Independent candidate for Mayor of San Francisco endorsed by Republican Party

Press release from Tony Hall, independent candidate for Mayor of San Francisco, sent to IPR:

I wish to thank the San Francisco Republican Party for their endorsement. “The SF Republican Party has endorsed Tony Hall for Mayor in the upcoming November 8th election. Tony has the experience, independence, and no-nonsense style needed to address the many tough issues San Francisco faces, particularly job creation and fiscal issues, such as pension reform.”

Although I have never registered with any political party, my bipartisan approach has earned respect from all sides. As a Supervisor I worked across ideological lines with other members such as former Supervisor Matt Gonzalez because we worked together for good government.

Today good government means getting our fiscal house in order. We need serious and comprehensive fiscal and pension reform. We must empower small business through the elimination of red tape and the streamlining of the permitting process in order to truly create a lasting private-sector jobs base.

Tony Hall campaign director James Fisfis noted the significance of the endorsement.

“In ranked choice voting, all candidates need to establish a core base of support. We are working hard to earn that support among voters concerned about the direction of the City’s finances and this endorsement is a big part of that.”

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What You Might Not Know About Tony Hall

Tony Hall has 35 years experience in executive and administrative positions in nine different City of San Francisco departments, starting with his very first position in 1965, as a pension fraud investigator for the San Francisco retirement system, and then as a minorities recruiter for San Francisco’s Civil Service Commission. Afterwards starting in 1968, he served two years on Mayor Joseph Alioto’s staff as a community liaison officer, responsible for the oversight of recreation facilities in outlying neighborhoods within the city.

From 1970-1974, Tony Hall served as the Chief Administrator for the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, overseeing all operations of an office of hundreds of attorneys and administrative support staff. In March of 1974, he joined Harvey Rose serving as a budget analyst for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He then went to the Port Authority where he oversaw the transition of several thousand state Port Authority workers into city and county service during the transition of the San Francisco Port from the state to the city.

After a successful decade in the entertainment industry, in 1985 Tony Hall returned to city service and spent 15 years as the Executive Assistant to the Presiding Judge in both the San Francisco Municipal and Superior Court System, overseeing all court operations and originated the community and drug court programs. In this position, he also originated, sourced funding and oversaw the construction of the new Civic Center Courthouse.

A lifelong registered Independent, Tony Hall was elected as a District 7 Supervisor for the City and County of San Francisco in 2000 where he won bipartisan praise for leading efforts to rescue the Lake Merced habitat and rebuild Harding Park, the Laguna Honda Senior Center, the Youth Guidance Center and the Ocean Avenue Business Corridor.

In 2004 he was appointed as Executive Director of the Treasure Island Development Authority, where he increased police presence, business activities, film production and recreation facilities. He was – and remains today – a fierce advocate for an honest, realistic development plan that benefits the residents of Treasure Island and the people of San Francisco.

Note from Paulie: I’m not sure whether this means that Hall will appear on the ballot as an Independent, Republican, or both. Perhaps someone will be able to answer that in the comments.