Last Blog On Earth

Mayor Jerry Sanders’ campaign manager, Mike McSweeney, resigned today over what he said was his decision, and his decision alone, to ask mayoral candidate Eric Bidwell to read a statement trashing another candidate, Steve Francis, at last night’s KUSI debate.

“Last night, at approximately midnight,” McSweeney told CityBeat, “I went back to the campaign office after the event, wrote a resignation from the campaign and my duties as the campaign manager. This morning, I met with [Sanders campaign consultant] Tom Shepard, gave him my resignation. I used incredibly bad judgment. … Nobody on the campaign knew about it or condoned it. I apologize to the campaign for any embarrassment, and they accepted my resignation.”

He said it was his “exuberance” for the campaign that clouded his judgment.

It was Francis who today announced what had occurred, calling the incident a case of “dirty tricks.” According to Francis’ statement, here’s what McSweeney gave Bidwell to say:

I got into this race because I have a unique perspective on San Diego’s problems and challenges. I’m not a millionaire, politician, businessman or lawyer. In fact, I’m not even employed. But what I never figured on was that I would play a part in the most expensive, negative and fraudulent campaign for Mayor in San Diego history! Steve Francis has, or will spend, a cumulative total of $7 million dollars in his quest to be our Mayor. Why? And what about that Steve Francis Vision? Yep, that 54 page tome he’s been touting during this entire campaign. I downloaded it. I read it. What a complete waste of paper, and I’m sick of hearing about it. But the biggest surprise is the lack of specifics on how his vision could actually fix the problems he criticizes the Mayor over. My idea of making the City’s website, and providing the citizens with easier access to their City government via the web, is a more substantial offering to the voters that [sic] the “vision” of Steve Francis. It comes down to this. Steve Francis is a hypocrite. Says one thing and does another. He accuses others of the same actions and behaviors that he himself does. We don’t need that kind of person as our Mayor in San Diego. Steve, if it wasn’t for your millions of dollars of TV ads and campaign mail, nobody would take you seriously.

Bidwell told CityBeat that he believes McSweeney’s being made a scapegoat by the Sanders campaign.

“I’m almost positive that it was well known by Tom Shepard and the mayor. Tom Shepard is the one that came up with this. I don’t think McSweeney is really in charge of this—Tom Shepard is the guy who came up with all of this, I’m almost positive.”

Bidwell says the incident shows him that the state of politics in San Diego is sorrier than he thought. “I’ve definitely learned that politics in San Diego is just as bad, if not worse, then I ever really knew.”

He said he’s surprised that the Sanders team would “be so stupid and clumsy about it.”

Update: We have a call and an e-mail out to Tom Shepard to get his response, but we haven’t heard back yet.