Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 | A lot of ink has been spilled trying to divine the “true motives” behind the Labor Council’s endorsement of Todd Gloria in District 3, including one bizarre argument that suggests the endorsement was a backhanded slight against Donna Frye. So let’s set the record straight.
My union is supporting Todd Gloria for the same reason that we have supported Donna Frye in every race she has run: Todd Gloria is the best candidate in the race for working families.
Todd is the son of a hotel maid and a gardener. He has worked his way up from humble beginnings with little more than his own work ethic and determination. His story inspires me and inspires Local 30 members. And we’ve seen Todd work in the community over the years and know that he has the experience and passion to bring real change to City Hall.
Make no mistake, this was a tough choice between two good, pro-labor candidates. Making this choice even harder was Donna Frye’s endorsement. Donna’s endorsement means a lot to my union. Hotel workers’ can ask for no more consistent ally and no stronger voice on the City Council than Donna Frye.
In the end, we made a tough, but clear and direct choice about who would be the best City Councilmember for workers in District 3. We are proud to support Todd Gloria for City Council and will work our hearts out to make sure that in 2009 workers in San Diego have a Donna Frye, Sherri Lightner, Ben Hueso, Marti Emerald, Tony Young and Todd Gloria majority.
Brigette Browning is the president of UNITE HERE Local 30, which represents 4,500 workers in San Diego’s hotel and tourism industry.