SFGovTV & League of Women Voters' Video
by Michael Petrelis

The five-minute candidate statement I taped last month as part of a joint voter engagement project of SF GovTV and the League of Women Voters is now on YouTube.

Seeing the finished tape, I feel I come across as a basically relaxed and rumpled younger brother of Harvey Fierstein, with just a tinge of nervousness reading off a teleprompter for the first time.

I told my social media guru Todd Swindell about learning to love my look on the tape, and he replied with this tale:

"Reminds me of a great scene from one of my fav films 'Broadcast News". William Hurt's character is trying to help Albert Brook's character to present better when doing the evening news report. Hurt tells Brooks to sit on the line of his coat but Brooks ignores him and keeps reading. Finally Hurt comes over and pulls it down. Brooks becomes all ruffled about being touched but, when he sees himself on the monitor, he says, 'Fantastic tip!'"

Let's go to the tape:

 

League of Women Voters & My Public Access Close-Up

Did you know that SF Gov TV has a fully equipped studio loaded with lights, cameras of all sorts, make-up supplies, editing facilities and a teleprompter located in the bowels of the main library on Grove Street?

I didn't until the League of Women Voters invited me to participate in their program of taping a five-minute statement from Supervisorial candidates, that will air on the City's two public access channels and be available as video-on-demand on SFGovTV.org the final week of September.

My friend Bill Wilson of the #ILikeMikeSF team accompanied me this afternoon as we met up with Nati Oron of the league near the Koret Auditorium on the library's lower level, who escorted us to the studio.

Nati went over the details about how I had only twenty-minutes for a take or two, that there would be no editing of the tapes, I'd have to choose which take to use and to not mention other candidates, among other fine points.

The technicians had prepared my statement for the teleprompter and this was my first time using one for a speaking engagement. I liked using the teleprompter and sure would love to have the device available for when I make public comment at City Hall hearings.

I was told where to stand under the blazing hot lights, in front of a green screen which would transform into a background image of City Hall when the tape airs, and did a sound-check.

We filmed two takes and the first one was chosen because I spoke slower and made fewer flubs than in the second version. Many thanks to the League of Women Voters and SF Gov TV for making this outreach tool available to this alternative candidate.

Once we hear from the league that the segment is available for viewing, we'll share the details with you.

No League of Women Voters Debates in SF
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis
(Cross-posted from our campaign site.)
 

We've accepted an invitation from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters to participate in two crucial activities during the fall campaign season, starting with sitting before a camera and teleprompter to create an important video outreach instrument that is of great assistance to our DIY Democracy alternative candidacy.

Here is the first activity the LWV has organized for all Supervisorial candidates:

"This [video] initiative, in partnership with SFGOV-TV, is fair and neutral, and will provide you with an excellent platform to communicate
your message.

"'Meet the Candidates: Board of Supervisors' will air on San Francisco’s public, educational, and government access
cable channels, and will be made available on the internet through SFGTV’s website, as well as the League’s Website www.lwvsf.org.

"The program will contain five-minute statements from Candidates for the local Board of Supervisors’ races. Each statement will be
placed in the order in which it was taped, and aired multiple times before the November Election."

The second LWV activity is a candidate meet-and-great on October 23 at the Nissan/Infinity car dealership building on Van Ness Avenue. Our campaign will have the opportunity to engage with District 8 voters, the general public, members of the media and the business community.

We're very much looking forward to engaging with the LWV members and their network during these two components that enhance San Francisco's democracy, however, it's disappointing that the organization has no debates of any sort on their agenda before the November 4th election.

Our wonderful city and civic engagement is greatly diminished that the 2014 fall elections will take place without a single debate happening, as far as we know, in any Supervisorial race or over the various ballot propositions.

How did San Francisco reach the point where a fall vote happens and the voters and candidates are denied the opportunity to debate each other? It's troubling just asking this vital question but it must be raised and we wonder what your answer is.

Thank you, League of Women Voters, for your invaluable work!