Election Aftermath, San Francisco

"My voice may be high, my orientation may be gay, my politics may be left, but I know we are right!"   --Tom Ammiano, December 14, 1999, at the Election night party

It is with an inspired though heavy heart that I write this second and unfortunately final piece about Tom Ammiano's campaign for mayor in San Francisco. By now you may have heard of it through local California press, National Public Radio, or even The Economist. The valiant campaign is over, but a new movement has begun and left an indelible mark on San Francisco politics, and perhaps beyond.

MASH's December '99 "Our Social Conscience" was a hopeful tale of participatory democracy--a David vs. Goliath general election forcing a December 14 runoff between San Francisco's incumbent mayor, Willie Brown, and President of Board of Supervisors, Tom Ammiano. This time "David" didn't conquer "Goliath"--but he humbled him with a grassroots campaign of over 4,000 volunteers (myself included).

Final results for the December 14, 1999, San Francisco, CA mayoral runoff:

"Let's applaud this election for its insight into the democratic process."

--Volunteer Precinct Captain

San Francisco politicians now know that not all elections can be bought. In the December 14 runoff election, Willie Brown spent approximately $5 million and received 59.8% of the votes. Tom Ammiano's grassroots campaign was funded by events like the TOMAPALOOZA comedy nite with a dozen local comedians. Himself a former stand-up comedian, Tom cracked a few jokes about the tension in city hall since he decided to run for mayor. He won 40.1% of the vote and spent 1/32 of what Willie Brown supporters raised.

Lessons for Willie Brown, who is "still da mayor": 1. Voters are hungry for candidate's with integrity 2. Some are willing to do way more than just vote and shell out dough. 3. You can't just ignore people without loads of money. He is the first SF mayor in 16 years to win reelection--since way back when Dianne Feinstein was in charge.

Known for his flashy style and arrogant attitude, the mayor was truly shaken when he didn't breeze back into office after the November general election. His stated agenda for the second term already sounds like campaign issues Ammiano put forth: making SF more affordable, improving the public schools, and decreasing the animosity between landlords and renters. This is one of the victories of Ammiano's campaign--setting an agenda tuned into residents' concerns.

Mayor Brown's second term will have to be a more demure and conservative one. This alone should be a formidable task for "DA mayor" who loves the limelight and whose endorsements included Democratic machine heavy weights such as Bill & Hilary--complete with an automated phone message from Bill urging voters to support Willie Brown! Perhaps the most surprising and limiting endorsement for a liberal mayoral candidate came from the Republican Party.

The local newspapers (egregiously pro-Willie Brown) report that he won "DA landslide" and "crushed" Ammiano. The fact is that the SF powerhouses are trying to delude themselves into thinking that they really CAN buy elections. Despite all of this, Ammiano still received 40% of the votes--nowhere near being buried. One of the more clever and telling slogans of Tom's campaign best sums up the remarkable turn out of voters and volunteers: "You're invited to participate in democracy."

I like to hope that this past mayoral election was a farewell to big-money San Francisco politics, but I know it isn't. However, it is a threat to the powers-that-be that money, TV ads, and smear tactics can't crush the voices of committed and organized people who dare to dream--and act.

"Tom already has shown what can be done with a grassroots effort. Everyone wishes politics could be like this, with people getting together and standing up for what they believe in."

--San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Member & Volunteer for Tom Ammiano

--Cristina Booker

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