Hall pens letter to supporters

Accuses Newsom of corruption and intimidation

Former Supervisor Tony Hall
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Luke Thomas

September 21, 2007

Former San Francisco Supervisor Tony Hall penned the following letter to his supporters. The letter, dated September 17, accuses the Newsom adminstration of "corruption", "intimidation" of Hall's supporters through "false allegations" and states, "The residents of our City are currently being exploited by a political machine and an administration that is selling our City piece-by-piece to its highest monetary donors."

The letter is reproduced here in full:

September 17, 2007

I am writing to thank you for your loyal support and to inform you as to why I withdrew from the Mayor's race.

Your support has proven to me that there still are San Franciscans who care and are concerned about the lack of leadership and honesty at City Hall. Unfortunately, I was not able to mobilize enough people like you to mount an effective campaign.

It is important to understand the reasons that led to my decision to withdraw. The residents of our City are currently being exploited by a political machine and an administration that is selling our City piece-by-piece to its highest monetary donors. It is a machine that is much larger than the mayor himself, and will not relinquish control to anyone unless they are in step with their corrupt and self-serving agenda. They have demonstrated their ability to control our media, avoid legitimate debate on policy issues and delay public funding for opposition candidates. Now that our costly voting machines will not be certified for this election, thus necessitating a hand count, results can be easily manipulated. It very much appears that this race is all but fixed.

I entered this race to use my 30 years experience in San Francisco government to represent the concerns of the average resident. I made it clear from the start of this race that I would not engage in mud-slinging tactics, but concentrate only on policy issues so the public could make better informed decisions. After five months of building a campaign, and spending $68,887 of personal and supporters' funds, it became obvious that I would not have the opportunity to publicly debate the issues or receive fair coverage in the newspapers. As a result, I was unable to acquire the resources necessary to effectively communicate my platform, let alone counter their tactics of false allegations and intimidation of my known supporters. I also came to realize that the public needs more time before they understand what is truly happening to our City because, only then, will they be compelled to hold our elected officials accountable and demand change. For me to continue on while putting my family's happiness or supporters' well being at risk would be selfish.

To each and every one of you, my heartfelt thanks. You demonstrated the courage to stand up as only true San Franciscans can do. There will be another day and another time when your values will matter and the harmony and kinship that make San Francisco great will flourish. God bless you and your families.

Sincerely Yours,

Tony Hall

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