SAN DIEGO — Businesswoman Barbara Bry, a member of the Jewish community, has become the de facto City Councilwoman-elect in the 1st District after her opponent, businessman Ray Ellis, announced on Thursday, Aug. 11, he was withdrawing from the race, citing among other factors “toxicity” and “divisiveness” at the top of the Republican ticket.
Here is a copy of Ellis’s statement:
I want to thank my supporters for all their efforts on our campaign. It’s been a pleasure getting to know so many people in District 1.
From the beginning, I have said I entered this race to have a positive impact on San Diego – that is what I have been doing for years through my volunteer work.
City Council elections are officially non-partisan, as they should be. There is no Republican or Democratic way to address the numerous opportunities and issues facing our City. Most voters, however, have little bandwidth for local elections, and many rely on party affiliation when casting their vote.
We know Republican registration is down in District 1 and Democratic registration is up. That and other factors at the top of the ticket contributed to a 17% swing for Democrats in District 1 compared to the June 2012 primary. Back then, Republicans enjoyed a 4% turnout advantage in District 1. This past June, Democrats enjoyed a 13% advantage.
As we look to November, I believe the toxicity and the divisiveness at the top of ticket will get worse. My values are important to me and I will not support presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Due to these conditions, I do not believe there is a viable path to victory in November’s City Council runoff. Without a viable path, I cannot in good faith ask supporters to finance another effort. After much thought, I have decided my time is better spent getting back to work as a community volunteer.
Although I am withdrawing my candidacy for City Council, I will always work to make San Diego a better place. Gina and I are San Diegans first and foremost. We love it here and we will always do whatever we can to support our City and everyone who calls it home.
I believe I can have the greatest impact on important issues like homelessness, education, foster children and issues in our neighborhoods, with organizations like Neighborhood House Association/Head Start, The Parker Foundation, San Diego Social Venture Partners and my community planning board. Instead of raising funds for my campaign, I urge supporters to visit my website at www.ellisforcouncil.com and consider supporting organizations that Gina and I believe in and support.
I want to thank my supporters and my family. I also want to congratulate Ms. Bry and her family on her success. I want to extend any assistance to Ms. Bry that I can offer. I wish her the best of luck moving forward.
Bry subsequently responded with the following statement:
Today my opponent, Ray Ellis, announced he is suspending his campaign for City Council. I would like to thank Mr. Ellis for his commitment to public service and for being a passionate advocate on issues critical to the future of our City — pension reform, homelessness and early childhood education. I look forward to seeing how he will continue his track record of civic engagement, and I will undoubtedly take him up on his offer of assistance.
Vigorous debate is the foundation of democracy, and I believe more points of view contributed to a more diverse and constructive debate. In this competitive race, I’m grateful to have had the voices of Ray Ellis, Bruce Lightner, Kyle Heiskala, and Louis Rodolico in the conversation about how we can improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
I plan on continuing our volunteer-driven, grassroots campaign and listening to the needs of the residents in La Jolla, University City, Del Mar Heights and Carmel Valley through neighborhood coffees and knocking on doors. Ray Ellis’ name will remain on the ballot, so we still need to win in November by communicating our policies to a larger electorate. Please donate to our campaign to ensure we can bring our grassroots energy and neighborhood-driven plans to City Hall.
Our organizing effort will also extend beyond the campaign. The success of an organization depends of the strength of its team — and our team will be stronger with community input and engagement in the policy process.
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Preceding provided by Ray Ellis and Barbara Bry. Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)