Sue Lee Tells Supes To ‘Play Nice’
July 30, 2008
It wasn’t choreographed. Sue Lee would not kickoff the campaign at the Richmond District Neighborhood Center without mom, Belva. When it started, Lee emphasized foremost her parenting qualifications for S.F. district supervisor. “I raised a 19-year-old boy in the city, and I can tell people to go to their corners and chill out and play nice together,” said the Richmond resident. “We need to stop some of that nonsense at the board of supervisors. As a mother, I am well experienced to do that”… The Chinese Historical Society of Americaexecutive director’s kickoff drew 75 supporters and was held at an icon of her activism: she (along with then-school board member Bill Maher’s help) saved the Spanish-stucco Lucinda Weeks Elementary surplus property from becoming condos. A multicultural arts center took hold, according to Richmond leader Linda Fries. “Her political savvy was very helpful in establishing this center,” said Fries who worked on it with Lee, a former aide to Supervisor Nancy Walker…
NO TAPS FOR JROTC: Lee supports the fall ballot measure restoring JROTC, the high school leadership program, which has 70 percent APA enrollment… Compared to harmonious supervisor kickoffs for Lee and California Democratic Party vice chair and ESL instructor Alicia Wang, school board member Eric Mar’s launch last month was greeted with silent protests, mostly by the 100 high school kids against his disbanding of JROTC…. SCHOOLS AND FAMILY FLIGHT: The city has supported school renovations, student enrichment programs and making up state budget cuts, Lee said. “And yet, families are fleeing the city. Our school enrollment is down. So, we need to do something about that… We need to create great schools and allow families in this city to choose to send their kids to neighborhood schools…I also support giving our families and students the choice of a wide range of programs,” she said to supporters like ex-police commissioner Doug Chan, longtime Chinatown Lunar New Year parade organizer Wayne Hu, S.F. Democratic Party vice chair Mary Jung and Chinese Real Estate Association of America president John Lee….
SUPE FOR SANITY: “I want to be a supervisor that will help create commonsense solutions to our everyday problems, to enact sane public policy and to be a voice from the Richmond District on citywide issues,” Lee said… SUPPORT: Lee is supported by Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and former public defender Jeff Brown…Jim Ross - who helped Newsom’s “Care Not Cash” homeless reforms win in 2002 and then helped get Newsom elected to his first mayoral term in 2003 - is overseeing Lee and appointed Supervisor Carmen Chu’s November campaigns…
TOP PRIORITIES: Sue Lee, a Richmond resident since age 8, lived with four siblings in a three-generational household on Arguello Street. “We decided to move to the Richmond because it was on the 55 Sacramento bus line. Transit is very near and dear to my family for survival in San Francisco.” The former planning commissioner’s (appointed by a liberal board of supervisors and centrist mayor) priorities: reliable transit, public safety and parks/open space…
GENDER GAP: 70 percent of APA women did not vote in the 2004 presidential election between George W. Bush and John Kerry, according Mable Yee, EngageHer.org founder, citing census data after speaking at Asian Business League’s seminar in San Francisco on navigating corporate politics…She’ll head up leadership seminars “You are the CEO of You” targeted at APA women. Organized by ABL-SF Chairman John Lee and President Claire Chang, more info at http://www.ablsf.org/.
Reach Samson Wong at (415) 321-5886 or swong@asianweek.com.
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4 Responses to “Sue Lee Tells Supes To ‘Play Nice’”
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This column provides great examples of why Eric Mar is the best candidate for District 1 supervisor.
Eric understands that a new supervisor is not going to be able to take her/his seat on the board and simply tell the others to stop fighting. It’s going to take more political know-how than that. And I think Eric’s got it.
But Eric also understands that faced with a touch choice on an issue, it’s more important to take a stand and fight rather than focus on playing nice.
That is what Eric Mar is doing on the JROTC issue. And despite the protests from some, he’s sticking to the principle that JROTC is ultimately more harmful to our students.
Read Michael Wong’s letter about his JROTC experience:
http://www.hapihour.org/?p=227
Keith - Eric is an idealogue- controlled by Robert Halland and the teachers union who will undoubtedly move minions to flood D1 when they read the polls and see that Mar is disliked and not in synch with D1 voters or voters of the City…just like they did when Chris Daly was almost defeated by newcomer Rob Black… Go Sue…..you are delivering the message of the future of SF
Tony, my friend, you missed the boat on this one. Our beloved City is not for sale. Your pal Rob Black out-spent District 6 supervisor Chris Daly last year four-to-one with downtown real estate and corporate funding. Just like Gavin Newsom’s first mayoral campaign that spent $4 million compared to Matt Gonzalez’s $50.000. Perhaps, his supporters have “recovered’ their expenditures by now?
Eric Mar’s votes, stances and principles are not for sale. Eric Mar is controlled by the voters that have continued to support him on the San Francisco School Board for the past six years. He is not a puppet of downtown interests or out-of state Republicans. He is by far the best candidate we have in the Richmond District.
“Your pal Rob Black out-spent District 6 supervisor Chris Daly last year four-to-one with downtown real estate and corporate funding.” Diascoro, are you suggesting that Daly’s re-election was some sort of people’s victory? If so, you’re sadly mistaken. Daly is just as power-hungry, duplicitous and egomaniacal as Newsom, the man he so loves to hate. His “progressivism” is a highly effective veneer behind which he schemes to further his own political career. He indulges in gangster tactics (i.e., blackmailing developers for a $34 million slush fund, threatening those who did not vote to replace Scott Weiner with fellow supe Aaron Peskin (best known for his drunken, late night phone calls to real or imagined opponents) as leader of the SF Democratic Party to get his way. And the evidence (public tantrums, a profound contempt for his ostensible constituents) suggests that he’s dangerously unbalanced - a Dan White waiting to happen. We need to remove him from office before another tragedy strikes City Hall.