Randy Shaw and Ed Lee

Over at Beyond Chron, Randy Shaw is upset about the media coverage of the mayoral campaign:

Based on media coverage, San Francisco appears to be a city without serious problems. Jobs, the economy, homelessness, development, schools, MUNI---the issues that customarily dominate mayoral campaigns are little discussed. We hear about an issue when a candidate puts out press releases---as Rees and Alioto-Pier did about schools or Herrera did on the Central Subway---but I doubt most voters could tell you where the candidates differ on the leading issues facing the city.

Herrera's opposition to the Central Subway was news because it was the first---and still the only---dissent among the candidates on an important issue. In fact the candidates don't "differ" on important issues. 

And the Rees and Alioto-Pier blather about schools only makes them look dumb, since the Mayor of San Francisco has little to do with city schools, which are administered by the superintendent of schools and the board of education.

Shaw doesn't like how the media has ridiculed the "The Ed Lee Story," the campaign bio of his candidate, which was so poorly conceived and written that it could have been produced by Lee's opponents. (Recall that back in April Shaw was hoping that Supervisor Avalos would get in the race, but Shaw dumped Avalos after he voted against the Twitter tax break.)

The remarkable thing about San Francisco is that on policy issues it's always Groundhog Day. This is a one-party town, with little debate on the important issues facing the city, like traffic and development. None of the candidates has challenged the half-assed, dense development, Transit Corridors ideas that dominate the Planning Dept. and City Hall---the Treasure Island, Market/Octavia, Parkmerced projects, not to mention the anti-car and bicycle policies.

Ed Lee personifies all these bad city policies and projects.