Back in 2011, the political battle royale to replace Mayor Gavin Newsom after he was elected lieutenant governor was a classic San Francisco pileup unfolding on the corner of Farce and Fiasco.
Newsom didn't want to leave the city in the hands of the progressive bloc of politicians he had battled with. So there were numerous machinations and a corresponding number of tantrums. Behind the scenes, former Mayor Willie Brown and Chinatown civic leader Rose Pak were also busy.
The result, of course, was Ed Lee. He had emerged from almost complete obscurity as city administrator to become what many people assumed was a milquetoast consensus choice, a bureaucrat whose sole distinguishing characteristic appeared to be a mustache, albeit a kickass one.
That turned out to be a serious underestimation. Lee ended up winning election once, then twice. He also made a serious mark on the city.
But at the time, back in 2011, I wrote: "Who the hell is Ed Lee?"