Almost Meeting Gavin
I shared a lovely meal with some friends last week at a swanky new restaurant. Early in the meal, I overheard two waiters talking. Something about having to make room for the mayor. I thought they were joking.
Later, someone said, “Well there he is.” And over my shoulder I saw that familiar gelled ‘do. It was Mayor Gavin Newsom.
It’s not the first time I’ve been near the man. I saw him onstage at the Autumn Moon Festival in Chinatown last year. Then again in October stumping for some D5 candidates. But this time was different.
Maybe it was the recent one year anniversary of the gay marriages he enabled. Maybe it was learning more about the man and his life-long passionate support of the less fortunate. Or maybe it was seeing the recent headlines about his divorce, about fellow democrats blaming him for their failures, and worse.
I don’t know what it was, but this time, I wanted to reach out to him. To say thanks for being the one politician I can respect lately. Thanks for caring about San Francisco in such a deep and personal way.
I didn’t. He was eating and I didn’t want to interrupt. But if I had, this is what I would have said:
“Someday, sir, it will be my pleasure to vote for you for president.”