Tony Hall (supervisor)

Anthony Hall (born 1942) was a candidate for Mayor of San Francisco and a member (2000–2004) of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.^[1] He resigned in 2004 to accept appointment as executive director of the Treasure Island Development Authority,^[2] a post he held for only 14 months.

He was known as the lone conservative on the Board of Supervisors, and surprised the other board members when he supported Matt Gonzalez's successful bid for president of the board.

Hall later filed papers for running against the incumbent Newsom in the 2007 mayoral election, but dropped out before the election, citing Newsom's entrenchment.

He is also a former Executive Assistant to the Presiding Judge of the San Francisco Superior Court.

Public service

In 2000, Hall was elected to represent District 7 on the San Francisco the Board of Supervisors.^[3]

The San Francisco Chronicle said of Hall at the time: “Hall's politics are old-school San Francisco, and he plans to keep it that way.” The Chronicle described Hall as “focused on neighborhoods the same way that supervisors were in the late 1970s during the city's first attempt at district elections.”^[4] He was praised unanimously in a resolution by his colleagues calling Hall “a dedicated legislator serving with integrity, intelligence, and a willingness to work with all parties for the common good of the City.”^[3]

As a Supervisor, Hall was involved in the following issues:

• he led the restoration/renovation of the Harding Park Golf Course, resulting in the acquisition of annual PGA tournaments, which have provided the City with millions in revenue.^[5][6][7]
• he introduced and passed legislation for the re-build of Laguna Honda Home for the aged.^[3][8][9]
• he spearheaded the reconstruction of the Ocean Avenue commercial district.^[3]
• he led the renewal and reconstruction of the City’s Youth Guidance Center.^[3][10]
• he worked with state and local agencies and private entities to solve the Lake Merced water loss/level problem.^[3][11]
• he led the restoration and beautification of the City’s Great Highway and the adjoining Ocean Beach.^[3]
• he preserved and initiated maintenance for parks and open spaces, including the building of sports fields, and incorporated after-school recreational and educational programs for youth.^[3]
• he implemented programs within his district to calm traffic in conjunction with street beautification projects.^[3]
• his “Blueprint for Homeless Reform Policy”, introduced in 2001, was the product of a 15-year personal study which encompassed a 7-point package of ordinances and resolutions which established quality of life and civility laws and mandated policy changes within the homeless industry. Hall directly questioned the efficacy of then-Supervisor Gavin Newsom’s “Care-Not-Cash” initiative.^[12]
• he implemented the Safely Surrendered Baby Law (Senate Bill 1368) for San Francisco and passed the Safe Haven for Newborns legislation.^[13]

Treasure Island tenure

Hall served on the Board of Supervisors until August 2004,^[14] when Mayor Gavin Newsom asked Hall to assume the post of Executive Director of the Treasure Island Development Authority. Mayor Newsom publicly stated that his choice was due to Hall's record of accomplishments in the area of public facilities and special projects.^[15] Newsom appointed Sean Elsbernd to replace Hall on the Board of Supervisors.

Hall conducted on-going meetings with the developer regarding plans and contract compliance issues, as well as parallel interaction with the United States Navy principals responsible for re-conveyance of the property to San Francisco. The Navy had become skeptical of San Francisco's sincerity and the ability of the developer to issue a concrete redevelopment plan after more than seven years. Newsom insisted upon a renewal of the developer's contract, despite the fact that the developer had not met its terms; there were substantial payment shortfalls for specific developmental milestones, and a series of discarded timetable extensions. Newsom also insisted that other “partners” be allowed to join the development team without going through the public bidding process as mandated by the City Charter.^[16]

In October 2005, the Treasure Island Development Authority voted to require the resignation of Tony Hall from the project “without cause.”^[17][18] Hall subsequently warned of the dangers of development on Treasure Island, calling it a “seismically unsafe toxic landfill” on top of the San Andreas fault.^[19]

Since departing Treasure Island, Hall has maintained a blog on issues related to civic life in San Francisco, and is a columnist for the Westside Observer.^[20]

In 2007, Hall began a campaign for San Francisco mayor to challenge Newsom, but dropped out.^[21] In March 2011, Hall announced he was running for mayor a second time,^[22] but his bid was unsuccessful.

Background and personal life

Born in Los Angeles, Hall attended Loyola High School and graduated from UCLA with a degree in economics and public administration. He moved to San Francisco in 1964.^[23] His volunteer and civic activities have included singing Mass at St. Brendan's Church on Sundays,^[4] volunteering as a track coach at St. Ignatius Prep School,^[4] and announcing the San Francisco’s St. Patrick's Day Parade.^[4]

Hall and his band “The Hallmarks” perform at weddings and are a mainstay of the San Francisco music scene.^[4]

References

1. Ramakrishnan, Subramanian Karthick; Bloemraad, Irene (2008). Civic hopes and political realities: immigrants, community organizations, and political engagement. Russell Sage Foundation. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-87154-701-9. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
2. Matier, Phillip; Andrew Ross (10 October 2005). "Treasure Island's big developer slams Tony Hall". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
3. (PDF) http://www.sfbos.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/resolutions04/r0532-04.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
4. Lelchuk, Ilene (2/6/2001). "A New Song Tony Hall has brought a booming voice and feisty energy to the S.F. Board of Supervisors". San Francisco Chronicle. Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. Gordon, Rachel (9 April 2002). "Supervisors see election results as sign of support". The San Francisco Chronicle.
6. Murphy, Brian (28 March 2002). "New and Improved Golf Courses Are Springing Up / Renovating Harding Park could bring PGA Tour in 2002". The San Francisco Chronicle.
7. Murphy, Brian (6 September 2010). "Harding Park bill clearing final hurdles -- maybe". The San Francisco Chronicle.
8. http://www.sfbos.org/index.aspx?page=1463. Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. Gordon, Rachel (13 August 2002). "SF Supervisorial Candidates: District 7". The San Francisco Chronicle.
10. http://www.sfrichmondreview.com/archives/richmondreview/2002editions/July02/hallcol.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. Stienstra, Tom (5 September 2010). "The fine print behind Lake Merced agreement". The San Francisco Chronicle.
12. http://hpn.asu.edu/archives/2002-January/005342.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
13. (PDF) http://www.sfbos.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/resolutions02/r0615-02.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
14. Gordon, Rachel (31 August 2010). "Board gives maverick Hall a fond farewell". San Francisco Chronicle.
15. Gordon, Rachel (2 September 2010). "SAN FRANCISCO / Newsom confirms he wants Hall for job / 2 panels must OK supervisor to run Treasure Island". The San Francisco Chronicle.
16. Goodyear, Charlie (29 August 2010). "SAN FRANCISCO / Treasure Island chief decries development delay". The San Francisco Chronicle.
17. http://www.fogcityjournal.com/news_in_brief/hall_fired_051012.shtml. Missing or empty |title= (help)
18. Vega, Cecilia M. (13 October 2005). "SAN FRANCISCO / Treasure Island chief may lose job in vote set today / Newsom speaks to board of directors about his concerns". The San Francisco Chronicle.
19. Pellissier, Hank (21 August 2010). "Local Intelligence – Building 1". The New York Times.
20. http://tonyhallsf.wordpress.com/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
21. http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=2114. Missing or empty |title= (help)
22. http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/under-dome/2010/12/tony-hall-tweets-his-intent-run-mayor. Missing or empty |title= (help)
23. Lelchuk, Ilene (6 February 2001). "Gonzalez calls the mayor a liar / Brown denies he said candidate is a racist". The San Francisco Chronicle.

External links

• Campaign website