After seven months of putting building blocks in place for an electoral campaign, it gives me deep pleasure to announce that today the San Francisco Department of Election released the November 2014 Unofficial Candidate List for Board of Supervisor Districts # 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and my name is listed for the District 8 seat.
I am one of four challengers including longtime nude activist George Davis, and two unknown personalities Tom Wayne Basso and John Nulty, and I look forward to meeting up with them and mapping out a strategy for the coming five-month campaign season.
It's a weird and wonderful feeling becoming a candidate for elected office, after years of radical street activism on a host of HIV/AIDS and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender concerns in my own backyard and around our planet. My political engagement for change up to now has excluded running for office, but as we all very well know, my life-path has been quite dynamic and eventual.
Once I saw the Department of Elections list, the first thing I did was call Mike and share the good news with him. We shared a few laughs, congratulated ourselves on getting this far in the process with a number of health challenges, and thought about our next steps.
The first next step is to thank all of you who've endorsed my effort either with funds (more are needed and certainly welcomed), signatures for my nominating papers or friendship and love and encouragement. On to the campaign season!
In this photo by Bill Wilson, I am swearing to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution and other civic duties at the Department of Elections with Mike holding a campaign sign behind. Not sure why I had take this oath when filing my papers, but this whole electoral process is an education and I'll be sure to get an answer about why this was necessary from the department
While Tommy Basso may be 'unknown' to you, he and his family are well known to many long time residents of Noe Valley. They are an 'old school' San Francisco family. Following in the footsteps of the pater familia, Tommy Basso; Tommy, his brother Gino and Uncle Wayne, for decades ran the highly successful "Basso's" at 24th and Church. Papa Tommy died many years ago and is fondly remembered by us old-timers in the hood. The family tradition continues and they operate various other businesses in the City of their birth. It is refreshing to see original San Franciscans standing up and running for office in their home town which is increasingly being sold to the highest bidder by opportunistic 'arrivistas'. Just my 2c.
ReplyDeletePatrick Monk.RN. Noe Valley. SF.