Politics & Government

Bob Filner, New Council Members Sworn into Office

The former 10-term congressman was sworn in Monday morning.

Updated 4 p.m. Monday

Bob Filner promised to implement his vision of empowering neighborhoods when he was sworn in Monday as the city's 35th mayor during an inauguration ceremony in Balboa Park.

[See the full prepared text of Filner's speech here.]

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Re-elected City Attorney Jan Goldsmith and two newly elected and three returning members of the City Council also took the oath of office.

Filner, a former 10-term congressman from the South Bay, defeated departing Councilman Carl DeMaio in last month's general election to succeed Jerry Sanders. He based his campaign on giving power at City Hall to neighborhoods instead of what he called downtown special interests.

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"The major focus of my administration will be to put our neighborhoods first," Filner told an overflow audience at the Balboa Park Club.

He said in his 15-minute address that he wanted community plans to be completed; to revitalize infrastructure; improve emergency services in areas affected by the 2003 and 2007 wildfires; and to make every neighborhood "safe to live, work and play."

A single mother in San Ysidro should have the same decision-making power as a City Hall insider, Filner said.

He also said he would push to equip municipal buildings with solar panels, increase port business and jobs, collaborate with Mexico and keep the Chargers in San Diego. He did not mention details on the latter issue.

Filner thanked his predecessor for stabilizing San Diego's fiscal picture during his two terms in office, saying it gives him a chance to move the city forward.

"After nearly a decade of crises and cutbacks, we finally have a chance to look ahead, begin planning for a brighter future," Filner said.

The new mayor previously served on the City Council and San Diego Unified School District Board of Education and was a professor at San Diego State University.

Sanders, who thanked his wife, staff and members of the City Council as he ended his second term, was rewarded with a standing ovation that lasted about 30 seconds. His speech drew the two-hour ceremony's biggest laugh when he noted that the happiest days in office are the first and last, and in comparison to his successor, he was "the luckier man."

Sanders and his wife, Rana Sampson, are scheduled to embark on a three- month vacation to Italy early next month. When they return, he will take over as CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Besides Goldsmith, those sworn in included returning council members Marti Emerald, Todd Gloria and Sherri Lightner and newcomers Mark Kersey—who will represent Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Peñasquitos in District 5—and Scott Sherman.

Gloria, expected to be named council president, said he would maintain the body's fiscal discipline and make reforms passed in recent years permanent. He also said he would be aggressive in pushing for infrastructure improvements, try to end homelessness in downtown and spruce up Balboa Park for its 2015 centennial.

-City News Service


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