McGoldrick recall a "waste of everybody's time"

Supervisor Jake McGoldrick.
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Tamara Barak

May 30, 2007

Richmond District merchants and residents demanding the recall of San Francisco Supervisor Jake McGoldrick formally kicked off their campaign today, marching through the neighborhood to collect needed signatures.

The group, Richmond Deserves Better, claims McGoldrick, who has represented the Richmond District since 2000, is quick to increase taxes, refuses to meet with his constituents, and doesn't care about the concerns of small business owners.

Recall supporters also say McGoldrick's legislation for Saturday road closures in Golden Gate Park went against the will of voters in the Richmond District. They also accuse the supervisor of forcing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan onto the neighborhood without consulting Geary Street merchants who would be affected by the construction.

"Jake McGoldrick has not been responsive to our needs," said Paul Kozakiewicz, a spokesman for the recall effort.

Kozakiewicz, who publishes the newspaper The Richmond Review, said he once supported McGoldrick before coming to question the twice-elected supervisor's competence and ethics.

Kozakiewicz's recent editorials criticizing McGoldrick became the catalyst for Michael Samson to begin meeting with the recall group a couple of months ago, Samson said.

Samson, who moved to the Richmond in 1972 and is a member of the Friends of Sutro Park, said the need for a recall becomes apparent by simply looking around the neighborhood.

"All the shuttered businesses, the congestion, the condition of the roads - I'm not blaming Jake McGoldrick for all these problems, but we need a supervisor who will represent strong leadership," to solve the problems, he said.

The group, which needs to collect 4,000 signatures to secure the recall on the November ballot, faces serious opposition.

San Francisco Firefighters, the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee and State Sen. Leland Yee have all spoken out against the recall as unfounded and wasteful.

They have also joined an opposing group, Citizens Against Recall Abuse. The group's campaign manager, Les Hilger, said about a dozen volunteers opposed to the recall canvassed Richmond District streets during Memorial Day weekend.

"Unlike what you're hearing from recall proponents, we're finding a lot of support in the community for Supervisor McGoldrick," Hilger said.

In a written statement, John Hanley, president of the San Francisco Firefighters, called the recall effort "a complete waste of everybody's time and money," since McGoldrick's term expires next year due to term limits.

"Every penny spent on the recall is money stolen from public safety and other essential services," Hanley said.

Yee also spoke out against the recall.

"In my mind, this is an abuse of the recall process, which is meant for serious problems like corruption, not just a disagreement on the issues," he said.

The San Francisco Democratic Central committee Wednesday night unanimously passed a resolution opposing the recall. Those voting against the recall included Yee, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos; State Sen. Carole Migden and Assemblyman Mark Leno, according to the Citizens Against Recall Abuse.

McGoldrick was not immediately available for comment. In a written statement, he thanked the Democratic Party leadership for its support and called the recall "an unfortunate distraction for both me and the residents of the Richmond."

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