by Ali Tabatabai
Gavin Newsom
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said everything short of declaring victory during his re-election celebration speech Tuesday night, including thanking his opponents for entering the race despite his overwhelming approval ratings.
In front of a crowded room full of campaign volunteers and supporters at the Ferry Building in of San Francisco, Newsom acknowledged the mayoral race as “anticlimactic” and offered his next term as moment of reconciliation with his critics. According to campaign spokesman, Nathan Ballard, Newsom had received 77 percent of the 40,000 some votes as of 8:45pm.
“I’d like to thank my opponents for having the courage to actually put their names on the ballot and not sit on the sidelines and take shots,” Newsom said, “To those who may be disappointed tonight, I’m committed to working with you in the next four years.”
Mary Watts, 19, a college student who interned with the campaign through a program called Act Locally said they mayor should focus on fixing Muni problems and homelessness during during his next term.
“I’d like to see him tackle the homelessness situation and make sure they have the right resources are available for them,” Watts said.
After his speech, Newsom said that he plans to concentrate on crime, particularly homicide rates, as well as the environment and quality of life issues.
“You just wait and see on the environment,” said Newsom, “I’ve been working for six months on some new environmental ideas that will reignite San Francisco.”
District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty made an appearance in the crowd to show his support for Newsom’s expected victory and acknowledged the mayor’s ability to overcome publicly chronicled personal issues.
“The mayor has been through a lot of rockiness over the past year, but no matter what San Franciscans have looked beyond the headlines,” Dufty said.”
Official election results counts are not expected until two more weeks.
