I think Tom Ammiano is the best choice for the next mayor of San Francisco.

I'm providing some clips of him from the debate to give you a better idea about who he is and where he stands on the issues. (Complete transcript available below.)

This clip is from the Mayoral Debate that aired on KPIX Channel 5 on Tuesday, October 14, 2003.

Tom Ammiano On Whether He's Become A "Moderate" (Small - 4 MB)

Question from Hank Plante, CBS Channel 5 Political Editor:

Plante: "Supervisor, Good Evening."

Ammiano: "Good Evening."

Plante: "You've lost the earring. You're wearing better suits. We no longer hear you talking about taxing the rich or every stock transaction in the City, as you once did. My question might be obvious to you. Have you moved to the center for political expediency?"

Ammiano: "I think that you can redefine what "the center" is. I remember Diane Feinstein in the early days of her administration, had some very social justice positive positions -- still defined as a "moderate." If she was in Nebraska, she would have been a "Trotsky-ite." So I think there's a perception of relativity there about that. I'm still the same guy I've always been. Certainly I've been in office a long enough time to understand that bringing people together can stop some of the dysfunctions that happen here in San Francisco. Whether it's landlords or tenants, or whether it's the environmentalists vs. Muni, or whether it's AIDS activists vs. Kaiser. I don't know if that's "the center" or not, but I see a wisdom in that, that a mayor needs to have. So, I can't give you a definitive "yes" or "no." I think that "centerness" depends on the eye of the beholder. I think I'm a more "centered" person. Whether I'm in the center of the political spectrum or not, I can't tell you. But I will tell you, I'm still as honest as I've always been and as hard working as I've always been, and that will never change.