Comments (0) Best/Worst Politician - 2007

Gavin Newsom

Ah, [sigh] Gavin, if the city only had a nickel for each time you were compared to a Ken doll, we could fix the Muni. Three years having passed since Newsom first boosted our glittering city into the national limelight by allowing gay marriages, Newsom staged a comeback in a big way this year with the revelation of his affair, his alcohol problems, and (let's not forget the actual politics) by approving the first universal health care plan in the nation. San Franciscans are trained well in forgiving philandering politicians, and most love him as they always have. (His approval ratings still soar above 60 percent.) But the minority of detractors are just as loud: saying he governs by press release, ripped off Supervisor Ammiano on the health care plan, and that the city's rent still sucks. Whichever way you swing, he's just getting warmed up. Let's face it — unless something totally unexpected happens, we'll be getting four more years of well-coiffed municipal leadership.