Mark Farrell, the 44th mayor of San Francisco, filed paperwork Monday with the Department of Elections to challenge Mayor London Breed in November and reclaim his old job.
His long-anticipated candidacy is still listed as “pending” on the elections department’s website, either because Farrell has yet to completely file all nomination documents or pay the necessary fees. However, records on the San Francisco Ethics Commission website also show that an initial filing for a committee called “Mark Farrell for Mayor 2024” was submitted Feb. 5.
Farrell’s entrance into the mayor’s race has been months in the making. A website called “Draft Mayor Mark” was created last year, and The Standard reported earlier this month that the 49-year-old managing director of Thayer Ventures—an investment firm focused on travel and transportation technology—was recruiting people to appear in his campaign ads.
Following the death of Mayor Ed Lee in December 2017, Farrell served as mayor for six months. He succeeded Breed—who was named acting mayor in the immediate aftermath of Lee’s passing—through a controversial appointment by the Board of Supervisors, where Farrell served for seven years representing the Marina District.
Farrell has some catching up to do in the mayor’s race, with multiple serious contenders already in the race. Breed, Supervisor Ahsha Safaí and nonprofit founder Daniel Lurie have all been running campaigns since last year.
Farrell’s associates did not immediately respond to a request for comment.