‘There’s no ass I won’t kiss’
City Attorney Mike Aguirre probably won’t ever joke around with me again after this, but I can’t help myself. He and I were chatting about city politics after his press conference today (about his appeal in the Blackwater case). When it came around to his run-off race against challenger Jan Goldsmith, Aguirre said his new motto is “There’s no ass I won’t kiss.”
Aguirre’s referring to his need to mend bridges with some constituencies around town, particularly folks who voted for fellow Democrat Scott Peters, perhaps Aguirre’s No. 1 nemesis. In the June 3 primary election, Goldsmith, a Republican, came in first with 32.2 percent of the vote, followed by Aguirre with 28.9 percent and then Peters with 20.4 percent. Assuming Goldsmith gets all the people who voted for fourth-place finisher Brian Maienschein (12.4 percent), Aguirre needs most of Peters’ voters. (It’s likely that Aguirre will get many of fifth-place finisher Amy Lepine’s votes. She got 6 percent.)
With a big smile, Aguirre said his new persona is that of a “unifier,” adding, seriously, that he’s learned some lessons.
