Denny to City: "Let Reid Build"

San Francisco, March 17, 2003 - Libertarian candidate for mayor Michael Denny released a statement today saying he applauded Jim Reid and the San Francisco Examiner and Sentinel newspapers for featuring Reid's "Shelter One" cottage last week.

Denny called on the city to "get out of Jim's way and let him build." Reid suggests that twenty affordable shelters could be built on a single city lot; with a promised donation of materials from Home Depot, each unit would cost only $6,000.

However, these truly affordable shelters are prohibited under current city law.

Reid frequently comments that San Francisco's regulatory environment is responsible for the high cost of San Francisco housing. He has said, "Building cheap housing is a political and zoning issue more than anything else." He opposes taxpayer-funded bonds to subsidize developers, and has asked private foundations to donate the land for his proposed shelters. This voluntary, free-market approach is also shared by Denny. "These values are at the core of Libertarian thinking when dealing with all personal and economic issues," Denny said.

Denny congratulated Reid on his free-market approach to housing, saying, "Who says we need City Hall to use the force of taxes and public bonds to solve our housing problems? San Francisco's citizens and businesses, working together, will do more to solve our problems than any government project."

He went on to highlight the candidates' differences on other issues. While Reid says of the housing situation, "The truth is, politicians don't have a clue," Denny says politicians won't have more of a clue with single payer health care or any other government project.

Denny noted that his most important role in this campaign is to advocate good Libertarian ideas, regardless of their source, saying, "Thank you, Jim. It's good to have your fresh ideas on the campaign trail. Now let's just find a way to get you (and me) into the debates."

About Michael Denny:

Michael Denny is a husband, a father of four children, a small business owner, and a Libertarian candidate for mayor of San Francisco. His campaign Web site is www.michaeldennyformayor.com. Libertarians believe in personal freedom, in both social and economic spheres, and in minimal government to protect those freedoms.

"Candidate in cottage industry," San Francisco Examiner, March 14, 2003; available on-line at www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.reid.0314w.

"Reid hosts SPUR tour of one answer to homelessness," San Francisco Sentinel, March 13, 2003; available on-line at the end of www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/news_m.htm.