Paul Kozakiewicz: Lazarus is Best Candidate for City Attorney

In the upcoming runoff election for city attorney, Jim Lazarus has the proven talent necessary to lead our important staff of city attorneys - all 200 of them.

Lazarus has pledged to not politicize the office and to run the office in a manner that allows for the best legal advice that can be offered to his clients - the mayor, board of supervisors, numerous committees and commissions and some 26,000 employees who work to keep our city functioning.

Lazarus was a deputy city attorney in the very office he wants to lead back in 1979, the year Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated. Lazarus was working at City Hall when the dastardly deed was done.

After that, Lazarus was the chief of staff and special projects administrator for Mayor Frank Jordan from 1992 to 1996, where he effectively utilized his communication and negotiating skills to help keep the City running smoothly despite large budget shortfalls.

Lazarus has also worked at the SF Zoo, overseeing massive projects intended to make the zoo a world-class facility that protects animals and gives them as much space as possible to roam.

Recently, Lazarus has been working as Sen. Dianne Feinstein's director of California operations. She has heartedly endorsed his candidacy, as have numerous friends and professional acquaintances that I queried before deciding to endorse a candidate in the city attorney's race.

I have know Lazarus for more than a decade and the worse I have ever heard said about him is that he is part of the "status quo," which, by my thinking, is not a bad thing. There is a reason current City Attorney Louise Renne has had a two-decade-long run in the post, often running with little or no opposition - she gets the job done with the respect of most of the parties her office has to deal with.

Lazarus is also a Richmond District resident who has served as a long-time member of the Planning Association for the Richmond, one of the district's oldest and largest organizations. Another Richmond District resident and candidate for city attorney, Neil Eisenberg, has joined former mayor Frank Jordan to endorse Lazarus.

"The core issues on which I based my campaign - open government, ensuring an independent office and restoring a bottom-line oriented office, I know Jim has the experience, knowledge and passion to do it," Eisenberg said.

The decisions of the city attorney and the advice tendered in delicate legal situations could end up saving or taking the taxpayer's money. These decisions should not be taken lightly and with Lazarus at the helm, they won't be.

Jim Lazarus is the best candidate for city attorney, and that's why I'm asking you to go to the polls Dec. 11 to cast a vote for him.