The third time was the charm for gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who was unanimously elected Wednesday to be the new president of the Board of Supervisors. He will serve in the powerful post throughout his last two years of his current term on the governing body through January 2027.
He is now the third out supervisor to lead the 11-member board. Gay supervisors Tom Ammiano held the president's gavel from 1999 through 2003, while the late Harry Britt served as president from 1989-1991.
In 2022 and in 2019 Mandelman had sought to be board president but both times fell short of the six-vote threshold needed. In a surprise move considering the contested presidency races of years past, Mandelman was the only person nominated to become the new president at the board's January 8 special inaugural meeting.
"Dazed, confused," Mandelman could be heard saying via the broadcast of the board meeting as he took the gavel to preside over the meeting. He later added of becoming president, "I am looking forward to it and thank you."
Only moments earlier gay District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey had nominated Mandelman, whom he has known for two decades, for the presidency. He pointed to Mandelman's ability to work with his board colleagues to find compromise on various issues as one reason he felt he was well suited to serve in the role.
Mandelman is someone who has "worked cooperatively and well across ideological lines throughout his entire public life," noted Dorsey.
District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan concurred and credited him for treating his colleagues "respectfully" both publicly and privately during their discussions about policy matters. She also said at a time when the city is facing ballooning budget deficits, Mandelman will be able to "communicate effectively, calmly, and respectfully with the executive branch."
She was referring to the administration of new Mayor Daniel Lurie. Hours earlier, he had taken his oath of office outside City Hall.
Addressing the supervisors, Lurie expressed surprise at seeing the board presidency vote go uncontested. He said he couldn't recall the last time that had happened and commended the 11 supervisors for coalescing around Mandelman. (It last occurred in 2021 when District 10 Supervisor Shamann was unanimously elected board president.)
"I see a bright future for our city because the 11 of you put aside your differences for the betterment of our city," said Lurie.
District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar had sought the leadership post headed into Wednesday's meeting but was unable to secure her colleagues' support. There also had been talk that Walton would be nominated again but that did not come to pass.
Mandelman succeeds former District 3 supervisor Aaron Peskin, who had served as board president over the last two years. Peskin was termed off the board this month.
Prior to the new year, Mandelman had already moved into the largest office for supervisors on the second floor of City Hall, often taken up by the board president. Due to his winning a special election in the summer of 2018, Mandelman has the most seniority by six months among his board colleagues, thus he had first choice in moving his supervisorial office when Peskin vacated his coveted spot.
Britt had occupied it when he served as board president, and a then-14-year-old Mandelman served as a summer intern in 1989 for then-supervisor Doris Ward. (At the time, supervisors were elected citywide. Ward died in 2018, while Britt passed away in 2020.)
"I remember being both intrigued and frightened by Harry Britt's office. I was worried it might turn me gay," Mandelman had recalled to the Bay Area Reporter about his teenage self, then struggling with internalized homophobia and being bullied by classmates who called him 'faggot.' "He was known as the gay supervisor and lots of gay people were around his office because there were a lot of gay issues of the time. Later in life, I became friendly with Harry."
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