KCBS Reporter Learns 1st-Hand How To Run For San Francisco Mayor
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The race to be San Francisco's next mayor just got a little more crowded. KCBS reporter Mike Sugerman jumped into the campaign fray during his travels, About the Bay.
KCBS' Mike Sugerman Reports:
"Hello. I'd like to take out papers to run for mayor," Sugerman told the elections officials.
He was just the latest name on a growing list at City Hall.
"I hereby declare my intention to become a candidate for the office of mayor," Sugerman read the fine print.
"So am I on the ballot now?" Sugerman asked.
"You are on our potential candidate list," a woman in the elections office responded.
San Francisco would need an interim mayor when Gavin Newsom takes his newly won post as Lt. Governor in January. Later next year, there will be an election.
The list of names in that field was growing every day.
At last count, more than one dozen people had signed up for the November 2011 election. After filing, a candidate needed $5,000 or 10,000 signatures to get his or her name on the ballot.
Sugerman was aware of the potential perks of the job, including a $246,000 annual salary and a commute to City Hall in a luxury vehicle.
Speaking of luxury vehicles, there was a man who drove them for a living who hoped to become mayor.
"I'm Harold Miller, I'm a limousine driver. I'm running for mayor of San Francisco so that I can try to help out the limousine drivers and taxicab drivers and stop them from fighting each other," the 49-year-old declared.
He described himself as a bachelor. He said that his girlfriend left him after he asked her to help make campaign calls.
Not dwelling on the past, Miller tried to promote his campaign platform, which included a new pro football team, owned by the city.
"You're going to have the 49ers in Santa Clara, the 1849ers in San Francisco and if I get my way with Jerry Rice I'd have him as the coach," he suggested.
Newsom had already suggested another professional athlete to take his place, albeit a rather tongue-in-cheek endorsement.
"This town is gonna need another mayor soon, and I just have three words. Fear the beard! Thank you all!" Newsom told an enthusiastic crowd, in a nod to reliever Brian Wilson at the San Francisco Giants' World Series victory celebration.
For the record, Wilson declined the opportunity to run the city.
That left the field wide open for other big names, and plenty of lesser known candidates.
"My name is Robert Jordan, I sing, I'm running for mayor of San Francisco," a 63-year-old man stated. His resume included stints as a professional boxer and a security guard, though when he launched his campaign, he was unemployed.
"I've had this dream since 1958," he reminisced about a tour of San Francisco City Hall with his elementary school class. "That's just always been a dream of mine, I've always wanted to help people."
It wasn't clear how stiff a challenge these candidates would pose to Sugerman, but one thing was certain: he wasn't getting Newsom's endorsement.
"Sugerman, you and I, we had our moment. We had our time, our time has come and gone," Newsom told Sugerman. "I'm sorry, I know it's painful, I'm sorry to say that."
Later, Sugerman speculated that he didn't think Newsom was that sorry, after all.
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