Escondido Mayor Sam Abed is expected to announce Monday that he'll run next year for San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts' seat.
The Republican Abed has not confirmed his plans, but when KPBS called him on Friday he handed the call off to a campaign spokeswoman, Erin Lump.
“I feel an obligation to the people of Escondido, who represent nearly a quarter of the third supervisorial district, to speak out for public integrity,” Abed said in a news release. “The people of the 3rd district deserve honest representation and a Supervisor who treats all people with respect and dignity and one who respects the law and this office. The public’s trust must be restored.”
Abed has most recently been in the news for asking Roberts, a Democrat from Solana Beach, to resign after complaints surfaced from former staffers that he abused his office.
In two legal claims against county, the ex-staffers accuse Roberts of misusing taxpayer funds, inappropriately delegating campaign responsibilities to government employees and maintaining an inappropriate relationship with an employee.
Roberts, who was elected in 2012, denies the allegations. "For people to make these claims is wrong. I am so offended that people said I had a hostile work environment,” he told KPBS Midday Edition last week.
Abed, a Republican, has been on the Escondido City Council since 2004 and been mayor since 2010.
Roberts is the only Democrat on the five-member county Board of Supervisors. His District 3 includes coastal North County as well as parts of Escondido, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, Scripps Ranch and Tierrasanta.
