Great article on Matt G’s approach
[This quote says a lot: “Guess who at City Hall is the most worried about Gonzalez as mayor? The bureaucrats. A highly unscientific sampling of insider opinion puts Gonzalez at the top among his colleagues in brainpower and independence.” -Thomas]
The Gonzalez insurrection
Marshall Kilduff
Wednesday, December 3, 2003
©2003 San Francisco Chronicle
IN ITS FINAL days, the San Francisco mayor’s race is turning rough. No surprise why. Matt Gonzalez is rudely disrupting the stately march of Gavin Newsom to the top job at City Hall.
The Newsom team is plenty nervous. They’re tugging on every shirtsleeve in sight: If Gonzalez wins, San Francisco will fall into the sea; did you know Matt’s a Green; and we have pictures of him at poetry readings.
Translated into English, this means San Francisco has a genuine race, and a political Grand Canyon separates the two candidates. In one corner is Newsom, who is reasonable, collegial and school-boy honest. He exudes the vision of an MBA, talking about best practices. He’s a smart guy who has had every break, financially and politically.
Gonzalez is something else. There’s the floppy hair and bad suits and the futon on the floor back in the Lower Haight apartment. Where Mayor Gonzalez would take the prime minister of Abyssinia for dinner is anyone’s guess.
But there’s a lot else, and it’s not lost on the voters, who have made the race a surprise toss-up in at least two polls.
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