It's been nearly 100 days since Jean Quan walked into Oakland City Hall as the new mayor.

In that time since the election, there have been highs like the well attended district town hall meetings, the high profile appearances and the strong relationship developing with the Oakland Unified School District. But, there also have been challenges like the squabble with the city attorney, the periodic Oakland police problems and the lukewarm response to her budget options.

Here's a brief rundown of the mayor's term so far:

The Takeover

It began with a whirl. Rank choice voting brought Quan into the highest city office and as a Chinese American woman, she caught the attention of the international media quickly. Suddenly Quan was on television stations everywhere, vowing to raise the city's profile and to usher in a new style of city leadership.

The Police

The first real bump in Quan's mayoral term came with the announcement from San Jose that Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts was a finalist for the position of chief in that city. While the rest of the Oakland tried to absorb the shock, Quan remained calm and indicated that she wouldn't have any problems filling the position.

When San Jose selected another candidate for chief, Batts had to do some major patch work, but he has reaffirmed his commitment to Oakland and says his relationship with the mayor is strong.

In between all of the Batts drama was the breakdown of OPD radio communications equipment and strong morale problems emerging in the police department. Quan has been active on the radio problem and Batts has stepped forward on the morale question. In addition, negotiations between Quan and the Oakland police union has started up.

Also, Quan was able through a bit of financial shuffling to bring back 10 officers that were laid off in July.

The Budget

The real budget battle has barely begun, but it's already looking like its going to be a grueling process.

Quan first said she'd introduce a budget in March. Then the date was pushed back a month, and a budget with options was issued. This month, Quan will present a detailed line-by-line budget proposal.

In the week or so since the budget options have been dropped, there have been grumblings from grassroots groups and Council members that presenting options is not good enough. Quan, however, has pointed out that the budget options plan is a detailed report previously not seen this early in the city's budget season.

The mayor and Council are going on a retreat today (April 11) at the Joaquin Miller Center and Quan has said she's going to have a hardcore budget proposal in place before the end of this month.

In the meantime, the options provided by the mayor are quite bleak as a result of the city's severe financial problems. How Quan handles Oakland budget problems may very well become her litmus test.

The Attorney

Things were already shaky between city attorney John Russo and Quan before the most recent flare up. The City Council also wasn't happy with Russo.

Then the mayor and Oakland's city attorney got into a scuffle over gang injunction and the role of her legal adviser. Soon, Russo's name popped up as a finalist for Alameda city manager and Quan was fielding even more questions about Russo.

Russo ultimately won the position in Alameda and soon the City Council will begin the work towards bringing Oakland a new city attorney.

Town Halls and Education

Quan has really shone at her district town halls - four have taken place so far - and residents have enjoyed having access to both Quan and her executive staff. Quan clearly enjoys engaging with Oakland residents and promoting some of her core mayoral passions, including her 2,000 mentors initiative.

The crowds have grown larger at these events, but so have expectations that all the talking will lead to change. In any case, Quan has definitely fulfilled her campaign promise to be a more accessible mayor.

With education, Quan has used her years on the board of the Oakland Unified School District to forge a strong bond between education and City Hall.

In perhaps one of her greatest successes during her short time in office is the opening of the 81st Avenue Library in East Oakland, a dream that took more than 10 years to realize. Quan also has created a still emerging education cabinet, which includes the head of Mills College, Janet L. Holmgren, among its members.

Looking ahead, Quan will likely see many of these early issues follow her to the end of her term as mayor.