Hall to Declare Mayoral Candidacy

Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall. File photo by Luke Thomas.

By Luke Thomas

October 15, 2010, 12:07 pm

Former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall will officially declare his candidacy in the 2011 race for mayor, Fog City Journal has learned.

“The only reason I’m getting into this race is because the city is broken,” Hall told FCJ. “None of the candidates that have declared so far are up to making the tough decisions to fix this city.”

“I want San Franciscans to be happy and proud they’re living here,” Hall added.

Hall joins termed out Supervisor Bevan Dufty and City Attorney Dennis Herrera as the only electeds so far to have declared candidacies for the open seat.  State Senators Leland Yee and Mark Leno; District Attorney Kamala Harris; Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Michela Alioto-Pier; and former Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez; are also rumored to be considering mayoral candidacies.

An independent with no party affiliation, Hall said he will file the required papers with the San Francisco Department of Elections in mid-November.

Hall was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2000. Hall resigned in 2004 after accepting an appointment from Mayor Gavin Newsom to head the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA).  In what became known as a “triple play,” Newsom appointed Sean Elsbernd to replace Hall on the Board of Supervisors.

In October 2005, following allegations made by Hall accusing Newsom of making “sweetheart deals” with Treasure Island developer and Newsom fundraiser Darius Anderson, the Newsom-appointed TIDA Board fired Hall without cause. Around the same time, an anonymous complaint was filed with the San Francisco Department of Ethics, accusing Hall of campaign violations during his 2004 re-election bid for supervisor.  The investigation resulted in Hall being fined on two of six alleged campaign finance violations.  Hall believes the filing of the anonymous complaint was politically motivated.

Hall was the only big name to challenge Mayor Newsom’s re-election bid in 2007.  His run was upended however, when, according to Hall, Newsom threatened Hall’s supporters with building plan delays and an immediate recall effort if Hall defeated Newsom.

Hall is a father of seven and a wedding singer.

Luke Thomas

Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.

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