Mirkarimi announced his candidacy just days after the incumbent sheriff, Michael Hennessey, announced his retirement after 31 years in the post.
Mirkarimi’s announcement surprised many in the city. He was known to be exploring the possibility of running for mayor
Mirkarimi was narrowly elected to the 11-member Board of Supervisors in 2004 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2008. He is very well known around the city, which is always a big help when running for public office.
However, he is also disliked by many. A recent poll was taken about potential candidates for mayor and it showed Mirkarimi had the highest unfavorable rating, 23 percent, of all the potential candidates. But 23 percent is not so high as to be disqualifying, though it may tempt others to oppose him.
Mirkarimi is perhaps best known for his lengthy and involved answers to policy questions. As The San Francisco Chronicle recently phrased it mockingly: “Adding many dependent clauses, one on top of another, to make his many points, so the people can understand the nuance of what he is thinking, without him taking a breath, and to cram as many ideas into one sentence as he can, is what he is known for.”
The newspaper noted that Mirkarimi is one of the few supervisors in the city who do not use Twitter, the microblogging service limited to 140 characters. Ask why, Mirkarimi said, “Who wants to be glib?” (That’s just 16 characters!)
Mirkarimi, 50, was born in Chicago in 1961 to an Iranian father and a mother of Russian descent. He speaks Russian, but not Persian.
Still, he says, “I am proud to be one of the highest elected Iranian Americans in the US. We are the first, or one of the first, city halls to promote Persian culture with Now Ruz celebrations and art/dance exhibitions.”
He is tabbed in city politics as part of strong leftist movement. In fact, he was a founder of the city’s Green Party before switching to the Democratic Party. But in the past year, politics in the city has been shifting markedly to the center. There is now much more emphasis on practical issues, especially balancing the budget, and much less talk about board resolutions on getting American troops out of Iraq.
In announcing his candidacy for sheriff, Mirkarimi has put his emphasis on tackling the city’s very high recidivism rate—the proportion of prisoners released from jail who return to custody. Of all the counties in California, San Francisco has the third highest recidivism rate, with 78 percent of all those released from jail being arrested again.
As sheriff, he would run a huge office with a staff of 850. Its primary function is to run the city’s jails and parole system.
In an interview with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), Mirkarimi said his challenge as a candidate was to collect enough funds to make a citywide race.
“The challenges of our campaign are that I am running citywide,” he said. “I have opposition, but with my name recognition as an elected official, it’s one of the first times that I’m seen as an automatic front-runner, instead of the underdog posture that I’m more used to from my previous runs. The election is in November 2011, and it will be at the same time as the mayor and district attorney. Competing for resources and attention is always an inherent challenge with other high profile races.”
He said his goal is to raise $350,000.
It will help that outgoing Sheriff Hennessey has given Mirkarimi an enthusiastic endorsement.
Mirkarimi received a BA in political science from St. Louis University, a master’s in international economics from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and an MS in environmental science from the University of San Francisco. Before being elected a supervisor, he was an investigator with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for nine years, specializing in economic and environmental crimes.
Mirkarimi is one of 11 Iranians currently holding elective office in North America—eight in California, two in Canada and one in Texas.
Mirkarimi’s website is www.RossMirkarimi.com.
