Unusually Shy Mayor Hides From Press
Mayor finally breaks Twitter silence to promote his program for veterans.
By JACKSON WEST
Updated 4:38 PM PST, Wed, Nov 11, 2009
Cameras love San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, but he's not loving them back quite like he used to.
Since returning to City Hall after a surprise vacation in Hawaii following his departure from the governor's race, Newsom has had exactly zero time for local reporters.
"Like most politicians who get a lot of press attention -- particularly this one, because he's so bad with people -- he walks briskly to his office. And he always has two police guards with him to keep everyone away he doesn't want to talk to," an anonymous insider told the SF Weekly.
Which has left downcast reporters drooping their microphones and chasing after anyone or anything that might give them a clue as to when the mayor might appear.
An attendee at the Monday meeting he arranged between hotel employers and disgruntled union workers said that the mayor did give a speech on the importance of not disrupting the holiday shopping season.
It went so well, Unite Here Local 2 called a three-day strike on the Palace Hotel the next day.
Newsom did finally break his silence on Twitter, at least, in honor of Veteran's Day:
Hats off to the VA for supporting" Project Veterans Connect" today---big success --a model program supporting homeless Vets
The fractured grammar suggests that it's really him, and not just an aide, so at least we know he's alive.
Meanwhile, his Hawaii vacation is stirring controversy in City Hall: Supervisor Chris Daly wants to know if city funds were used to pay for the services of a "life coach" who reportedly accompanied Newsom to the Big Island.
Photo by Kelly Pretzer.
Jackson West figures every day he doesn't talk to the press, the more questions, and less understanding, he'll get when he finally does.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Nov 11, 2009 12:23 PM PST
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