Things just got a little cozier in what may be a Republican majority in San Diego’s City Council come December.
Two current councilmembers, a future councilmember and a council hopeful endorsed mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio outside City Hall Monday.
Councilmembers Lorie Zapf and Kevin Faulconer, councilman-elect Mark Kersey and District 7 candidate Scott Sherman came together Monday morning to announce their support for DeMaio.
“I'm committed to building a strong team at City Hall of reformers who will work together to serve the taxpayers, not the special interests,” DeMaio said. “I'm pleased to have the support of these Councilmembers who will help me move San Diego forward.”
Sherman’s is perhaps the most notable of the four endorsements. The former businessman’s relationship with DeMaio was in limbo throughout his campaign, as detailed in an article by our media partner, Voice of San Diego.
Though Sherman held a fundraiser for DeMaio and gained early recognition for an email DeMaio sent out supporting him, he rejected that he was ever part of “an orchestrated team of Republicans corralled by DeMaio to take over City Hall,” the article read.
Another former candidate in District 7, Rik Hauptfeld, claimed DeMaio tried to strong-arm him to help Sherman’s campaign. Hauptfeld told NBC 7 that DeMaio offered to back him a school board race instead of a city council race. DeMaio denied the allegations when asked about it in March.
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Most recent registrar figures show that Sherman came through the June 5 primaries with 51 percent of his districts’ votes – just enough of a margin to take a victory through November. Updated numbers from absentee ballots could put him the runoff against Mat Kostrinsky, though.
Councilwoman Lorie Zapf said she decided to endorse DeMaio based on his ideas for reforming the city’s finances.
"Voters in November will have a clear choice,” Zapf said in a statement, “Continue on the path to reform that has led us to balanced budgets, increased core services, and addressing deferred maintenance needs in a real way, or a return to past practices that got us into this mess in the first place.”
Councilmember Kevin Faulconer worked with DeMaio to craft the pension overhaul ballot measure, Proposition B.
"There is only one Mayoral candidate who will continue our mission to guard San Diego's tax dollars Carl DeMaio," Faulconer wrote in a statement.
DeMaio’s running mate in the November runoff, U.S. Rep. Bob Filner has gained the endorsement of the council’s Democrats, Marti Emerald, Todd Gloria and David Alvarez. Council President Tony Young has not endorsed a candidate.
For more on the issues facing the November General Election, visit our Decision 2012 feature page.
