Barbara Bry
Barbara Bry[lower-alpha 1] (born April 9, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician in San Diego, California. She served as a member of the San Diego City Council representing City Council District 1 from 2016 to 2020 and was a candidate for mayor of San Diego in the 2020 election.[1][2] The district includes the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, La Jolla, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, University City, and the University of California, San Diego campus.[3] Bry served as President Pro Tem of the City Council from 2017 to 2020. She is a Democrat, although city offices are officially nonpartisan.[4]
Barbara Bry | |
---|---|
Member of the San Diego City Council for the 1st district | |
In office December 12, 2016 – December 10, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Sherri Lightner |
Succeeded by | Joe LaCava |
Personal details | |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | April 9, 1949
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Neil Senturia |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS, MS) Harvard University (MBA) |
Website | Official website |
Early life and education
Bry was born and raised in Philadelphia. She earned a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.[5]
Career
Business
Prior to running for elected office for the first time in 2016, Barbara worked at Connect, a venture capital group.[6] She then became an entrepreneur and served on the initial management team of ProFlowers.[7]
In 1998, Bry founded Athena San Diego, an organization for women in the tech and life sciences community. In 2008, Bry founded Run Women Run, an organization that recruits and trains pro-choice women to seek elected and appointed office.[8]
San Diego City Council
Bry was a candidate for the city council's first district in the 2016 San Diego City Council election, as incumbent Sherri Lightner was ineligible to run due to term limits. Bry, a Democrat, was expected to run against Republican Ray Ellis and Democrat Joe LaCava to replace Lightner. However, LaCava announced that he would not run.[9][10]
Since no candidate received a majority of the votes in the June primary, Bry and Ellis were slated to advance to the November runoff election.[11] However, on August 12, 2016, Ellis announced that he would be withdrawing from the election.[12] Despite effectively conceding the race, Ellis's name still appeared on November ballot.[13] Bry was then elected to the City Council in November.
Bry served as Council President Pro Tem beginning in December 2017.[14] She has taken action on several issues including short term vacation rentals,[15] dockless vehicles,[16] community choice energy,[17] and establishing the Workplace Equity Initiative.[18]
In 2020, as part of her campaign for Mayor of San Diego, Bry sent a mass email to donors with the inflammatory subject line, "They're coming for our homes!" This message, intended to criticize the YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) movement as a threat to the rights of homeowners, and the city's neighborhood character. This triggered immediate criticism from the local Democratic Party organizations. In addition, the chair of the San Diego Climate Action Campaign responded that "Housing policy is climate policy. You cannot be a NIMBY and be a climate champion or comply with our Climate Action Plan.”[19]
Committee assignments
- Budget and Government Efficiency Committee (chair)
- Budget Review Committee (chair)
- Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
- Environment Committee
- Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee (Vice Chair)
- Rules Committee (Vice Chair)[20]
Personal life
Bry has lived in San Diego for 40 years and is married to entrepreneur Neil Senturia. They have raised two daughters and are now grandparents. They are of Jewish faith. [21]
Electoral history
2016 San Diego City Council
Primary election | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Nonpartisan | Barbara Bry | 18,559 | 48% | |
Nonpartisan | Ray Ellis | 12,982 | 34% | |
Nonpartisan | Bruce D. Lightner | 3,711 | 10% | |
Nonpartisan | Kyle Heiskala | 2,344 | 6% | |
Nonpartisan | Louis A. Rodolico | 707 | 2% | |
Total votes | 38,303 | 100% | ||
General election | ||||
Nonpartisan | Barbara Bry | 38,470 | 65% | |
Nonpartisan | Ray Ellis | 20,305 | 35% | |
Total votes | 58,775 | 100% |
2020 Mayor of San Diego
Primary election | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Nonpartisan | Todd Gloria | 147,654 | 41.5% | |
Nonpartisan | Barbara Bry | 81,541 | 22.9% | |
Nonpartisan | Scott Sherman | 80,352 | 22.6% | |
Nonpartisan | Tasha Williamson | 25,629 | 7.2% | |
Nonpartisan | Gita Applebaum Singh | 12,716 | 3.6% | |
Nonpartisan | Rich Riel | 8,067 | 2.3% | |
Write-In | Jarvis Gandy | 3 | 0.0% | |
Total votes | 355,994 | 100% | ||
General election | ||||
Nonpartisan | Barbara Bry | |||
Nonpartisan | Todd Gloria | |||
Total votes | 100% |
Notes
- Pronounced /bri/, like brie.
References
- City News Service (January 2, 2019). "Councilwoman Barbara Bry announces 2020 bid for San Diego mayor". fox5sandiego.com. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- Jennewein, Chris (January 3, 2019). "Barbara Bry Promises to Bring High Tech Experience to Mayor's Job". Times of San Diego. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- "Communities | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- Levitan, Corey (February 20, 2020). "Mayoral candidate Barbara Bry sits down with La Jolla Light; explains why she wants to lead San Diego". La Jolla Light. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- "Barbara Bry". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- "Xconomy: Connect, San Diego Venture Group Announce Plan to Merge Operations". Xconomy. April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- "Barbara Bry for City Council 2016". Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- "Run Women Run". Run Women Run. Run Women Run. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- Srikrishnan, Maya (January 8, 2016). "Joe LaCava Bows Out of City Council Race". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Bowen, Andrew. "Lightner Staffer Moves To Enter District 1 City Council Race". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- "Election History – Council District 1" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
- Jenkins, Logan (August 12, 2016). "Ellis concedes council race to Bry". The San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- Bowen, Andrew; Ruth, Brooke (August 12, 2016). "Ray Ellis Drops Out Of District 1 San Diego City Council Race". KPBS. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- Nguyen, Alexander (December 17, 2018). "City Council Re-Appoints Bry as Pro Tem, Approves Committee Rosters". Times of San Diego. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- BRY, BARBARA. "Why San Diego needs limits on vacation rentals". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- Garrick, David. "San Diego considering crackdown on dockless bikes, including fees, new rules". sandiegouniontribune.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- "You searched for "rayman khan" – Voice of San Diego". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- "How I'm Empowering Women in the Workplace". Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- Lewis, Scott (June 26, 2019). "'They're Coming for Our Homes': Bry Blasts YIMBY Movement". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- "City Council Committees | City Council Committees | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- Smith, Erin Chambers. "Plus One: Neil Senturia & Barbara Bry". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- "Election Night Results". March 2, 2020 Presidential Primary. San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved March 6, 2020.