Behind the Ballot: Aaron Peskin, candidate for San Francisco mayor
A political figure long-known to residents in San Francisco's North Beach, Aaron Peskin has served on the Board of Supervisors two times, first from 2001 to 2009 and again after being re-elected in 2015.
He says his own personal struggles with addiction make him the right person to lead a city battling the same problem.
To know San Francisco city supervisor and mayoral candidate Aaron Peskin is to understand his love of the water.
"No matter how stressful it is, or what's on the board of supervisors agenda, or what crazy meetings you have, or what unexpected insanity is going to happen in a day, or what police are going to call you start your day here, and you can always keep it together and manage people and be at the top of your game," he told CBS News Bay Area.
At least three times a week he can be found at the South End Rowing Club, getting in his laps in the bay before heading off to city hall.
"Only the bold swim in the cold," he said
It's a practice that, for Aaron, has become more than a routine. More than an exercise. But a part of his being.
"We have parks and we've got Golden Gate Park, but we also have this just incredible Bay, which is, for most people, a postcard, but you can actually interact with that postcard," he explained.
His time swimming is one of the few traits that transcends Aaron's time in city hall.
"I said, I'll try anything once. That was 32 years ago," he recalled of his inaugural swim in 1992. He was first elected as a city supervisor in December of 2000.
"Depending on the tides, that's about a 20-minute swim, and then I'm just in the right zone all day long," Aaron explained of his typical route.
Each time he steps into the water, he discovers a well of strength and healing, aiding him on his journey to recover from his struggle with alcohol.
"It's just a moment where you can separate yourself. I think some people do meditation, and some of us swim in the bay, and it's and it's been really important in my own personal journey of recovery," said Peskin.
Swimming across the bay, to Alcatraz and back and beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, is a journey he's taking alongside a city in recovery.
"Swimming in the bay makes you feel so connected to something that's larger than you. Matter of fact, back in my drinking days, I wasn't swimming as much, and now that I stopped drinking, I swim really regularly," he said.
Healing with each stroke in the water and bringing lessons he hopes can lift the city back on shore.
"It kind of just helps you realize how incredibly special San Francisco is. I'm just ready to get to work," said Peskin.
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