist Joanna Rees, and a number of other people who have announced their intent to run.
Before voters have a chance to vote on a new mayor, the Board of Supervisors will choose an interim mayor to replace Newsom, who is expected to resign on Jan. 3 to take his new seat as the state's lieutenant governor.
The board could select a new mayor as soon as its meeting on Tuesday, but the vote would be nonbonding because there will not be an official vacancy until Newsom resigns.
Under the city charter, the president of the Board of Supervisors, David Chiu, becomes acting mayor following the vacancy. The board then has the option of appointing an interim mayor until the November 2011 election.
The current board's last meeting will be held on Jan. 4, and four new members take office on Jan. 8.
Newsom has suggested that the new board members should have a role in selecting the interim mayor.
He said that although he intends to leave on Jan. 3, he might delay his resignation until the new board takes office to prevent the installation of a mayor he thinks would be harmful to the city.
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