For a few glorious days in early November, political wonks mulled a possible successor for current San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee after he was mentioned as a possible cabinet member for Hilary Clinton, whose ascendancy to president seemed to be assured. (HAHAHA remember that? OK, now I just want to go back to bed and cry.) Though Lee's hopes of being Education or HUD head are likely dashed for now, the fact remains that on November 5, 2019 San Francisco will vote for a new mayor, and the speculation on who that might be has just begun.

In his increasingly elliptical column for the San Francsico Chronicle, former Mayor Willie Brown says that even now, "City Hall has more candidates saddling up to replace Mayor Ed Lee than there are horses in the Kentucky Derby," a pleasant message of hope given how afraid many of us are that by 2019 all that will remain of humanity is a charred radioactive mess caused by an early-morning tweetstorm from an elected manic.

"It’s clear that board President London Breed is running, as is Supervisor Mark Farrell," Brown says, echoing former Supe John Avalos. The latter predicted that If London decides to run, she’ll wipe the floor with (Supervisor) Mark Farrell," as she "has evolved into a shrewd and charismatic politician...but is flawed by pride and vindictiveness and a lack of consistent vision for social justice."

Other likely candidates, Brown says, are City Attorney Dennis Herrera (who, if we're just talking here, is my prediction for dark horse success in the race) and Assemblyman David Chiu. After that, it starts to sound like Brown is just saying names of people that he sees on Dave Kujan's bulletin board, as he bandies about Jane Kim, Aaron Peskin, and (perhaps most preposterously...or not?) Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu as other candidates seeking Room 200.

Yes, assuming we're not all dead by then, this could be a fun race to watch...and if SF follows the alleged trend of "nontraditional candidates — with backgrounds in business, not politics" running for office, perhaps we'll see a local tech titan toss his hat in the ring. Mayor @Jack, anyone?

Previously: Supervisor John Avalos Not Afraid To Burn Bridges On His Way Out Of Casterly Rock