Barbara Bry
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbara Bry[a] (born April 9, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2016 to 2020, representing District 1. A member of the Democratic Party,[1] she served as president pro tempore of the city council from 2017 to 2020 and was a candidate for mayor of San Diego in the 2020 election.[2][3]
Georgette Gómez
Barbara Bry | |
|---|---|
| |
| President Pro Tempore of the San Diego City Council | |
| In office 2017 – December 10, 2020 | |
| Mayor | Kevin Faulconer |
| Council President | Myrtle Cole Georgette Gómez |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Whitburn |
| Member of the San Diego City Council from the 1st district | |
| In office December 12, 2016 – December 10, 2020 | |
| Mayor | Kevin Faulconer |
| Preceded by | Sherri Lightner |
| Succeeded by | Joe LaCava |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 9, 1949 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Neil Senturia |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS, MEd) Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
Bry was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[citation needed] She attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology and a Master of Education.[4] She later attended Harvard Business School, where she earned a Master of Business Administration degree.[5]
Career
Prior to running for elected office, Bry worked at Connect, a venture capital group.[6] She later 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 seeking elected and appointed office.[8]
San Diego City Council
In 2016, Bry ran for the District 1 seat on the San Diego City Council vacated by term-limited incumbent Sherri Lightner.[9] Bry and Republican Ray Ellis advanced from the March primary with 48% and 34% of the vote, respectively. However, on August 12, 2016, Ellis withdrew from the race,[10] although his name still appeared on the November ballot.[11] Bry went on to win the general election with 65% of the vote.[12]
After assuming office in December 2016, Bry served as president pro tempore of the San Diego City Council from 2017 to 2020 under council presidents Myrtle Cole and Georgette Gómez.[13] During her tenure on the city council, she supported restrictions on short term vacation rentals[14] and dockless bicycles,[15] while supporting efforts to combat the gender wage gap in San Diego.[16]
2020 mayoral campaign
Bry ran for mayor of San Diego in 2020, seeking to succeed term-limited incumbent Kevin Faulconer. Bry and fellow Democrat, California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria advanced from the March primary with 22.9% and 41.5% of the vote, respectively. During the campaign, Bry received pushback from local Democratic Party leaders for mailers seen as critical of the YIMBY housing movement.[17] Gloria went on to defeat Bry in the November general election with 55.95% of the vote.
After leaving office in December 2020, Bry returned to the private sector to work for a venture capital and private equity firm.[4]
Personal life
Bry lives in San Diego, California with her husband, entrepreneur Neil Senturia. They have two daughters and are grandparents. Bry and her husband are of the Jewish faith.[18]
Electoral history
2016 San Diego City Council
| Primary election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Barbara Bry | 18,559 | 48% | |
| Ray Ellis | 12,982 | 34% | |
| Bruce D. Lightner | 3,711 | 10% | |
| Kyle Heiskala | 2,344 | 6% | |
| Louis A. Rodolico | 707 | 2% | |
| Total votes | 38,303 | 100% | |
| General election | |||
| Barbara Bry | 38,470 | 65% | |
| Ray Ellis | 20,305 | 35% | |
| Total votes | 58,775 | 100% | |
2020 Mayor of San Diego
| Primary election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Todd Gloria | 147,654 | 41.5% | |
| Barbara Bry | 81,541 | 22.9% | |
| Scott Sherman | 80,352 | 22.6% | |
| Tasha Williamson | 25,629 | 7.2% | |
| Gita Applebaum Singh | 12,716 | 3.6% | |
| Rich Riel | 8,067 | 2.3% | |
| Jarvis Gandy (Write-in candidate) | 3 | 0.0% | |
| Total votes | 355,994 | 100% | |
| General election | |||
| Todd Gloria | 346,662 | 55.95% | |
| Barbara Bry | 272,887 | 44.05% | |
| Total votes | 619,549 | 100% | |