Local Pol Dives Into New San Francisco Pool

Politicians love to cut ribbons on new public works projects, since they get to bask in the warm glow of constituent appreciation for upgraded city amenities.

But San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who represents the 5th district which includes the Haight and Western Addition neighborhoods, did your typical buttoned-down politicians one better -- after cutting the ribbon, he dove right in to the new Hamilton Recreation Center and Pool.

And while surely there are some constituents that might have liked to see Mirkarimi in swim trunks, he did it in style, still wearing his dress shirt and slacks as he zipped down the pool's twisting waterslide.

"The pool has got to be the best in the city with really cool waterslides -- and it just made me want to do it. So I inaugurated the waterslide," Mirkarimi explained to the San Francisco Weekly.

There was one sour note during the festivities -- while giving his speech, Mirkarimi was heckled by a laid-off former employee of the Recreation and Parks Department, which is responsible for maintaining the facility.

The Weekly also reports that Mirkarimi, after changing, went to offer advice to someone considering a run for public office. One must imagine that advice included, "Don't be afraid to get a little wet."

Jackson West appreciates a politician taking the "theater of the absurd" that is local politics and running with it.