Former Mayors Elihu Harris and Willie Brown Agree: Don Perata Could Be Mayor If He's Not Indicted First
My good friend Hala Hijazi has a firm called "Professionals VIP " which over the past five years has developed into a kind of meeting place for the Bay Area's movers and shakers and last night's event, held at the Neiman Marcus Rotunda and hosting Morisson and Forrester Partner and Obama For America Northern California Chair Attorney Tony West, was no exception with about 150 people in attendance.
At the affair I had the pleasure of talking with both former Mayors of Oakland and San Francisco respectively Elihu Harris and Willie Brown about the chances of Don Perata winning the Oakland Mayor's Race and both gave answers at separate times but said the same thing: that Perata would win the Mayor's Race...if he's not indicted, first.
Sources including those reported earlier this year in the East Bay Express , believe that the State Senator will be indicted on public corruption charges, but that was as far back as July; it's December and nothing has happened.
But if it does, the action "Would destroy him" said Brown. Harris, the first of the two I talked to, also agreed that an indictment would hurt Perata, and though Harris didn't go so far as to use the term "destroy" him, it's hard for me to imagine Harris disagreeing with Brown.
But other friends, who did not want to be identified, think West could beat Perata because Perata would be thought of as the establishment candidate, whereas West, "could get many under 30, people of color, the 100 Black Men (a professional networking group in Oakland), and educated Whites in Oakland behind him."
But West hasn't officially thrown his hat into the ring, and may -- may -- be off to work for Barack Obama as soon as late next week. Stay tuned.
At the affair I had the pleasure of talking with both former Mayors of Oakland and San Francisco respectively Elihu Harris and Willie Brown about the chances of Don Perata winning the Oakland Mayor's Race and both gave answers at separate times but said the same thing: that Perata would win the Mayor's Race...if he's not indicted, first.
Sources including those reported earlier this year in the East Bay Express , believe that the State Senator will be indicted on public corruption charges, but that was as far back as July; it's December and nothing has happened.
But if it does, the action "Would destroy him" said Brown. Harris, the first of the two I talked to, also agreed that an indictment would hurt Perata, and though Harris didn't go so far as to use the term "destroy" him, it's hard for me to imagine Harris disagreeing with Brown.
But other friends, who did not want to be identified, think West could beat Perata because Perata would be thought of as the establishment candidate, whereas West, "could get many under 30, people of color, the 100 Black Men (a professional networking group in Oakland), and educated Whites in Oakland behind him."
But West hasn't officially thrown his hat into the ring, and may -- may -- be off to work for Barack Obama as soon as late next week. Stay tuned.
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