December-January 2010 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

It will be a hard act to follow, but yes, we do have a winner in the four-way race to succeed Supervisor Bevan Dufty.

Forty-year-old Castro District resident Scott Wiener defeated Atty. Rafael Mandelman, assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan, and businessman Bill Hemenger after coasting to a second-round, ranked-choice victory in the Nov. 2 election.

In the final Department of Elections tally, Wiener garnered 18,239 votes, or 55.4 percent, to best first runner-up Mandelman, who wound up with 14,687 votes, or 44.6 percent. (For first-round voting results, see Rumors Behind the News.)

Refreshed after a weeklong, post-election vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Wiener said he was elated about his victory and what it portends for his constituents in Noe Valley, the Castro, Glen Park, Diamond Heights, and other neighborhoods in District 8.

“I am excited about the opportunity to work on so many different issues that are important to the community I care about,” said Wiener, who will resign his position as a deputy city attorney on Jan. 8, the day he’ll be sworn in as supervisor.

Wiener said he was busy trading views with Noe Valley and other neighborhood residents and assembling a staff for his new City Hall address.

Without offering too many specifics, he said his local concerns included creation of a town square on 24th Street, improving the J-Church Muni line, and calming the “mini-freeway” traffic along San Jose Avenue on the southern edge of Noe Valley.  

The site for the proposed town square is a parking lot that could be turned into a home for the Noe Valley Farmers Market and other community events. The city would need to provide funds to purchase the multimillion-dollar property from its owner, the Noe Valley Ministry.  

Wiener said he would make sure that his office “showed leadership in working hand-in-hand with folks in the neighborhood to move that project forward, and do what I need to make that a reality.”

Wiener also said he planned to meet soon with residents, merchants, the Friends of Noe Valley, and the Noe Valley Association (the 24th Street community benefit district) to “talk about what the city can provide to make 24th Street more walkable and what we can do about some of the traffic issues on 24th Street.”

Public transit will also be on his radar.

“I will work hard and put pressure on Muni to make sure Muni is doing what it needs to do to make the J-Church a better line,” he said.

Until then, Wiener invites the neighborhood to join him, Mayor Newsom, and other city officials at a City Hall Open House on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2 to 5 p.m. The party—in Room 268, Bevan Dufty’s office—will feature music and holiday treats.