Welcome to “Meet the candidates,” where Mission Local asks supervisor hopefuls questions in the lead-up to the November election. In District 7 โ which includes the Inner Sunset, Parkmerced and West Portal โ Matt Boschetto and Stephen Martin-Pinto are running against incumbent Myrna Melgar.
Between now and the November election, Mission Local will ask each candidate one question per week, and candidates will get 100 words to respond. Take a look at all the answers from District 7 candidates here.
Here’s our third question: Tell us about your background. How is it relevant to the work a district supervisor actually does?
Matt Boschetto
- Job: Small business owner
- Age: 35
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Car
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California
- Residency: Living in District 7 since 2014
Small businesses are the economic backbone of the City. As a small-business owner, I know how tough this city can be for a business to operate, get permits, find the right space โ and thrive. Iโve also learned that leading a team, keeping track of the bottom line, and focusing on achieving your goals are the keys to success. If I donโt balance our flower businessโ budget wisely, weโll lose the business. Every decision I make impacts the livelihood of our employees. I promise to bring a small-business ownerโs sense of accountability, adaptability and authenticity in the role of Supervisor.
Stephen Martin-Pinto
- Job: Firefighter/major, U.S. Marine Corps reserves
- Age: 46
- Housing: Tenant in SF, property owner and landlord in Lemon Grove, California
- Transport: Fairly evenly split between car, Muni and walking
- Languages: Spanish, Russian, Georgian
- Education: University of California, Davis
- Residency: Living in District 7โs Sunnyside since 2014, and earlier from 1983 to 1998
Since 2016, Iโve had leadership roles in District 7, as president of Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and West of Twin Peaks Central Council. Iโve established personal relationships with neighborhood representatives, and together weโve worked to address a variety of local issues. Iโve served on the Veteran Affairs Commission since 2019, co-authoring legislation and working with supervisors and the mayorโs office to get it passed. As a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Iโve been a foreign military advisor, negotiating with partner nations, making compromises and deals that serve both of our interests. Few candidates have the leadership experience that I have.
Endorsed by: Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall, former Planning Commissioner Michael Antonini, former Police Chief Tony Ribera, drug policy advocate Tom Wolf, BART Board Director Debora Allen … read more here
Myrna Melgar
- Job: District 7 supervisor
- Age: 56
- Housing: Homeowner
- Transport: Bike
- Languages: Spanish, French, Swedish
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, Excelsior College; master’s degree in urban planning, Columbia University
- Residency: Living in Ingleside Terraces since 2011, and lived in District 7 while in college at SF State between 1987 and 1991
My work as Supervisor is to help District 7 constituents successfully access City services and to legislate for the City as a whole. I am a mother of three girls who grew up going to school and playing in District 7. Our synagogue is here. I love my neighbors, the community that my family is connected to: I am accountable to them.
I know the legislative process well; before I was elected Supervisor, I worked for two different members of the Board of Supervisors, and for Mayor Newsom in the Mayor’s Office of Housing. I served as a commissioner for … read more here
Endorsed by: SF Labor Council, SF Tenants Union, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, Senator Scott Weiner, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins … read more here
Candidates are ordered alphabetically. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at kelly@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.