Jordan comes clean

If Frank Jordan's re-election campaign goes spiraling down the drain next Tuesday -- as many predict -- it won't be for a lack of thick-skinned resiliency by the former police chief.

The pot shots have been flung at will in San Francisco's mayoral mudsling this fall, and several have landed square on the jaw of the self-dubbed progressive Democrat and native son of San Francisco.

As Tuesday's runoff quickly approaches, Jordan appears to have clawed and scratched his way back into the race against Assemblyman Willie Brown, who pollsters said held a defining 2 to 1 advantage just days after the general election.

Despite some tough press, which climaxed 10 days before the Nov. 7 general election when Jordan posed naked in a shower with two Los Angeles disc jockeys, the Jordan camp said it wasn't fazed by inaccurate polls, and feels the prospect of four more years is definitely within striking distance.

"We feel very confident about our chances right now," said Jordan spokesman Lewis Shepherd. "We knew all along the Chronicle poll was flawed, and they've even admitted that. We're right where we want to be."

But Jordan's positioning hasn't exactly come via the straight and narrow approach. Political jostling reached a zenith in previous weeks.

On Nov. 18, nearly a month after Jordan's attempt to "show people I had a sense of humor" ended up all wet and emblazoned on the front page of newspapers across the country, the mayor decided to issue an apology to his shocked conservative constituents after suffering through several sleepless nights.

"In this particular incident, some people felt that I had let them down, that I had let the city down," Jordan said. "And I do apologize. It was never my intent to offend anyone."

Apparently to some, such as former Jordan press secretary Noah Griffin, that wasn't enough.

"I spent two and a half years of my life trying to bring substance to this administration, trying to show that Frank Jordan had maturity and judgment," Griffin told a San Francisco daily. "That was blown, the monkey wrench was thrown in. You can't dismiss it. I was aghast."

Most of Jordan's present-day politicos weren't quite as undone over the incident, however.

"People are trying to analyze it too much," said current Jordan spokesperson Staci Walters. "They need to take it for what it's worth: a spontaneous thing. It shows the mayor has a sense of humor."

Since the incident, Jordan has been more focused on proving his accountability than proving he's good for a laugh. Thus this week's launching of the mayor's new slogan -- "TRUST."

Five to 10,000 large blue and white signs with only the word "Trust" in bold block letters adorned the city Monday morning -- aimed at attacking Brown's special-interest ties. Brown's contributors include O.J. Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochrane, Bay Meadows Racetrack and Philip Morris Inc.

"I think it was a great idea," said Michelle Johnson, an SF State business major who said she'll vote for Jordan by process of elimination. "Trust is one thing that can't be given to Willie Brown. He's a total sleazeball. At least Jordan has addressed the issues and seems committed to doing something for this city."

Bingo, said Jordan's camp.

"We've got real good feedback on the trust slogan, because people can identify (with it)," Shepherd said. "The Mayor is the man with the plan, while -- not only does Brown have a failed record in Sacramento -- he seems to be afraid to talk about the issues here in San Francisco."

Such seems to be the consensus of many San Franciscans less than a week from the runoff, as Jordan's accountability and direct approach are paying dividends.

Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle gave its endorsement to Jordan based almost solely on his Strategic Budget Plan -- "a bold, substantive and specific proposal for achieving the city's complex and sometimes contradictory goals."

The newspaper noted that Jordan was the one providing a clear road map to saving the city nearly $1 billion over the next seven years, while Brown has relied exclusively on his consummate political skills and network of national and state contacts to win support.

"We were very much buoyed by the Chronicle endorsement," said Shepherd. "That proves to us that people really have been listening to Frank Jordan's message."

Besides his fiscal plans, Jordan has also returned to his campaign promises of cleaner streets and less crime. His successes include persuading the Giants to stay in San Francisco, helping settle the 1994 newspaper strike and balancing the city's budget with minimal cuts to social services. He stands strongly behind his administration's Matrix program, which seeks to crack down on illegal activity by the homeless.

Still, many see Jordan as an indecisive leader who lacks the stature to wrestle with San Francisco's diverse interests, let alone smooth relations with the 11-member Board of Supervisors -- 10 of whom have endorsed Brown.

"Personally, I've always had a cordial relationship with Frank," board president Kevin Shelley told one daily. "But what's really frustrating is Frank doesn't use the legislative process to his advantage and the city's advantage."

Jordan has also had difficulty earning the gay vote, most of which was initially garnered by third-place finisher Roberta Achtenberg. The openly gay former city supervisor immediately endorsed Brown after faltering in the general election.

Robert Oakes, the mayor's point man on gay issues, said the Jordan camp hopes to pull 30 to 40 percent of the Achtenberg voters. However, recent polls showed 70 percent of Achtenberg voters preferred Brown, while only 13 percent would vote for Jordan.

Add to that the untimely sexual discrimination trial proceedings of Police Chief Anthony Ribera -- a Jordan appointee -- and the re-election campaign hasn't exactly been a smooth sail for Jordan and his camp.

But Brown has not won this one yet, and Jordan is nudging ever so close at the finish line.

"It's an awesome privilege (to be mayor of this city), and I want to do the best I can to show the people of San Francisco that I care," the mayor said.

[ Golden Gater Online December 7, 1995 ]

[ back to top ]