Last Monday, I was in the Bay Area and was fortunate enough to have been able to meet with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. We met in the lobby of the sleek St. Regis Hotel which was a fitting environment in many ways for this vibrant, young mayor.
Newsom has both style and substance. He has incredible presence. He’s a very tall (about 6’4”), fit guy who looks impeccable. He exudes “MAYOR” in his easy, yet confident manner. When he walks in, you can feel that he leads the city. You can understand why people want to follow this man… he’s a natural leader.
This was the first time I’d met with him and was incredibly impressed. He has that rare mix of charisma, charm, smarts and savvy. Newsom has galvanized a new kind of excitement in the city as mayor, and we talked a bit about how he did that. He talked compellingly about how, as mayor, if you listen to people you can really take on a broad range of projects and initiatives that are inspiring to everyone. I could see why people are excited about him as he’s genuine and also exudes enthusiasm.
We met for an hour and the entire time, he remained focused on how he could help to ensure that I became elected. The best nugget he gave me was when he said, “Kevin, just be yourself. Bring your energy, leadership and vision to the city. Talk about the things you feel passionately about. That’s what people want. They want the big, bold ideas that will differentiate Sacramento. They want to be inspired by a strong leader. I’ve seen you. I’ve watched you. You’re dynamic. If you set a clear, compelling course that you believe in strongly, everything else will come. If you do that well, people will follow you.”
I very much appreciated the advice because it was real. I took away from it the need to pursue a course for Sacramento that’s driven by my love of the city, not by politics and bureaucracy. The citizens of Sac feel the same way I do about the potential the city has to become great. I left the meeting feeling energized and invigorated for what’s possible.