Longtime political strategist Tom Shepard may be among the most successful campaign consultants the San Diego area has seen, but he is most certainly unmatched in one rather unique category. Who before him could ever lay claim to being the consultant for every one of the members of the County Board of Supervisors…simultaneously? (Jim Sills, if you can actually come up with an answer for that, you are even more of The Man than I previously thought.)
In today’s U-T, columnist Tom Blair notes that Shepard’s chairman-high flush may have come to an end, at least for now…
“(Congressman Brian) Bilbray’s chief of staff, Steve Danon, reportedly has signed on veteran political consultant Tom Shepard to steer Danon’s campaign for Pam Slater-Price’s supervisor seat. That would indicate Shepard has signed off as Slater-Price’s campaign consultant — a position he held in her campaigns for supervisor.”
If indeed Shepard’s 100 percent lock on the campaign controls of the five supes has dropped to a mere four-fifths, it speaks all the more to the level of Donnybrook that will follow for Slater-Price’s seat in 2012.
It could also lead some to further conjecture that Slater-Price won’t run for re-election after all. Some.
Others, including Danon and Slater-Price Chief-of-Staff John Weil may want to weigh in and provide some perspective. They have before.
Comments 7
If Tom had been at Thursday’s Albondigas East County gathering, he would have already heard this hot bit of political gossip like I did, from an extremely reputable source. So not only do we have an amazing political Pick 5 run coming to an end, this is a significant defection and signal to the political marketplace.
So, Gayle, why didn’t you run back to the office and post it here, so we could have edged out the MSM (again)? What, a real job you say? Whatever.
What happens at Albondigas East County stays at Albondigas East County. Aren’t we supposed to be “off the record” so we may speak freely and talk serious smack without repercussions? 🙂
You’re asking TA? I’ve never received an invitation.
You don’t live or work in East County, dude.
Maybe Mr. Shepard’s Yes on Prop D campaign dropped his stock by exactly 24%, he did lose that one 38% to 62%
To extend the poker analogy, it looks more like Shepard is playing five-card draw and that he’s willing to dump the low card (PSP) in his Chair-high flush. It’s a risk I would take too. Danon will wipe the floor with Supervisor M.I.A.