Docket Full of Miracles : Merger: Mayor Maureen O’Connor, basking in the afterglow of the failed SDG&E; takeover plan, is on a victory march.

Proclaiming herself “Miracle Mo,” San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor said Thursday that her leadership in blocking the attempted takeover of San Diego Gas & Electric Co. “not only will be my political legacy, but may expand it” by giving her added clout to push for two major pet projects.

Basking in the afterglow of the biggest victory in her two-decade public career, O’Connor, confessing giddily that “it’s difficult to suppress the smile,” said Wednesday’s rejection of SDG&E;’s proposed merger with Southern California Edison Corp., coupled with other recent major political successes--notably, her resistance to stiff mandatory water restrictions--have left her “as high as I’ve ever been.”

“Mayor Mo might turn into Miracle Mo,” O’Connor said, chuckling, during an interview in her City Hall office. “Two miracles within a couple months--that’s more luck than even this Irish woman could hope for.”

Indeed, for O’Connor, the state Public Utilities Commission’s rejection of the proposed SDG&E; merger heightened the gloss on an already sparkling public relations bonanza that began when this spring’s heavy rains made O’Connor’s vehement opposition to mandatory water rationing appear to be both politically and meteorologically prescient.

In addition, the City Council’s redistricting decision last week--which largely reversed last year’s controversial realignment of council boundaries--and the April recall of Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt significantly strengthened O’Connor’s political hand. Though her role in those two battles was, at most, minimal--in the recall, she essentially was simply an interested spectator--both allowed O’Connor to reassert her leadership on the council.

“In politics, just like in baseball, grand slams don’t come around that often,” O’Connor said. “I’ve never had a run like this in 20 years in politics, so yes, I’m going to enjoy this while it lasts. When you overcome obstacles and odds that no one believes you can--and most people said this merger thing was like a thousand-to-one shot when we began--that makes it especially satisfying. That, and knowing that it’s something with real lasting effect on the community.”

Signs, both tangible and intangible, of the post-victory headiness shared by O’Connor and her staff were not difficult to find Thursday in the mayor’s 11th-floor suite at City Hall.

Bouquets of flowers--one of them from SDG&E; employees--were scattered throughout her private office. Numerous callers urged her to reconsider what she insists remains her firm decision not to seek reelection next year. And, on a more impalpable score, O’Connor beamed while saying, “Everything seems a little sweeter and brighter after you take a big risk, for the right reasons, and it pays off big.”

In politics, where perception is as important as reality--and sometimes more important--O’Connor’s impressive string of recent successes has bolstered her standing inside and outside City Hall. Though momentum is often as ephemeral in politics as it is more a matter of perception than fact, there was little doubt in political circles Thursday that O’Connor has, as one political consultant put it, “a couple tons of it right now.”

“She ought to ride the crest of this wave as long as it will keep her out there,” said consultant Sara Katz. “She was way out front on these things, and when you win issues of this magnitude, your stock is going to rise. And hers certainly has.”

Recognizing that today’s momentum can become tomorrow’s lost opportunity if not cashed in quickly, O’Connor said she hopes to convert the upswing in her political fortunes into broader council and public support for two of her top priorities: her ambitious plan to build a new bay-front library and to win voter approval of her long-sought City Charter amendment establishing a two-term limit on council service.

“I always try to maximize the political advantages, but for the city, not for me personally,” O’Connor said. “I think there’s going to be some carry-over when I work on those things. One of the benefits to big victories like this is that they kind of amp you up for the next battle. So the mountains you have to climb don’t look so high anymore. You get renewed faith that things are winnable, that they are feasible.”

Until tested, O’Connor’s ability to capitalize on her rising political stock remains a matter of conjecture. At least some of her council colleagues, however, said Thursday that, in light of her recent track record, they are disinclined to underestimate her on anything .

“She’s having an incredible year, and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to continue,” Councilman Ron Roberts said. “When you’re on a winning streak like she is, people look at you a little differently, and you think of yourself differently. This is really going to help her on her issues. Plus, I think you’re going to see some of the people on the council and elsewhere who were quick to blast her last year being more hesitant to criticize her now.”

Several other council members differ with that analysis--but, significantly, none was willing to be identified by name, a telling indicator of the changed political dynamics within City Hall attributable to the mayor’s recent 100-megaton victories.

“Sure, there’s some carry-over and momentum, but issues are basically decided one by one,” one council member said. “I don’t think anybody is going to be afraid to speak up or challenge her just because of the SDG&E; or water thing. She’s still only one of nine votes. In fact, having some big wins can almost work against you sometimes. When someone gets too high, there’s a tendency on the council to bring them back down.”

Political consultant David Lewis, meanwhile, argued that O’Connor’s successes “might get more mileage” with the public than among her City Hall colleagues.

“A lame duck is still a lame duck--she’s just a more popular lame duck,” Lewis said. “Politicians tend to realize that momentum comes and goes, and aren’t terribly impressed. Still, if she walked into almost any meeting hall in the city, I’m sure she’d get a big ovation.”

As with any incumbent not seeking reelection, O’Connor’s political clout likely will diminish proportionately as her term draws closer to its December, 1992, conclusion. In that regard, her newly enhanced image could help offset the gradual diminution that many felt had already begun before her recent successes.

“The timing wasn’t strategic on her part, because you can’t know when it’s going to rain or when the PUC is going to act,” consultant Katz said. “But the timing couldn’t be better for her. This will give her a big boost at least through this summer and maybe later.”

The question of timing also was very much on O’Connor’s mind Thursday. Noting that her SDG&E; victory “certainly will be No. 1 on the political legacy,” O’Connor confessed to entertaining fleeting thoughts about the vagaries and unpredictability of the swings of the political pendulum.

“If I retired tomorrow or, God forbid, something happened to me on the way home tonight, what a way to go,” she said. “It doesn’t get much better than this. You couldn’t ask for a better ending. But I’m hoping it provides some more beginnings.”