Mayoral Challenger Rumors and Innuendo

I’ve already assured San Francisco that they’re under no threat of my iron-fisted rule. (“He dares mock me! Put him on the train to the exurban gulag in Pinole.”) But who will run against Gavin? How about some unattributed, unverifiable speculation from assorted parties who may or may not have an axe or three to grind!

Even H. Brown has given up hope of a Danny Glover candidacy. My own inquiries in that direction were mostly fruitless, though I did discover that those close to Glover certainly knew about the efforts to draft him, and I’m assuming that if they didn’t know more than that, it wasn’t happening.

Based on other information, Mirkarimi wants to run, but Gonzalez still hasn’t made up his mind. At least about running. Apparently a decision has been made regarding who would run the campaign. If there is a campaign. Which there isn’t. Yet.

And of course Mirkarimi pretty much has Gonzalez to thank for his seat on the BOS, so it would be the polite (and politically loyal) thing to wait. And while Ross is a polished candidate with a good public record, privately there have been some concerns about his management style.

I do think that there is some value to running a slate of candidates, and not staking hopes on one horse. Leal and Alioto have thrown in their lot with Gavvy-Gav, so I doubt they’d risk their appointments to oppose him. My money is on Tony Hall to run (yet again) out of spite, and could probably pick up some donors from Republicans disaffected by the Gavster’s shenanigans.

Tom Ammiano, whom I’d vote for in a heartbeat (even withstanding accustations that he’s had work done) would make a fine candidate for a progressive threesome, along with someone like artistes Krissy Keefer and Jello Biafra or the ever-articulate Marc Solomon.

I’d really like to see the SF Party Party run a young, articulate, independent candidate, and not just endorse some boojie Green. For starters, they could throw a party to raise the nearly $4,000 filing fee, and then take their pick from a crowd of charismatic hipsters with nothing to lose.

But the calculus seems to be that unless there’s a proven contender strong enough to pull two lesser lights on the coattails of a first-place vote plurality, there’s no shot at beating the hair. Actually, the calculus seems to be that no matter what, there’s no shot at beating the hair.

After all, The City is paying for his campaign events fake question time Town Hall meetings, he can count on millions from prominent industrialists and the upper middle class sycophants who worship them, and he’s got the national party including the inevitable photo ops with Gore, Clinton or Obama.

So, to borrow an historical comparison from one confidant, it still looks like four more years of John Lindsay come November.