San Diego mayor-elect Todd Gloria defeated his opponent Barbara Bry in the city's mayoral race by winning 56% of the city's vote, making Gloria the first openly gay mayor and first person of color to serve in that position.
"It feels great, obviously, to be able to blaze this trail and to really step on the shoulders of other folks who have taken the steps to really make this possible," Gloria told NBC 7 on Wednesday.
Gloria will be the first Democrat -- besides a brief eight-month stint by Bob Filner -- to serve as San Diego mayor since 2005. He will lead the city with a Democrat-majority in the city council.
"I’m grateful that -- I believe -- we’ll have a council that aligns with my priorities and my vision for the city," Gloria said.
Gloria will be leading a city that is heading into the purple, most-restrictive tier, because of a spike in COVID-19 cases, and will face one of the biggest budget deficits in the city's history, largely due to the pandemic.
"I think, going forward, we have to have a number of strategies that would help our economy get back on track," Gloria said. "I spent a good chunk of the campaign spending time with community leaders from all sectors of our economy to put forward a plan for doing it precisely."
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Other priorities for the incoming mayor include tackling homelessness in our region, addressing the lack of affordable housing and growing concerns about racial equality.
To watch more of Gloria's interview with NBC 7's Priya Sridhar, tune in to Politically Speaking on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. -- Ed.
