Local Election Results ...
by , 2007-11-13
Editor:
In today's story by Paul Hogarth on the election, [Prop A campaign manager] Natasha Marsh is quoted as saying: “When you have a coalition of labor, environmental and community groups, you can run an incredibly powerful field campaign that wins, and wins over all the money they throw at us. "
Natasha Marsh forgot a key element of the coalition - moderates. Mayor Newsom, Supervisor Elsbernd, SPUR and Plan C all endorsed Prop A and were no on Prop H. Prop A would not have passed without support from SPUR-type moderates who believe in transit-first and good urban planning. This battle was a victory for good planning over bad - not a victory for any particular political faction in the City.
Paul Hogarth also makes much of the fact that Newsom received only 68% of the vote, and that he failed to match Agnos' record-setting winning percentage from 1987. I find it equally remarkable that a candidate endorsed by the Bay Guardian, Chris Daly, Ross Mirkarimi, the Tenant's Union and the Milk Club got 7% of the vote. When was the last time a Guardian-endorsed candidate did so badly?
Mike Sullivan, Plan C
Dear Mr. Shaw--
I read Paul Hogarth's November 9 analysis of the election results with interest. He says that Newsom's 68% total was far short of Art Agnos' "historic" victory margin in 1987. However, he neglects to mention that Agnos's was an inconpetent, one term mayor who lost a re-election bid to Frank Jordan, another one term mayor. Newsom is the first incumbent since Dianne Feinstein (hardly a darling of the "progressives") to be re-elected without a runoff. If Harold Hoogasian's totals are added to Newsom's, it appears that at least 75% of San Francisco voters rejected a "progressive" mayoral candidate.
Regarding the major propositions, Newsom and "progressives" supported Proposition A and it won. Hogarth calls its 55%-45% margin a "landslide." Newsom supported Proposition C and "progressives" opposed it--it passed with a 68%, a tsunami. Newsom opposed Proposition E and "progressives" favored it--it lost. Both Newsom and "progressives" opposed Proposition H, and it failed. Newsom supported and "progressives" opposed the nonbinding Proposition J, "Free WiFi," and it passed overwhelmingly.
Clearly, the November 6 election was an excellent one for Mayor Newsom who won across the board.
Gustavo Serina
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