Peter Ragone By The Numbers
We've learned so much about mayoral communications director Peter Ragone from this article in the Sunday Chron! Since it's a Sunday (and there's no Swells today), we're naturally giving it the SFist By The Numbers treatment.
Peter Ragone's generational suffix: III. Other Peter the Thirds we found in history include: a remarkably unpopular Russian tsar and a king of Portugal who married his own niece.
Ragone's salary: $118,468. The article didn't say how much sick leave he's entitled to.
Number of unsuccessful political candidates for whom Ragone has worked: 3 -- Andrew Cuomo's failed run for New York governor, Gore's ill-fated 2000 run, and Gray Davis's failed run against the recall.
Number of posts Ragone made on SFist from his confirmed IP address: 15: 7 under the name "Peter," 7 under the name "John Nelson," and 1 under the name "Jonell."
Number of confirmed fake posts on ABC 7's blog: 2.
Number of people Ragone's implicated as lying: 2 -- himself and Gavin Newsom. Aaron Peskin says, "It is astounding to me that this mayor would allow this gentleman to continue to serve in the position of press secretary now that Ragone, on the one hand, has said he is a liar and, on the other hand, has admitted the mayor is a liar."
Picture of Ragone and Newsom by SFist Jackson. More numbers after the jump!
Number of years in which the news director at KGO 7 has never seen anyone more obstructionist than Ragone in political journalism: 27. Barbara Taylor from KCBS says that "I always feel on some level I am being manipulated" by Ragone.
Number of journalist friends Ragone says he has. 40.
Number of reporter friends the Chron managed to contact: 1, who admitted that maybe Ragone's intense East Coast vibe might not work as well out here in "free and easy California."
Number of people providing positive quotes about Ragone in the piece: 5.5 -- the half-compliment from his one reporter friend, his two PR mentors (Bill de Blasio, describing him as "idealistic" and "persistent," and pugnacious Chris Lehane, who advises "always bring a gun to a knife fight"), two other people in PR who said Ragone's very dedicated to Gavin, and Chris Daly, who called him a "smooth operator." He was also described as smart, energetic, and funny.
Comments we're choosing to read as a compliment over here at SFist!: 1 -- Ragone says he started commenting here because "it's where people are having fun." Sure! Like we've said, we've got no hard feelings over here on our side (though we do reserve the right to keep poking fun at you for it, Mr. Ragone!).