Bry concedes San Diego mayor’s race to Gloria
Councilwoman said she plans to launch an organization to boost the power of city neighborhoods.
City Councilwoman Barbara Bry conceded the San Diego mayor’s race to state Assemblyman Todd Gloria on Nov. 9.
Bry said she called Gloria the day before to offer her congratulations.
“I know he loves San Diego, the city where he was born,” Bry said in a Zoom meeting featuring many supporters and members of the news media.
Though both candidates are Democrats, Bry took more conservative positions than Gloria on many issues during the campaign.
Gloria leads Bry by more than 73,000 votes in the latest update Nov. 8 from the San Diego County registrar of voters office, with only 64,000 ballots remaining to be processed countywide. Gloria has 56.1 percent of the vote; Bry 43.9 percent.
Openly gay, he will be the first mayor of color and arguably the city’s most powerful leader.
Bry will be replaced on the council Dec. 10 by fellow La Jollan Joe LaCava. She chose to run for mayor instead of seeking a second term as the council member representing District 1.
Bry, 71, said she is unlikely to seek public office again. She said she plans to launch an organization to bring the city’s diverse neighborhoods together to strengthen their voices at City Hall.
“I’m optimistic about our city’s future,” she said. “But for the next few years, our city faces many challenges because of COVID-19, and Mr. Gloria will have a tough job. Thousands of San Diegans are unemployed through no fault of their own, and city revenues are declining.”
Gloria said in a statement that “I want to thank Councilmember Bry for her service to our city and I wish her and her family well. It is time to put the campaign behind us and come together as San Diegans to resolve the many challenges we face.”
David Garrick writes for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Point Loma-OB Monthly staff contributed to this report. ◆
