Following the announcement that Edwin Lee, the Mayor of San Francisco has died, Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Cities and Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities have issued the following statements.
Statement by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Cities:
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of my lovely friend Ed Lee. On behalf of C40 Cities and the more than ninety mayors who make up the C40 network, we send our deepest condolences to Ed’s family.
"Mayor Lee contributed to renew the mayoral leadership in the United States and around the world. The climate policies he developed in San Francisco are an inspiration for all the mayors of megacities. Under his leadership, San Francisco became this iconic beacon for innovation making the future concrete today.
"When Ed saw the failure of federal leadership in the United States on the Paris Agreement, he was amongst the first US mayors to step forward and declare that San Francisco would honor it, regardless of the decision from the White House.
"I was pleased to stand beside him just last week as we signed together the Chicago Charter on climate action. One more time, his fearless and compassionate convictions were an inspiration to many mayors across the United States and around the world.”
Statement by Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities
“Edwin Lee, was a good man and great mayor for the people of San Francisco. I have had the pleasure of meeting him many times and seeing close up how he was transforming his city for the better. His humble manner, entirely unconcerned with the trappings of his high office, was coupled with a fierce determination to always act in the interests of his citizens, starting with those who were most disadvantaged. I saw how his leadership inspired all of those who worked for him, to devote their energies to creating a sustainable and more equitable future for every citizen of San Francisco.
Meeting him again in Chicago, just last week, we discussed his vision for 2018 as a turning point in the global campaign for radical climate action, which would culminate in the Non-State Actors Summit to be held in San Francisco later next year. I left those meetings galvanized, reassured about the depth of support for the Paris Agreement amongst the American people, and above all hopeful for our collective future on this planet. His legacy will be to see all of those ambitions realized. Mayor Ed Lee, will be sorely missed by the whole C40 family and we send our very deepest condolences to all who loved him, knew him, and were inspired by him.