Sunday May 17th, 2009 is the day I met the Mayor of San Francisco and our hero, Gavin Newsom.  He spoke at Pride Central before the parade to a small crowd and press. Immediately following this, members of the press were allowed to meet Mayor Newsom one on one and ask questions.  I stood in what, could loosely be defined as a line and waited my turn. Many jumped in front angling for a picture with him and who could blame them. Then others droned on and on about budgets, his possible run for governor and prop 8. (I’m going to confidently say that I believe he is good with budgets, would like to be our next governor and would like to see prop 8 overturned. There, done.)

I wanted to ask him something  I didn’t know, something that couldn’t be found  in every typical political article.  So, with my questions in my hand and a purpose in my heart, I fought my way through the crowd…passed the cell phone cameras, passed gigantic red backpacks that swung at my face every time I turned around (you know who you are)and finally I was standing next to the tall, handsome mayor in his nicely pressed white shirt.  I could see in his eyes that he still had a left over haze from the previous question about stats, costs and projections.  I think he was going to be relieved that I decided to go with a couple of fun questions rather than the standard, straight forward political ones that he had been bombarded with all morning.

As soon as I asked my first question I could sense a bit of relief as he offered me a relaxed, genuine smile.  ” If you couldn’t be a politician, what would you be doing now?”  He looked at me with that smile and said “Napa.  I would have a wine business in Napa but I would still have to be involved with a non-profit.” He said he would still have to fulfill his need and his desire to help others.  Through the corner of my eye I could see his people about to whisk him away so  I leaned in again to ask another question.

My second question, ” Name one possession you could not live without?”  He laughed and said, ” I know you probably think I would say hair gel.  I’m not going to say hair gel.”  He thought for one second and said, ” In three months my new daughter and of course my wife.  Not that they are possessions.”  Then I thanked him and shook his hand and he floated back in to the sea of cameras and reporters before being whisked away to ride as the Political Grand Marshal of the Long Beach Gay Pride Parade.

You can only do so much in a 2 minute interview.  Were my questions in depth and tough…no.  Did they tell me something about the Mayor of San Francisco who is running for Governor of California…yes.   Mayor Gavin Newsom is a man with a heart and a passion for helping others in need who values his own family above all other things.  Sounds like the type of man I would vote for to be our next governor.

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