District 1 Supervisor Candidate: David Heller

Like you, I have been frustrated with our city government. In the last three years, 66,000 jobs have left the City while our elected officials have done nothing. The most basic reform of our homeless system was stalled for nearly two years by political games. Our public safety is at risk as fire stations may close and police staffing levels remain low.

I am running for the Board of Supervisors to change city government. I need your help to achieve that goal.

Instead of driving jobs and businesses away from San Francisco, I will work to attract jobs and businesses to our City by streamlining and consolidating job-attraction functions. I will bring together labor and business to create an economic development plan to avoid "boom and bust" economic cycles. As a business owner for the past 18 years on Geary Boulevard, I know first-hand the challenges our business community faces.

For more than 20 years I have worked to improve the Richmond District, most recently, as president of the Greater Geary Boulevard Merchants and Property Owners Association. I have partnered with the SF Police Department on many occasions, most recently while playing a critical role in the crackdown and arrest of several graffiti vandals.

In my time here, I have worked with city agencies, utilities and residents to improve and protect our neighborhood. I am running for supervisor as a continuation of my commitment to our neighborhood and to our City.

I believe in education reform by creating strong schools. Neighborhood schools make better and safer neighborhoods and promote parental involvement in education. A child whose parents participate day-to-day in what's going on is much more likely to stay in school instead of winding up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Moreover, parents whose children go to school close to home are much more likely to become personally invested in the community, instead of moving to a town where neighborhood schools are the rule instead of the exception.

I have been a champion of reforming our homeless system and a leader in the effort to change how homeless services are provided. I will continue to push for greater accountability from city agencies, caregivers and the homeless. I believe we can make a real impact on this problem.

My commitment to public safety is strong. I am currently fighting the closure of firehouses here in the Richmond District. The first job of city government is to protect its residents and the police and fire departments must have the resources to do the job. At the same time, we must also hold the leadership of our public safety departments accountable for getting results.

As a supervisor, I will work to create a more-friendly environment for district businesses. I currently serve on the Graffiti Abatement Task Force.

Because of these efforts, State Sen. Jackie Speier and the California Small Business Association recently named me 2004 Merchant of the Year.

In spite of these honors, I believe that much more needs to be done. For the past two decades, I have become increasingly concerned about the quality of life for Richmond residents, and I want to do more. If elected, I will work with Muni and the Department of Parking and Traffic for safer streets.

Although my children have recently graduated from area schools, I believe that working with the Board of Education to improve our schools should be one of my top priorities. I want to create charter school in the Richmond.  We owe it to our children's future.  They should not be run out of San Francisco schools. That's exactly what's happening here in San Francisco.

There is much more work to be done. I believe that together, we can return the Richmond to its storied past. Please give me your vote Nov. 2.