Ben Matranga, 30-something and John Farrell, 50-somethng, are seeking to be elected as the Supervisor for District 7 of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisor. The perimeters of District 7 are significant. They stretch from a small portion of the inner-Sunset District where Golden Gate Park is and stretch all the way out to City College, Lake Merced and beyond to a portion neighboring Daly City which is in adjacent San Mateo County.
Both are natives to San Francisco with roots that stretch back to previous generations. Both grew up in District 7. They attended the same Catholic schools, are married with kids and both say they have enough experience to manage the stress of one of the nations most politically diverse and yet, “easy-to-dominate” cities ever.
When this reporter uses the phrase “easy-to-dominate” that means politically.
For all its appeal and popularity, San Francisco, politically is just a “big small town,” as some observers many times over have described it. Both Farrell (who is not related to this reporter) and Matranga know this fact very well. Time and again through out its history, going back as far as its early days as ‘The Barbary Coast of the West’ San Francisco has been pushed and pulled by special interests.
That is not to say that all special interests are negative. For history also gives examples where a particular interest or concern helped to shape the consciousness and conscience, not of only a city like San Francisco, but of a people, and an entire nation.
Still in a city, like San Francisco were each neighborhood, each district is ‘a little town,’ it is easy for local politics to get sidetracked with the particular interests of one group over another, while overlooking the larger picture of the entire city.
Yes, this is true and can happen in any major city anywhere. But, there is something about San Francisco that makes it special, which is why it is so popular. And, for those who call it home and were born and raised there, it reaches the heart strings.
Both men, understand this and are used to the dynamic. They grew up with it. Trying to get the two of them to debate just for this reporter was not easy. Yet to not recognize what they share in common and then discern what makes each different is an journalistic opportunity I did not want to pass up.
So here follows what I was able to gather about both candidates running for Supervisor for District 7. Farrell and Matranga are passionate about the City they live work and grew up in. Both men have considerable political and business experience.
Matranga began his interest in public service early. His first insight into local government was a high school internship with the San Francisco Ethics Commission. Board of Supervisors President Barbara Kaufman appointed Matranga to the San Francisco Youth Commission, where he served two terms. After attending St. Ignatius High School, he attended New York University, where he earned his BA in Economics and Political Science and his MPA in Public Policy and Finance.
Matranga spent a decade leading economic development initiatives in Latin America and Africa for philanthropist George Soros. Working with entrepreneurs in war-torn countries, He learned the value of resiliency. He led multi-million dollar investments alongside the World Bank, sovereign governments, institutional investment funds, and private entrepreneurs. Matranga served on the Board of Directors for four companies.
Matranga returned home with a desire to engage in public service. He is currently Senior Advisor to the Mayor covering street safety and transportation initiatives, with a focus on implementing the Vision Zero plan to end pedestrian fatalities. Matranga met his wife in high school at St. Ignatius and are homeowners in the West Portal neighborhood.
Farrell’s background is similar. He too graduated from St. Ignatius and met his wife locally, at University of San Francisco. He too, like Matranga has worked in the business sector and in City Government. Only, for Farrell the experience is longer and more detailed.
“My family has been in public service for nearly a century, said Farrell. My father is the retired Controller appointed by (former SF Mayor) Joe Alioto, my grandfather was a Muni driver, my uncle was a Sergeant in the Police Department, etc.”
At age 20 in 1979, Farrell was a Recreation and Park Director at Midtown Terrace Playground for three years. “I was proud of my baseball teams and especially because my playground was selected for a pilot program for the Recreation for the Handicap. I assisted staff in working with over 20 special children, several of which were severely handicapped.”
From 1982 through 1985, Farrell worked for Harvey Rose, who at that time was Budget Analyst for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Farrell became a senior analyst. “As a senior analyst I was responsible for committee reports, especially the Finance Committee and annual budget assignments. I worked on numerous management audits in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties including Police, Health Services, Transit and Recreation and Park.”
For the next few years, he worked as a Finance Director in private industry, receiving a Masters Degree in Business Administration and obtaining his Real Estate Broker License in 1986. And, in that time he “rehabbed several buildings,” along the way. He now owns his own company Farrell Real Estate investments.
He wanted to speak further of his experience that gives him a clear sense of the larger picture. In 1992, Farrell became a budget analyst for Mayor Frank Jordan. “I then went to the Port of San Francisco on a special assignment to determine if the City was receiving maximum revenues from property taxes on Port property. As a result of my work, Farrell said, I identified over $1 million in new revenue that would have otherwise not been received.”
For the next 12 years, he worked for the Assessor’s Office becoming the Assistant Assessor- Budget and Special Projects. “In that time, he said, I specialized in valuing complex and highly political properties, many of which were never appraised before resulting in millions to the City. I am especially proud of being one of the two primary designers and implementers along with Les Casazza for the existing Assessor’s system which revolutionized how valuations are processed in CA. As a result of the implementing of the system in 2000 the City increased revenues by $10 million annually that otherwise would not have been received. San Mateo County currently uses this system,” he added.
“I left the Assessor’s Office and became the Finance Director of Treasure Island Development Authority where my job was to create an independent redevelopment agency.”
I was impressed with the amount of experience he had, especially with regards to budgets and finance.
Which then lead me to ask Farrell, what he thinks of the Prop B measure that would give Recreation and Parks Dept. a guaranteed set aside amount of $4.5 billion annually for the next 30 years. “I am against Prop B,” he said. Even though, ironically, Prop B is supported by another Farrell. Supervisor Mark Farrell (not related) for District 2 has been promoting the proposition. His office would not comment to me on it.
“I have seen this type of ‘set-aside’ allotment in the past, said John Farrell and it really is not a good idea. “And, the fact that if passed Prop B would enable the allotment to be part of the City Charter. Having something like that written into a governing constitution is not wise. And, not to have the Board of Supervisors know what the money is being spent on, that’s not good.”
From Farrell’s perspective, “the City is not really collecting its due where it should,” he said. One example in his mind is the recent sale of the George Lucas compound within the Presido to Disney. “The City Tax Assessor should have done a report.” Yet, because of the unusual relationship of a ‘Public-Priviate Partnership’ between The Presidio Trust and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, that was not followed up upon.
Farrell cited several instances all within the City’s jurisdiction to legitimately collect or obtain an accurate report of revenue and expenditures all within its own governance. But unfortunately, because of shortsightedness sometimes the most obvious is not done. “If I were elected, that is one of the first things I would have done with all the City Departments is a comprehensive and detailed audit.”
Both Farrell and Matranga know what is like to be in business independently and to deal with business matters. After leaving City Government, Farrell became a realtor. “Over the past 10 years I am especially proud of providing assistance to dozens of family’s who lost or were in the process of losing their homes and displaced tenants. I have also helped many families find affordable housing,” he said.
Both men are aware of what the struggles will be for the City which is now at 1 million people. “Traditionally, we have always tallied the population of San Francisco to be about 700,000 or more. But, honestly Farrell said, and realistically, San Francisco has reached that 1 million people mark. “We must plan ahead with that in mind.”
Each of the two see District 7 as not getting its fair share of attention from City Hall. But in reality that could be said about any neighborhood or area from time to time. Each aspiring political candidate I have met over the years, usually considers their district as an ‘underdog’ or ‘the neglected stepchild.’
While I do think there is a bias where one district does get more attention at times than another; I find it very unlikely to consider District 7 as an entirely neglected area.
District 7 is where Golden Gate Park is and that is what Prop B is all about. Speaking as one Farrell to another Farrell (even though we are not directly related) it was easy to feel at home with the aspiring City Supervisor. I also had much the same affinity for Matranga. There is something shared among natives that few outside that circle really understand.
Matranga’s strengths are the fact that he is of the millennial generation. He speaks the tech-language and has the savvy younger generations can identify with. Farrell has lots of experience. But why not give Matranga a chance with his unique experience. He has traveled the world extensively, more so than Farrell and could bring that to the job, especially as San Francisco is facing an economy deeply impacted by a world market.
Matranga’s vigor and contemporary ideas coming from a younger generation could be the very element that would attract young families to the City. This is something that observers and social demographic analysts have noted; Families with children are leaving not staying in the City.
The familiarity both candidates share is reassuring because both say that they care about San Francisco because it is home to them. They both have much invested in their hometown and the district they grew up in.
Still, even with that, I know such a a familiarity can also be a ‘blind spot.’ Wouldn’t either candidate with their ‘home-grown’ backgrounds easily slip into the routine of ‘business as usual?’
I asked Farrell, would you be able to stand up to the Mayor? He has been referred to often as a ‘behind-the-scenes’ type of fellow with lots of powerful connections. “Yes, I would be able to, if that was required, said Farrell. The job of City Supervisor is that of public servant.”
Farrell also believes that team work is important too. “I have learned from my years as a realtor, and as a neighborhood activist, you must have the cooperation of others to get work done. That is what a group or committee does. And, in a sense it is not just one supervisor working, it is a Board of Supervisors all helping to ensure good things are done for the good of the entire City as well as a particular district.”
Matranga and Farrell will be eagerly awaiting the results of the polls. For more information about District 7 and all the Supervisor candidates, see the San Francisco Department of Elections web site. No doubt, both Ben Matranga and John Farrell will be among the very first eager to hear the results.
