chickens, goats, working with his hands every single day. like many people, my family, he immigrated to the great country in america and found himself in a greater city in san francisco and worked his way from very humble beginnings to a very, very successful current situation. he didn't do it just through hard work. he did it because he used a lot of vision and a lot of what he learned, i believe, back on that farm. if you put in a long day of hard work, that is considered to be a good day. and that's what i've known about mel since i met him. he is not a person that cuts corners. he is a person that follows through. he is a man of the community and i believe as a port commissioner he will understand a very complex multi-jurisdictional issues that are related to the port commission and need to be adjudicated in order for us to

move forward and develop the port as we see fit. thank you very much for your time. ♪ with irish eyes [speaker not understood] i know that it's going to be mel murphy that you're gonna meet green eyed city, ocean city sailing slowly toward the sun green eyed city, ocean city sailing slowly toward the irish sun it's gonna be mel that you need and i know that you need it like a dream green eyed city, ocean port city

green sleeves i know the commission needs mel, it's gonna be so swell green sleeves that bring the irish to the port commission will be great (applause) good afternoon. my name is alex rodriguez. i'm here to [speaker not understood] for mr. mel murphy. i met him 20 some years ago when i was a driver and he mentored me to do a lot of things. and he's a gentleman, lot of integrity, and i respect him very much. thank you.

good afternoon, supervisors. my name is [speaker not understood] lead better. i'm an attorney in san francisco and i have the privilege and the honor to speak on behalf of mr. murphy. i've been working with him, i've known him for probably close to 20 years, between 15 and 20 years. we were neighbors. i know his family, mely and his daughter. i am lucky enough now to work directly with him in an organization that he is head of. and he is a man who is a straight shooter, has amazing integrity, does take responsibility fully. but what is so wonderful about mel is how he brings people together from all walks of life, from different aspects of life. and we're all able to know each other and work together. and i can take into consideration the sophistication of our world now and what the port will mean to this city, what he is bringing to this office is going to be

an amazing gift. and i highly, strongly, and unequivocally support him. thank you for your time. >> thank you. hi, supervisors. deborah neiman, noe valley, cbd. i've known mel for about 20 years and i think he's quite a character. he has a very rich personality, and he's been a great contributor in terms of the public private partnerships that we have in noe, especially when he lived there. i think anybody who is a commissioner and is willing to give up their time is pretty special and i think mel would add a lot to the port commission. so, i'm here to support him. thank you. >> thank you. mr. chairman and supervisors, my name is bob melke. i worked with the city for 32 years, now retired. one thing is that mr. murphy was on, i worked with the building inspection department when mr. murphy was commissioner and he was always

accessible to staff at that department, and that's just one aspect of his personality, which he was very helpful to the staff and would listen to them and work with them. also his accomplishments in the building inspection commission are pretty, pretty terrific. the one stop permit and the soft stair legislation that he shepherded through the building inspection commission all helped and i think were the number of projects that are coming before the port in the coming years i think he'll be a tremendous asset. he's both practical and understands these things. i would think he would be a significant asset for the port commission. thank you so much for hearing me. >> thank you. [speaker not understood]. hello, [speaker not understood]. i've known mel for a number of years and particularly when he was on the building inspection commission.

and i find mel as someone who listens, who is reasonable, who is fair and believes in teamwork. that is important for any commissioner. you have to be able to work [speaker not understood]. coming from [speaker not understood] in building is a -- it's going to be a real tragedy for the port commission. there is so much development going on, he'd be a really good person to have there to watch what's going on and as far as where the buck stops. so, i support him sincerely and i hope that you will move his appointment on. thank you. good afternoon, supervisors breed, yee and cohen. my name is todd david and i am the co-founder of san francisco parent political action committee. and as an organization, we think it is so important to make sure that parents and families are represented on commissions in san francisco.

and, so, it's great that mel has chosen to raise his family in san francisco and, you know, we need to keep families in the city. on a personal note, i think you know mel's history speaks for itself. i mean, he has been incredibly generous with his time, resources and expertise to this city. and i cannot think of a better person and skill set that is needed at the port commission than needed at the port commission. mel's skill set is desperately needed there and i think it will be a tremendous asset to the port commission. so, if you guys will support him on the way to the board of supervisors. thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. my name is douglas yip and i've lived in san francisco 61 year. i would like to thank supervisors breed and yee for the aggressive questioning in regards to mr. murphy's business activities.

i think it is an obligation of a committee like this to aggressively look at the activities without taking one side or the other. so, just by the fact that you brought it up and examined it, i think that's something that most committees here at city hall do not do diligently. secondly, i would like to offer a suggestion since he mentioned about his past activities and certain government positions. so, i was wondering whether this committee might think this is the proper venue to inquire about the current status of the female head of building inspection. the last i heard it was in soderth of a -- sort of limbo land. also i'd like to get mr. murphy's opinions to the past port controversies regarding one of the port's leaders. ~ if i remember his name

correctly, it was doug chan. thank you. good afternoon, i'm simon [speaker not understood], an architect in san francisco. i practiced in the city about 15 years. i just want to point out many people have tried to improve the [speaker not understood] of dbi. i think mel has done the best job. no one had ever [speaker not understood] what mel did. and i think that it's sad to say the water fund is very under utilized nowadays. it's all parking lot. i believe mel would be a good addition to the port to have him improve the waterfront. thank you. ~ to help improve the waterfront. thank you. ~ good afternoon, commissioners. my name is john mcardle and i moved to san francisco in 1969. much like mr. murphy, i was not an immigrant to this company -- this country, my parents were. and when i moved here in '69 i

went to work for a privately held company from which i am now retired. along the way, i invested in property in san francisco and became a housing provider. as a matter of fact, one of the buildings i made an investment overlooks that graffiti [speaker not understood] theater that was talked about earlier. but along the way, i met a very honest, capable, talented man who provided services to the buildings that i worked in and that i was a participating partner in. and that man was mel murphy. besides furnishing services to property owners in the community it's been talked about, the contributions that he has made, and moving in on the department of building inspection until he became the top person in that commission. in my opinion and from my past business experience from which i am now retired, mel murphy has all the necessary qualifications to be a member of the port commission.

he can bring business background in construction, meeting payrolls, managing people, bringing people together, living within budgets, and integrity, honesty and commitment to the boards and to that commission. so, i would urge you to please recommend him and to please see to it that he brings those benefits to the port city of san francisco and to the jewel that he commented on earlier. thank you very much. >> thank you. hello, supervisors. my name is frank lee. i'm a current member of the building inspection commission and i had the pleasure of serving mel murphy for the past -- for six years on that commission. i'm taking time off from work today to come here to urge you to support mayor lee's appointment of him on the port commission. the way i see it, mel is a

perfect fit for the port commission at the right time. his experience development, financing, construction, and job creation will help guide the port in asking tough questions and making the right choices on although potential projects that are coming. i want to speak a little about my experience with him on the commission. i have seen mel hold everybody accountable. he asked the tough questions of staff. he even held the bad property owners [speaker not understood] of tenants. i've seen him be patient and understanding with tenants that come before our commission. so, as a resident of san francisco, i am confident that mel will watch out for my interests, my neighbor's interests, your interests, and i'm confident that mel would ensure any development on the port property or be responsible and appropriate for that community. and i am confident that mel will consider how these

projects will create jobs. [speaker not understood] how to create revenue for you. ~ to spend. thank you. good afternoon, commissioners. i am here to support the nomination of mel murphy. i won't be singing, you will be glad to hear that. but i wanted to say that i am a recent arrival here in san francisco. i come here having expanded my business from hong kong with my wife. we've come here and opened a business here and went also to ireland. from the moment that i encountered mel, he was such an ambassador for this city, wishing that we connect with the city, you know, making it possible for us to get established here, which i am eternally grateful for. you know, i've got to know him

over time and he's become a friend. and there is something about him that just his character, this kindness and generosity of spirit which marks him which i think is wonderful. i had the pleasure, too, of visiting one of his projects recently. and it was very interesting just to see and not only how his -- the people that work for him and with him how they respond to him and the closeness that he has. he knows people by their first names. and i think that's a man that is as busy as he does to know everybody's names and they talk to him as mel. i really like that. and the fondness that he has for the people that he works with. so, i think he's a marvelous ambassador for this city and i strongly support his nomination. thank you. good evening, commissioners, supervisors. my name is [speaker not

understood]. retired deputy chief for the san francisco police department, i've known mel for quite a number of years. i wish to speak on his behalf as i feel he is a very worthy candidate for the port commission of san francisco. i believe that to be on this commission a leader needs foresight and i'll add another, humanity. all of these mel has. he has worked his way up from the beginnings in ireland to the north sea where he worked on oil rig to the alaska pipeline, and to business in san francisco and has done a wonderful job all the way. if we consider the number of people in the middle class of san francisco who mel gave work to, carpenters, electricians, plumbers on his buildings, hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands. he has foresight for the future of san francisco.

he knows that the port is on its way up. there's no question about that. at one time it was the queen pacific. it went down, but it's on its way back up. and i've heard him speak many times in meetings regarding the cruise industry that can be developed here. he has vision, he has foresight. the business of the port is business and we should put a businessman in charge. he has that. i feel that the other work that he has done -- and that's one of the reasons that i'm here, for people who are down and out, show his humanity. there are people alive today who would not be alive if mel hadn't taken them in hand and given them his time, hours and hours and hours of work. his business instincts and leadership will bring this port way up, i know that. so, i totally support mel murphy for the port commission of san francisco. thank you, supervisors.

good afternoon, commissioners. my name is carmen cavanagh. i also had the privilege of working with mel murphy and i'm here to support him as a candidate for the port commission. i've known mel and his family for many years and have witnessed all the good and honest work he has done for his beloved san francisco. please consider mel as being the most competent person for this position. thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. my name is patrick ryan. i'm a business owner in san francisco in the dogpatch area. my first contact with mel murphy was actually when he hired me to do some asbestos abatement at one of his properties. it was a tiny little job, it wasn't -- maybe a $4,000 job. and we've never worked together on a project since, but we've become good friends which is much more important to me. but i bring that project up because it was an asbestos

abatement project with a type of asbestos that's very -- it's not a big deal. it's [speaker not understood] which doesn't pose too much of a threat. it's a lower class of asbestos abatement. but mel was so adamant about doing everything right in order to make sure that his -- the neighboring properties in that property were protected. and, so, you know, this idea that has been presented in some publications that he doesn't look at the rules applicable to him is absolutely incorrect. and i actually came here to really speak about him as a man, but everybody else has done such an eloquent job of that, i wanted to make sure that i spoke about a specific project experience that i had with him. but, you know, mel murphy, anyone that comes in contact with him knows that he's always there for you in any way that you need him. for something that's minimal and there's no cameras around or anything like that, i recently had a performance for my son. he comes to that and said

[speaker not understood]. this is a man who brings domain knowledge for a number of industries and that are absolutely relevant to this commission and i hope you will make sure that he gets through. thank you very much. >> thank you. good afternoon, supervisors and district. my name is gail malone. i'm a native san francisco and i had the opportunity over two years ago to meet mel murphy and actually i worked for him. he took a chance and hired me. so, and i know that mel does a lot of good with his building inspection as commissioner. i often helped him with a lot of things that he does with that. and, so, i know with the way he works that company, as a port supervisor he would be doing the work the same way. he would be a great person at that -- in that position. also, i had got this much involved in the city of san francisco until i worked for the murphy and o'brien. so, now i'm well aware and i know i'm going to learn a lot

more once he gets this position as port officer. and i really want to be on his side and i thank you guys for listening to me. good luck, mel. >> thank you. good afternoon, my name is susan fox and i've been asked to read the following letter on behalf of barbara brent an gary. i would like to first apologize for not being able to attend in person as i was unable to take the day off from work. i hope you will accept my enthusiastically written letter on behalf of a good friend and mentor mel murphy. let me please start by giving you a little of my background. i have been a resident of san francisco since that district in 1987 when i moved here from santa cruz to go to college. i am currently a 32 year old working mother of a five-year old little girl who will be attending public school here in san francisco this coming fall. also notably, i vote in every election in my district. i have known mel murphy since the summer of 2008 when i met him while we were both doing service work with people with

substance abuse problems. over the years i have seen am murphy tirelessly devote himself to this cause and many others. i have known him to mentor, empower, employ, men and women that society had thrown away. a quality of mr. murphy's i have always admired was his ability to not only see the promise in the individual he chose to invest his time and energy into, but also more importantly, i have witnessed a transformation into [speaker not understood] members of society, largely thanks to mr. murphy. this is not to say that he should be the saint of lost cause he. never one to put good into bad. he has an innate understanding of how to help those who really are in earnest to help themselves. he also knows how to bring people that might not have gotten along achieve the greatest good. [speaker not understood] he is willing to take calculated risks that have the maximum benefit to all those who should be wise enough to listen to him. i think mr. murphy being a

self-made man knows whatnot only goes into a project but what is needed to complete the projects allows him to be effective in tasks in society and humble charm and no b.s. attitude, one cannot help but respond to. i can highly recommend mel murphy to the port commission any other office public or private. he is an asset to any group lucky enough to have him. thank you. barbara brennan gary. john holtz. of course, i've men mel murphy since he has arrived here in san francisco. i'm a resident since 1937 and i've seen the city growing and in different phases. and mr. murphy ha provided housing and jobs which this city needs and he's been doing this since the day he arrived

here in san francisco. and he's been dedicated to not only providing housing and jobs. he also participated in sports for children in soccer and had many, many hours that he has put into this, to the children of this city. so, not only he'll be a asset to the port commission. i think he also has been a great asset to the city of san francisco. so, i highly recommend him, the board here to support him and recommend him for -- on the port commission. thank you. >> thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. my name is miguel angeles.

i've known mel over 12 years. i also worked for him for that time and i'm very happy to come here before you and ask you to recommend mel murphy for the commission of the port. he's a very fair boss, clear person. he makes all of the crews that work for him -- he make them to feel like a worker. he make us feel like as a family for him and that's why i support mel for commissioner. thank you. >> thank you. supervisors, angus mccarty. i am here as an individual in my own capacity here today [speaker not understood] to support the appointment of mel murphy to the port commission. ~ you know, as i think it was

really great questions that you asked earlier, particularly supervisor cohen there, with regard to, you know, why you want this job. when i stepped into the commission position, mel was a great transition person for me. he helped me out and showed me all the ropes. he didn't point out he sat on that commission in a difficult time, people lost their jobs. hard decisions had to be made, very unpopular decisions and he did that. he sat there. now that i'm on the commission, thing are humming and i have a great time. i don't have as hard a time at work as he did then. the other thing i want to point out, the immigrant thing, and i think they touched on that's correct he worked his way, there were no handouts in life. we came from a country where we didn't have an opportunity to give back. we are very compelled here as immigrants when given the opportunity to serve and that's one thing i know mel likes to do. the other aspect of it is he is a very strong businessman. this port, billions of dollars

are going to go through it in the next amount of years. it is important to citizens have a very street smart guy at the helm asking the hard questions. he knows how to negotiate, he knows how to read contracts and he can look around corners. that is the most important thing to me when it comes to being a good commissioner, being able to ask the hard questions so that we as a city get well represented in the port. thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. my name is hector novarro, i'm a native of this city. i've known mel a long, long time when we were both young struggling business people. he's a good person. i know his seed come from another country, but his dna is always to do the best job possible. and i think he'd be a great asset to the city as port commissioner. and he's a great american, and i

don't have more to say, but he's a good friend also. ~ good afternoon, supervisors. [speaker not understood] all being said. [speaker not understood]. i'm the founder of brian culprit in murphy and o'brien real estate investments. i was going to try to keep it brief. i'll tell you little story. the thing i can say to you that i think is worthy of mentioning here with mel is on the building inspection commission, mel was voted by his peers on that commission, not once, but twice to be their president. and i believe on one of those occasions he was actually unanimously voted by people both from the left and the right and the middle. and to me, obviously as someone who has known him for many years intimately, i think that's a wonderful quality to be able to do that.

the whole controversy that happened recently was borne out of mean spiritedness. unfortunately it's correct to point out any deficiencies. but the motivation was less than honorable. and as my mother told me and i'm sure his mother told him back in the old country, it's an old one [speaker not understood] that does something good. it was on the 15th fair way [speaker not understood] when the phone rang. mel was, as he's done so many times to me over the years, beating me yet again in a high stakes game of golf. the stakes being the privilege of being able to say did you walk off the 18th green as the victor. and yet again, he was [speaker not understood] every attempt i made to get back into the game. i could tell as he tried to keep his game face on after the phone call which was obviously that there were some problems and he needed to address them right away, that there was something on. he shanked his next golf shot

into the arizona desert and he never really recovered. so, the [speaker not understood] i got to win one game of golf out of the controversy, but it made him a stronger and better person for what happened. thank you very much. >> thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. i'd like to read a letter from beverly popek who is unable to be here today, and i quote. obviously [speaker not understood] reflect my own. i am unable [speaker not understood] mel murphy's nomination for the san francisco port commission. i hope this letter will be read out loud and a positive endorsement of mel. [speaker not understood] he has been active and engaged in community for years. he cares about the community. more over, he has a wealth of experience not only add a complement to the current commissioners.