City Councilwoman Barbara Bry announced her candidacy this week in San Diego's 2020 mayoral race.
Bry, a Democrat who represents Council District 1, is the first major candidate to formally announce a mayoral run.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, is in the midst of his second and final term and Democrats are eyeing a chance to take the mayorship — technically a non-partisan position — in a city that is trending further to the left.
"I want our city to be a model for cities around the country and all over the world," Bry said in a campaign announcement video. "I want us to be a model in how we treat everyone with equity and respect."
Bry is a former journalist and high-tech entrepreneur who ran for City Council in 2016. Her quiet filing of candidacy paperwork last month flew mostly under the radar. She has served as the council's president pro tem since 2017 and was one of the first elected officials in the city to endorse the SDSU West plan to redevelop SDCCU Stadium in Mission Valley.
After leaving journalism, Bry founded companies such as ProFlowers.com and Athena San Diego, which helps women in STEM industries, as well as Run Women Run, which supports and encourages pro-choice women to run for elected office.
"I love this city," Bry said. "I believe a large part of my business success is because I was fortunate enough to end up in San Diego. I was a white woman with a Harvard MBA, so I had a lot of doors that were open to me that are not open to a lot of people in San Diego and I want to make sure they get the same opportunities that I had."
Bry's potential competition in the June primary could include Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego, Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and, among Republicans, City Councilman Mark Kersey and former San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman.
