=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2002/08/07/BA187599.D= TL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, August 7, 2002 (SF Chronicle) Airport spokesman's ouster -- trail leads back to mayor Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross Normally, the ouster of an airport spokesman -- even such a popular figu= re as San Francisco International's Ron Wilson -- wouldn't be all that newsworthy. But then around here, even the smallest of shakeups can usually be traced back to Mayor Willie Brown. And this one is no exception. In fact, the booting of Wilson as the voice of SFO and the entrance of Brown's former press secretary Kandace Bender as the airport's new $150,000-a- year communications and marketing director was brought on by political pressures that ran all the way from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. At the center is the little-known but often-heard Wilson -- who for more than two decades has been the quote man for everything from the annual Thanksgiving travel mayhem to post-Sept. 11 security concerns. But while Wilson was loved by reporters for his candor, his boss, Airport Director John Martin, apparently saw Wilson's forthrightness as an increasing pain in the backside. It all came to a head in May when Brown was in Washington to lobby Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta to grant SFO an exemption from the new citizenship rules regarding screeners. Right in the middle of the meeting, Mineta let the mayor know that he was none too happy with reports out of San Francisco that his office had flubbed the screeners application process. Then came embarrassing questions about whether Mineta's new department would be able to make the mandated deadlines on new security measures at SFO. And rightly or wrongly, the mayor and Mineta pointed the finger at spokesman Wilson. Add in that Brown had long been pressing the airport to get more diversi= ty in its white male administration, and you have all the makings for Wilson's finding himself on the hot seat. And soon after the Mineta meeting, that's just what happened -- with Bro= wn telling Martin in no uncertain terms to "shape up" his communications department. So Martin did -- by bringing in Bender as communications director. It wasn't long before Bender put the brakes on Wilson, e-mailing him that all media inquiries were to come to her first. Wilson complained to Martin, but got nowhere. A few days later, Bender called Wilson into her office and told him she wasn't comfortable with him and had decided to replace him. As a consolation, Wilson was invited to stay on at his $112,000-a-year salary -- perhaps as resident airport historian. Wilson decided to retire instead. "I'm very disappointed in the way it took place," said Wilson, who officially departed Tuesday. As is so often the case in these plays, there was another victim: Peter Nardoza, a onetime City Hall aide to Dianne Feinstein who for years worked as deputy airport director. To make room for Bender, Martin carved a big chunk out of Nardoza's duties. Nardoza, who sources say was considering retiring next year anyway, was reportedly furious over the move -- and within a couple of days announced he was exiting as well. There has been intense speculation around City Hall and within media circles that Brown directly ordered Bender's hiring -- to ensure Bender a big- paying job now that the planned airport runway expansion project, where she had been working the past couple of years, is running into trouble. But Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who has been leading the charge against runaway runway spending, sees it as something much bigger -- a mayoral power grab intended to put more of Brown's people in the top airport ranks where they can control the purse strings and keep the money flowing to the runway project. "There is no question that this is a power play that has everything to do with building runways instead of giving unbiased information to the local media," Peskin said. Like we said, anywhere else this might not have been newsworthy -- but given this town, it's like an outtake from "The Godfather." ENTER LEAL: Forget about a two-way tussle between Gavin Newsom and Tom Ammiano -- city Treasurer Susan Leal has decided to hop feet first into the San Francisco mayor's race. "We've got 18 months and a lot of work ahead of us," the 52-year-old Democrat told us Tuesday, "but I am definitely running." First appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 1993 by then-Mayor Frank Jordan, Leal has made a career through a combination of fiscal restraint and progressive Noe Valley-style politics. Add in her gay base, and you have a combination that landed Leal back on the board in 1994, then into the treasurer's office in 1997 where she has served since. Great -- but what makes Leal think she can win the big one? After all, early surveys show her with only about 4 percent support -- far, far behind front-runner Newsom (who polls anywhere from 36 to 42 percent) and Ammiano (anywhere from 23 to 43 percent). Well, the talk in the hall goes something like this: Polls or no polls, many insiders think the high-profile, lefty Ammiano's negatives are just too high and that he'll never beat Newsom. At the same time, a lot of people wonder if new kid Newsom -- who looks = to have the numbers to win -- has the experience to run the city. And that's why people who might otherwise support Newsom or Ammiano have been trying to talk the more moderate and more experienced Leal into the race. And from the looks of our conversation -- they have. Hear that, Angela? Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. They can also be heard on KGO Radio on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Phil Matier can be seen regularly on KRON-TV. Got a tip? Call them at (415) 777-8815. The=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 SF Chronicle