the man who saved the cup?
A great piece from SF Weekly…
Port official Jonathan Stern talks as fast as he walks, and pocket-size Mayor Ed Lee struggled to keep up both verbally and physically. During a media show-and-tell late last month, Stern played the role of supercharged Realtor, explaining to the new mayor how a series of functional — at best — Port facilities will soon be transformed into the glistening center of the 34th America’s Cup by 2013. Two phrases passed Stern’s lips with regularity: "Our current vision" and "tear this down."
Lee was enthused. It’d be impossible not to be; a crisper and more beautiful morning to showcase San Francisco’s northern waterfront could not be conceived. When it came to hosting the Cup, "not only did San Francisco make the right decision," said Lee, with the bay as his glistening backdrop, "the world made the right decision."
Former District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly was not among the scrum of elected officials and politicos assembled at Pier 27 to politely applaud Lee’s words. It’d be unthinkable for the caustic former supervisor to be there. And yet, without him, no one else would be there, either. Read on
