Supe’s campaign called troubled after departure of top strategist
San Francisco Supervisor Jeff Sheehy’s election campaign appears to be fraying in the tight race to represent District Eight, following the departure on Friday of a strategist who was hired to impose order.
Strategist Larry Tramutola is the second consultant to part ways with Sheehy, who broke ties with his original consulting firm, Whitehurst Mosher Campaign Strategy and Media, in October. People familiar with the campaign say that Sheehy has been canceling events and meetings.
“It’s an indication that his campaign is in disarray,” said political consultant Jim Ross, who is gathering signatures for a child care ballot measure supported by mayoral candidate Jane Kim.
Ross and others said it’s unusual for a consultant to quit four months before an election.
Sheehy was appointed by former Mayor Ed Lee to fill the rest of former Supervisor Scott Wiener’s term representing the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park and Diamond Heights neighborhoods after Wiener was elected to the state Senate. The race began as a test of Lee’s popularity, but after the mayor’s unexpected death on Dec. 12 it became more of a partisan battle between Shee-
Rafael Mandelman.
The apparent breakdown of Sheehy’s apparatus has caused panic for some moderates who are closely watching the June 5 contest. If Mandelman wins, he would tip the balance of the board toward the progressives.
Sheehy declined to comment.
Wiener defended Sheehy and pointed to the supervisor’s legislative accomplishments, including a law to discourage bicycle chop shops. Sheehy also co-sponsored a complex set of cannabis regulations that the supervisors approved in November.
“What matters to me is what Jeff is doing in City Hall and for the district,” Wiener said.
Sheehy is also co-sponsoring a June ballot measure to tax commercial landlords and put the money toward middleclass housing and homeless shelters. His name likely will appear on slate mailers and television ads associated with the measure, providing critical fuel in a competitive race.
Voters in District Eight tend to reward politicians who shake hands and knock on doors, said former Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who represented the area from 2002 to 2011. So far, Mandelman seems to be winning at that game. Ross said that when he took a walk through the Castro last month, “Mandelman’s name was on all the door hangers.”
— Rachel Swan