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San Diego voters opted for a return to Republican leadership on Tuesday as they elected a city councilman backed by the downtown establishment to succeed ex-Mayor Bob Filner, a Democrat who resigned amid a torrent of sexual misconduct allegations.
Republican Kevin Faulconer garnered nearly 55 percent of the vote to defeat his City Council colleague, Democrat David Alvarez, who was vying to become San Diego's first Hispanic mayor but finished the night with just over 45 percent.
Faulconer, 47, declaring victory at a downtown hotel, is expected to take the oath of office in early March to serve out the nearly three years that remained in Filner's term as mayor of California's second-most populous city.
"Together, you have sent a very strong message ... that this city is going to stand up and work together to bring us all together," he told his supporters.
Alvarez, 33, conceded defeat in a Twitter message congratulating Faulconer. "It's clear that he will be the next mayor of San Diego. I look forward to working with him."
Filner resigned in disgrace in August after nearly 20 women, starting with his then-press secretary, publicly accused him of making unwanted advances and other inappropriate behavior during his brief tenure as San Diego's first Democratic mayor.
Faulconer emerged as the front-runner in an initial field of 11 candidates who ran to replace Filner in November. But he failed to garner the simple majority needed then to win outright, setting the stage for Tuesday's runoff with Alvarez, who had narrowly clinched second place.
To supporters, Faulconer represents the center-right that was long the political pedigree of mayors in San Diego, which has traditionally tended to lean conservative, in part because of its large military and retired military presence.
The 2012 election of Filner, a liberal Democrat who served 20 years in Congress, was considered a political turning point.
On Monday, municipal officials announced that the city and Filner had agreed to a $250,000 compensation package to settle the sexual harassment suit brought by his first accuser, Irene McCormack Jackson, with the entire sum coming from city coffers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/us-usa-politics-sandiego-idUSBREA1B0D020140212
Republican Kevin Faulconer garnered nearly 55 percent of the vote to defeat his City Council colleague, Democrat David Alvarez, who was vying to become San Diego's first Hispanic mayor but finished the night with just over 45 percent.
Faulconer, 47, declaring victory at a downtown hotel, is expected to take the oath of office in early March to serve out the nearly three years that remained in Filner's term as mayor of California's second-most populous city.
"Together, you have sent a very strong message ... that this city is going to stand up and work together to bring us all together," he told his supporters.
Alvarez, 33, conceded defeat in a Twitter message congratulating Faulconer. "It's clear that he will be the next mayor of San Diego. I look forward to working with him."
Filner resigned in disgrace in August after nearly 20 women, starting with his then-press secretary, publicly accused him of making unwanted advances and other inappropriate behavior during his brief tenure as San Diego's first Democratic mayor.
Faulconer emerged as the front-runner in an initial field of 11 candidates who ran to replace Filner in November. But he failed to garner the simple majority needed then to win outright, setting the stage for Tuesday's runoff with Alvarez, who had narrowly clinched second place.
To supporters, Faulconer represents the center-right that was long the political pedigree of mayors in San Diego, which has traditionally tended to lean conservative, in part because of its large military and retired military presence.
The 2012 election of Filner, a liberal Democrat who served 20 years in Congress, was considered a political turning point.
On Monday, municipal officials announced that the city and Filner had agreed to a $250,000 compensation package to settle the sexual harassment suit brought by his first accuser, Irene McCormack Jackson, with the entire sum coming from city coffers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/us-usa-politics-sandiego-idUSBREA1B0D020140212
