SAN FRANCISCO — As he prepares to take office as San Francisco's new mayor, millionaire entrepreneur and Supervisor Gavin Newsom faces a sharply divided city and a Board of Supervisors majority that backed his opponent.
A restaurateur and wine shop owner who favors pinstriped suits, Newsom has vowed to end what critics call the patronage politics that earned his mentor -- outgoing Mayor Willie Brown -- so much enmity in recent years. He is already sketching out plans to improve city schools and bolster small business. And between handshakes with supporters in Chinatown's bustling fish and vegetable markets Wednesday, Newsom ticked off one of his early goals: "reaching across the ideological divide to bring this city together."
But behind Tuesday night's close contest is a San Francisco with starkly conflicting visions of itself. And signs are that conciliation won't come easy.
The city of homeowners eager to clean the streets of panhandlers, boost flagging tourism and staunch the exodus of big business won a slim victory when the 36-year-old Newsom prevailed.
But the 47% of voters -- many of them young renters -- who threw their support to Board of Supervisors president and Green Party member Matt Gonzalez see a different city: one that prides itself on a commitment to boosting the rights of the have-nots.
Whether Newsom can bridge those visions while working with a board majority already hostile to him was an open question pondered by many here Wednesday.
"All of this 'I'm going to reach out,' and 'We're going to dance in tandem' is said in good faith, but when it comes to the day-to-day grind there has to be more than just lip service," said longtime Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who lost his bid for the mayor's office last month when Gonzalez snagged the runoff slot.
"Everybody's been put on alert that there has to be more of a negotiated dialogue," Ammiano said. "I think it would be a great idea if Newsom spoke to Greens or appointed some Greens."
Newsom, who campaigned for more than a year with Brown's backing, had hoped for a clear mandate to carry out his vision of a cleaner, safer city. Now he must work his way through a city that many feel belongs to them -- not the more privileged interests they feel Newsom represents.
And he must do it at a time when the city is still reeling from the dot-com bust and battling the worst budget crisis in its history.
