Ed Jews Replacement Should Not Run in November

Yesterday, District Attorney Kamala Harris filed charges against Supervisor Ed Jew on four counts of perjury, one count of filing a false document, and four counts of violating the Elections Code surrounding the allegation that he doesnt live in San Francisco but ran for municipal office. Late last night, Jew turned himself into the authorities not at 850 Bryant, but in Burlingame . Its fair to say that Ed Jews reputation is ruined, and that he will have no choice but to resign. Under the City Charter, Mayor Newsom must appoint a replacement and then call a special election for the seat. If the vacancy happens before July 7th, the special election will be held in November to coincide with the Mayors race. In such a highly charged atmosphere, Newsom should do the right thing and appoint somebody who will not run for the seat. Voters in District 4 deserve a fresh start from this charade, and have the ability to pick from an wide-open race. It would be improper for the Mayor to give his incumbent a head start.

I am far from being the first to suggest that Ed Jew should resign, or to speculate on who should replace him. Jew was elected just last November, and his victory came as quite a surprise to most political observers. With such a recent election, it's logical to look at who else ran in that race when it comes to picking a replacement. But none of the candidates who ran can say that they now have a mandate to be anointed Ed Jews successor, and should be given the power of incumbency when they run for the seat again.

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