Democratic State Sen. Christine Kehoe plans to file paperwork this week to explore a run for mayor of San Diego in 2012, she said this morning.
Kehoe becomes the third major candidate to declare and first Democrat. Like Republican City Councilman Carl DeMaio, Kehoe says she isn’t fully committed to the race yet. But the announcement allows her to start raising money and gauge interest once fundraising is allowed to begin on Sunday.
“The challenges San Diegans face together can be resolved,” Kehoe said in a statement. “We need honest solutions that don’t cause more problems than they solve. Working together and using commonsense, we can get San Diego back on the right track. That’s why I am taking a very serious look at running for mayor.”
The digital ink was barely dry on my story analyzing potential mayoral candidates when Kehoe made her announcement. Here’s how I described her in my piece:
Her experience has earned her friends in the environmental and gay communities. She was the city’s first openly gay elected official and helped start revitalization efforts in City Heights, one of San Diego’s most underdeveloped neighborhoods.
But her experience also has downsides. She’ll have to answer to her vote in favor of the city’s first pension underfunding plan in 1996, which began digging a hole out of which the city has yet to emerge. Her answers on pensions and finances will be even more significant because of her history.
Full disclosure: Colin Parent, who sent out the announcement and is volunteering for Kehoe’s campaign, is my roommate.
Please contact Liam Dillon directly at liam.dillon@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5663 and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/dillonliam.