Daly: A Four-Letter Word

Love him or hate him, most people can agree that Supervisor Chris Daly gives good cuss. He once described ex-Mayor Willie Brown as "full of shit" and publicly told a landlord advocate to "fuck off." Last year, while arguing with Supervisor Jake McGoldrick during a board meeting, Daly hissed, "Yeah, I'll kiss your ass — right after I kick it."

Those and other potty-mouth anecdotes spice up "The Case Against Chris Daly," a 22-page screed issued by a political group that wants to oust him in this fall's election. In branding Daly "rude" and "manipulative," Citizens for Reform Leadership depicts him as an arm-twisting, chops-busting, Chicago-style power broker whose last name might as well be spelled Daley.

Relying on press accounts, the group levels a litany of allegations against the supe, many of them familiar. It accuses him of abusing his authority to "shake down" developers, choke off funding for nonprofits that dared to cross him, and funnel public money to his political allies, all while posing as the people's champion. The report also slams him for seeking tax increases and thwarting new housing initiatives, and for his running feud with Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Citizens for Reform Leadership serves as a fundraising arm for SFSOS, a pro-business advocacy group headed by Democratic activist Wade Randlett. While critical of Daly's deeds in office, Randlett finds the supervisor's blue rhetoric almost as odious.

"Reasonable people can disagree in politics," says Randlett, whose group is backing Rob Black, a former aide to Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, in his bid to unseat Daly. "But Chris Daly doesn't know how to reasonably disagree. He just loses it."

One might assume that Daly would dismiss such claims as bullshit and his detractors as motherfuckers. Alas, no. In fact, he sounds damn near tranquil when talking about the report, calling it "funny" and little more than a ploy to smear him prior to Election Day. "It shows desperation on their part," he says.

In other words, don't expect him to kiss Randlett's ass if he kicks Black's.