Seven candidates in the District 6 race to succeed Supervisor Chris Daly squared off in debate Wednesday sponsored by the San Francisco Young Democrats. Photos by Michael J. Costa.
By Luke Thomas
June 25, 2010
Wednesday’s District 6 debate hosted by the San Francisco Young Democrats was one of the best local political debates Fog City Journal has attended.
Credit a lively format that included candidates firing questions at each other and Melissa Griffin’s artful and entertaining moderating that combined to keep a well-attended audience engaged and on the edge of their seats.
Mathew Drake, Glendon “Anna Conda” Hyde, James Keys, Jane Kim, Jim Meko, Theresa Sparks, Debra Walker and Elaine Zamora were the only candidates invited to participate in the debate. Zamora chose not to participate.
Attorney Mathew Drake
Glendon "Anna Conda" Hyde
James Keys
School Board President Jane Kim
Entertainment Commissioner Jim Meko
Human Rights Commission Executive Director Theresa Sparks
Department of Building Inspection Commissioner Debra Walker
It was in round two when candidates fired questions at each other that debate attendees got a sense of which candidates are perceived by the contenders to be the frontrunners in the hotly contested race.
Department of Building Inspection Commissioner Debra Walker, who is considered a frontrunner Progressive candidate, drew first blood when she asked former Police Commission President Theresa Sparks why, after five years sitting and presiding over the police commission, “the commission did nothing about dozens of disciplinary charges against community police officers.”
“My understanding is you did not hold one hearing to review these charges,” Walker said. “How can you tell voters that public safety is one of your strengths if, as a result of your inaction, dirty cops are still on the streets and criminals are running free?”
You could have heard a pin drop as everyone, jaws agape, waited with bated breath to hear how Sparks would respond.
“Thanks for the softball,” a composed Sparks responded, drawing cheers and laughs from the audience. Her substantive response to Walker’s question, however, scored points for Walker when Sparks conceded: “I did hold one hearing in five years and in addition to that, most of, 90 percent of the hearings are mediated before they get to the hearing phase.”
“As you know… the commission cannot get involved in the business of the (police) department,” Sparks added. “And we really didn’t know about a lot of this stuff that was going on as a commissioner.”
Looking to exact revenge on Walker, Sparks asked Walker if she supported six new tax revenue measures being proposed by the Board of Supervisors.
“Do you support these taxes and if you do, how can you also be supportive of small business?” Sparks asked.
Walker thanked Sparks for the question and responded saying she has owned a small business since 1985. “I’m well aware of excessive taxation, especially on small businesses,” she said.
Citing cuts to public services, including Muni, Walker said, “We must revisit our revenue sources, all of them,” adding that she has not had an opportunity to review the Board’s revenue proposals but would not support taxes that “disincentivizes hiring people.”
Next up, longtime D6 dweller, planning activist and Entertainment Commissioner Jim Meko, also considered a Progressive frontrunner, asked School Board President Jane Kim about her position on the mid-Market plan, a controversial redevelopment program to revitalize Market Street between 5th and 8th streets.
“I know you’ve just moved in – you’ve been here just a handful of months now,” Meko said, attempting to cast Kim, who is also considered a Progressive frontrunner, as a carpetbagger. “What do you think about the mid-market plan? Would you reinvigorate the mid-market plan?”
Kim responded to Meko’s jab saying she has been a resident of San Francisco for eleven years, that she is “proud to have been someone who has served families and residents here in District 6 for the past four years as a member of the Board of Education and working on policies around making our schools more quality and ensuring our kids have an opportunity to succeed here in this city.”
Responding to the substantive part of Meko’s question, Kim said she supports the re-invigoration of the mid-market plan. “We need to reinvigorate the process around redevelopment at mid-market,” she said. “We want mid-market – which is the entryway for many tourists that come into our city – to be a beautiful and vibrant part of the city… This should be a part of San Francisco that we are proud of,” adding that small businesses and community arts programs will benefit from mid-market revitalization.
As the round continued, Kim became the focus and target of the candidates’ questions. She received questions from Glendon “Anna Conda” Hyde, James Keys and Mathew Drake, providing Kim substantially more air time than her competitors and giving debate attendees the impression that Kim is the leading candidate in the race.
During the break, commentators Beth Spotswood and Pollo Del Mar reflected on the round.
“I was impressed and a little bit titillated by the back and forth between Debra Walker and Theresa Sparks,” said Pollo Del Mar.
“That was a throw down,” Spotswood added. “They almost have a kind of a tense chemistry between the two of them.”
In round three, where audience attendees posed questions to the candidates, Mathew Drake was asked about a controversial measure on the November ballot that would make it illegal to sit or lie on a sidewalk between the hours of 7 am and 11 pm.
Drake said he “grudgingly” supports the measure. “I just wish that it were better written, but the point is we have to do something. We have a real problem in certain neighborhoods.”
“If I had my preference, the sit/lie law would be limited to certain neighborhoods and not be citywide,” Drake added.
James Keys was asked, “In light of Chris Daly’s failed Progressive Primary, do you in principle support what he was trying to do, or do you favor forums like this one, sponsored by the SF Young Democrats?”
“I’m not sure if he has canceled his Progressive Primary or not,” Keys responded, adding, “It may have been a good thing.”
Positions of each of the candidates on several controversial issues was posted on the wall during the debate. According to Melissa Griffin, Keys has since changed his position in support of protecting undocumented youth from referral to immigration authorities.
Blogista Beth Spotswood with Bay Times contributor Pollo Del Mar, Jane Kim and debate moderator Melissa Griffin.
Editor’s Note: Luke Thomas is a resident and voter in District 6. In the interest of transparency, he has provided photography services to the campaigns of Jane Kim, Jim Meko and Debra Walker.
More Info
Video archive of the debate available online here.
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is 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, has published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521.
Follow Me:
The Hunger Site
Pingback: Tweets that mention SF Young Dems D6 Debate Format Best Ever | Fog City Journal -- Topsy.com
Pingback: District 6 Candidate Draws Ire of Weekly, Also Top Recepient of Public Financing – Mission Loc@l -- San Francisco Mission District's News, Food, Art and Events