Will Gavin debate with Tony Hall out of race?by Sarah Phelan
While apparently not available for debating, Gavin has been spotted in City Hall like at this Aug. 14 event where he posed with a pretty unidentified brunette.
The day after former supervisor Tony Hall dropped out of the mayoral race, he told me that in the three weeks that
has passed since he filed to run, his campaign offered to meet Newsom, "in any format to have an intelligent informed debate," but to no avail.
The Guardian has offered to sponsor a debate, but so far Newsom's camp has not replied to our request.
Newsom's campaign manager Eric Jaye was quoted in today's Chronicle as saying Newsom will participate in debates with the other candidates-- a promise Jaye also made to us three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Hall denies that his decision to drop out was connected to a City's Ethics Commission investigation into allegations that he misused thousands of dollars in contributions to his 2004 re-election campaign, when he was District 7 supervisor.
Tony Hall participated August 17 in the first Meet the Next Mayor debate. Newsom did not. even though the event has been taking place every Friday night at 5pm, directly below the window of his R. 200 City Hall office.
Quintin Mecke, who works as program director for Safety Network Partnerships, remains in the race and now has the endorsement of progressive champion, Sup. Chris Daly.
Newsom subsequently appointed Sean Elsbernd to the D7 seat, after luring Hall out of elected office by appointing him to head Treasure Island.
The move went south, when Hall disagreed with Newsom about the terms of the redevelopment's exclusive negotiating agreement with developer Darius Anderson. After Hall was fired by the Treasure Island Development Authority, he went public with his distaste for all things Newsom--a dislike that is still up front and central.
"I'm withdrawing my name because not enough people are willing to stand up and hold this clown Newsom accountable for the mess he has made of this City," Hall told us today. "If I'm in the ring fighting, people have to indicate that they are willing to stand up. Gavin and his little group of power brokers are selling this city piece by piece, but I'm not seeing evidence that people care."
As for the Ethics investigation, Hall says, "anyone who has ever stepped forward to take Newsom on, all of a sudden has a complaint filed against them with the Ethics Commission. It's Gavin's little machine at work."
Hall also said that he is no longer willing to risk the happiness of his family and the welfare of his supporters, who he claims, "have been intimidated and harrassed."
While refusing to elaborate on these claims, Hall likened his current predicament to that of Sup. Chris Daly.
"They crucified Chris Daly, they murdered him for speaking what lots of people knew to be the truth. Gavin is not even being honest about himself."
So, would Tony Hall's application for public financing have actually been approved? That's just one of the question Newsom watchers are asking, in the wake of Hall's decision to drop out of the race, two days after appearing to have qualified to receive $50,000 in public funds.
Hall's application, along with that of fellow challenger Chicken John Rinaldi, is currently under review, as city officials determine whether the funds raised so far--Hall for his part raised $27,000-- came from at least 250 local residents, each giving a maximum of $100.
The City won't determine whether Rinaldi or Hall's funds came from bona fide sources until next week.
In the meantime, and with another "Meet the Next Mayor" debate scheduled for 5 PM tonight outside City Hall, voters have the chance to meet Newsom's challengers. Like Lonnie Holmes.
And then there's Josh Wolf, who Newsom never supported when the 24-year old was jailed for 226 days for refusing to hand over his video outtakes of a protest turned violent--material that it protected under California's reporter shield laws, but which the feds circumvented by claiming a car bought with Homeland Security Funds had been targeted with arson--a claim that subnsequently failed to check out.
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Comments (5)
I am tire of people like Tony Hall and Matt Gonzales harping the same sob story -that the voters of SF won't stand up and hold Newsom accountable. That somehow they are sucked into the Newsom PR machine. Please -give the voters of SF some credit. They have always been very independent - and can think for themselves.
The real reason why Hall and Daly won't run? They know that it will just reaffirm the truth that people in SF cannot stand them. Both are great at whining - yet they refuse to stand up to Newsom where it counts - at the polls. They are the ones who needs to put on the Chicken Suit.
Posted by foghillsf | September 1, 2007 09:02 AM
Holding Electeds Accountable at the Polls One (1) Our of Every One Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Eight Day (1458) Every Four Years Means Nothing. 1 day out of 1459?
Join The SFSM mail@csrsf.com and PROSF home@prosf.org And Permanaently Change The Way Every Part of Your Local Government Does Business Every Day of the Week and Year.
Thousands of City Employees, Elected adn Appointed Officials are on the Lists From Every Department Commission Task Force and Agency You Can Imagine.
Theres No Advertising, No Fees and Only One Catch...
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Were the Government Transparency People and W're Going to Change Da Whole Damn Bidness.
Posted by Christian Holmer | September 1, 2007 02:22 PM
Have you seen Gavin Newsom's new campaign slogan?
Posted by W.C. Varones | September 2, 2007 10:06 AM
Have you seen Gavin Newsom's new campaign slogan?
http://wcvarones.blogspot.com/2007/09/unconventional-campaign.html
Posted by W.C. Varones | September 2, 2007 10:09 AM
funny you're really great at taking on the mayor, who is NOT using taxpayer money to fund his campaign, but "Chicken John" is apparently too chicken to attend any debates - as he is REQUIRED TO BY LAW for taking taxpayer dollars for his campaign.
he has already pledged to spend this money on "expensive booze and figs". So what's the deal, BG?
Are you going to let this joker get away with screwing the taxpayer just because he plays on the playa with your "city editor?"
Or are you going to apply the same serious rigors you apply to Newsom to these wannabes? I bet they can't stand the heat once you apply some....in other words they are not real candidates.
face it, we're stuck with a faker who is all PR and no substance. Oh and then there's the incumbent, too.
Posted by dontvoteforchicken.com | September 6, 2007 01:49 PM