San Francisco District 1 Supervisor-elect Connie Chan declared victory Monday, following a close race that saw her beat out her opponent Marjan Philhour by just 134 votes, according to the latest election results.
Several current and former supervisors joined Chan to celebrate her win near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Clement Street in the Richmond District, which encompasses most of District 1.
Assemblymember Phil Ting said Chan's win was also a win for the city's Chinese community, as Chan will be the second concurrent supervisor of Chinese descent serving on the board, along with Supervisor Gordon Mar, when she takes office in January.
"There's only been six Asian American women on the board, and it's kind of shocking when you think about how long our community has lived in San Francisco; how long we've been part of San Francisco. So, the stakes were extraordinarily high," Ting said. "I am so proud of the Richmond, because
they chose a fighter, someone who is going to focus every single day on Clement Street, on Balboa (Street), on Anza (Street), and she's going to be
working everyday for our neighborhoods and for our small businesses."
Current District 1 Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, who is set to leave office next month, said, "Upon leaving the board, I knew I couldn't my leave colleagues without getting someone in place that would take care of the city but also work with them… I could not think of anyone better to bring to the board than Connie Chan."
"This is a hard-won fight and deserves a celebration at this moment, but when it becomes January 2021, we're going to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We're going to make sure we recover from the pandemic," Chan said. "We're going to keep fighting for the Richmond and San Francisco together."
Chan was born in Hong Kong and after immigrating to the U.S. grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown. She has worked as a legislative aide in the office of Supervisor Aaron Peskin and she's worked for the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department as well as the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens.
On Sunday evening, Philhour conceded to Chan and sent her well wishes.
She said on Twitter, "While the results of the election are not what we had hoped, I wish our incoming supervisor all the best when she assumes office in January."
Chan will join District 7 Supervisor-elect Myrna Melgar as the two newest members of the city's Board of Supervisors. Supervisors Ahsha Safai, Hillary Ronen, Dean Preston and Aaron Peskin have all been reelected.
