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Barbara Bry

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This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Barbara Bry
Image of Barbara Bry
Prior offices
San Diego City Council District 1
Successor: Joe LaCava

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Pennsylvnia, 1971

Graduate

Harvard Business School, 1976

Personal
Birthplace
Philadelphia, Pa.
Religion
Reform Jewish
Profession
San Diego City Council President Pro Tem
Contact

Barbara Bry was a member of the San Diego City Council in California, representing District 1. She assumed office in 2016. She left office on December 14, 2020.

Bry ran for election for San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk in California. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Bry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bry was born on April 9, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in 1971. She went on to obtain another master's degree from Harvard Business School in 1976. Bry's professional experience includes serving as San Diego City Council President Pro Tem. She also has worked as a journalist, COO of Blackbird Ventures, CEO/Editor in Chief of Voice of San Diego, Chief Marketing Officer of TEC International (Vistage), and Co-founder of ATCOM/INFO. She has been associated with nonprofit organizations as Founder of Athena San Diego, Founder of Run Women Run, and board member of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.[1]

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in San Diego County, California (2022)

General election

General election for San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk

Jordan Marks defeated Barbara Bry in the general election for San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jordan Marks
Jordan Marks (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
51.5
 
452,353
Image of Barbara Bry
Barbara Bry (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
48.5
 
425,913

Total votes: 878,266
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Barbara Bry and Jordan Marks advanced from the primary for San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk.

2020

See also: Mayoral election in San Diego, California (2020)

General election

General election for Mayor of San Diego

Todd Gloria defeated Barbara Bry in the general election for Mayor of San Diego on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Todd Gloria
Todd Gloria (Nonpartisan)
 
56.0
 
346,662
Image of Barbara Bry
Barbara Bry (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
44.0
 
272,887

Total votes: 619,549
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of San Diego

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of San Diego on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Todd Gloria
Todd Gloria (Nonpartisan)
 
41.5
 
147,654
Image of Barbara Bry
Barbara Bry (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
22.9
 
81,541
Image of Scott Sherman
Scott Sherman (Nonpartisan)
 
22.6
 
80,352
Tasha Williamson (Nonpartisan)
 
7.2
 
25,629
Image of Gita Appelbaum Singh
Gita Appelbaum Singh (Nonpartisan)
 
3.6
 
12,716
Rich Riel (Nonpartisan)
 
2.3
 
8,099

Total votes: 355,991
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Bry's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2016

See also: Municipal elections in San Diego, California (2016)

The mayor's chair and five of the nine seats on the San Diego City Council were up for election on June 7, 2016.

While the June election was called a primary, it was functionally a general election. The only races where no candidate won a majority (50 percent plus one) of the votes cast in the primary advanced to the election on November 8, 2016. The November election was called a general election, but it was functionally a runoff election. Barbara Bry defeated Ray Ellis in the general election for San Diego City Council District 1.

San Diego City Council District 1, General Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Barbara Bry 66.16% 22,156
Ray Ellis 33.84% 11,333
Total Votes 33,489
Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Unofficial election results," accessed November 9, 2016

Barbara Bry and Ray Ellis defeated Bruce Lightner, Kyle Heiskala, and Louis Rodolico in the primary election for San Diego City Council District 1.

San Diego City Council District 1, Primary Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Barbara Bry 49.05% 11,324
Green check mark transparent.png Ray Ellis 33.71% 7,782
Bruce Lightner 9.49% 2,191
Kyle Heiskala 5.85% 1,351
Louis Rodolico 1.89% 437
Total Votes (100% reporting) 23,085
Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential Primary Election, Tuesday, June 7, 2016," June 8, 2016

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Barbara Bry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bry's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My diverse career has included serving on the San Diego City Council, starting companies, and founding three not-for-profit organizations. Currently, I’m the Chief Financial Officer for Blackbird Ventures which invests in early-stage companies.

I worked my way through college and graduate school, earning a Harvard MBA. While a single working mom, I was on the founding team of two local companies, creating hundreds of local jobs. I taught entrepreneurship at UCSD and founded Athena San Diego, which supports the advancement of women in STEM businesses. As a business journalist, I spotlighted the vibrant small business community and was honored by the Small Business Administration. I served as President of the Board of the Children's Museum of San Diego and as Vice Chair of the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation. During the Obama administration, I was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

I have lived in San Diego for 40 years. I am married to Neil Senturia, and our blended family includes four adult children, all married to people they adore, and seven grandchildren. Honors and awards include induction into the San Diego Women’s Hall of Fame and the CONNECT Technology Innovation Award.

  • Equity—treat everyone fairly, ensure that all properties are appraised at their fair value on a timely basis according to our current laws and that corporate property owners pay their fair share.
  • Transparency and integrity—to act in the public interest. A current senior official has plead guilty for funneling contracts to his wife.3. Modernization—make the website easier to use, bring in new technology to better track and produce records, and develop new tools to improve customer service online, in-person and over the phone.
  • Modernization—make the website easier to use, bring in new technology to better track and produce records, and develop new tools to improve customer service online, in-person and over the phone.
1. Representing voters, not politicians or special interests, and ensuring a transparent and open government that provides excellent customer service to residents.

2. Climate change. As the leader of a countywide office, I want to play a part in making sure that the County of San Diego meets their climate action plan goals and that my office implements sustainable practices and policies. As the leader of an organization with 400 employees, my priorities include development of an effective telework plan for positions that can be performed remotely, developing schedules for people whose job must be done in person to work at the office closest to where they live, installing new technology that reduces the need for customers to come in person to get services, advocating for a dividend account parking pilot program.
3. Developing an equitable workplace.

4. Developing more opportunities for first-time home buyers.


Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released August 20, 2020

Candidate Connection

Barbara Bry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bry's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am President Pro Tem of the San Diego City Council, representing the 1st District. I serve as Chair of the Budget and Government Efficiency Committee and as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee and the Committee on Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods.

I was a high-tech entrepreneur and community leader. I worked my way through college and grad school, earning a Master's Degree in Business from Harvard. While a single working mom, I was on the founding team of two local high-tech companies, creating hundreds of local jobs.

I taught entrepreneurship at UCSD and founded Athena San Diego, which supports the advancement of women in STEM businesses. As a business journalist, I spotlighted the vibrant small business community that supports our City's economy. I served as President of the Board of the Children's Museum of San Diego, as Vice Chair of the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation and on the board of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. I have lived in San Diego for almost 40 years. I am married to Neil Senturia, raised my two daughters here, and am a proud grandmother.

  • As Mayor, I will restore our post-COVID local economy and get San Diegans back to work, while addressing historic inequities and protecting our most vulnerable residents. My "Roadmap to Recovery for San Diego," lays out a detailed path forward that will enable San Diego to bounce back stronger than ever. (https://barbarabry.com/update/a-roadmap-to-recovery-for-san-diego)
  • We need to get serious about homelessness. Promises of simplistic solutions - "just build more housing" - will not solve this difficult and complex problem. I am endorsed by Father Joe because she will focus on the root causes, including substance abuse and mental health issues, and treat homelessness with a comprehensive approach. (https://barbarabry.com/issue/homelessness)
  • One thing we should all agree on: Sacramento shouldn't tell San Diegans how to live. Each neighborhood is full of history, and a unique community character that, together, make San Diego a diverse and special City. I will ensure local residents, not Sacramento politicians, shape the future of our neighborhoods. (https://barbarabry.com/issue/protect-neighborhoods)
1. Representing voters, not politicians or special interests, and ensuring a transparent and open government.

2. Developing a regional strategy to allow for an effective remote workforce, and ensuring equitable professional opportunities across racial, gender, and age groups, starting with city government.
3. Promoting housing supply and affordability through community plan updates that focus increased density along transit corridors, converting surplus commercial space for residential use, and enforcing the existing Municipal Code prohibition on short-term-rentals.
4. Reforming the Police Department through an independent police review commission, emphasis on community policing, and transferring non-crime functions to other city staff.
5. Addressing homelessness by treating its root causes, including providing mental health and substance abuse treatment, job training, and transitional housing.
6. Making cuts to the City's expensive, bureaucratic, and unnecessary middle management.

Learn more about my policies here: https://barbarabry.com/issues.
I look up to my mom, Adelaide Bry. When my parents divorced in my teenage years, she got a job where she earned less than the comparable men, and had to have a male friend cosign a mortgage in order to purchase a house (even though she could easily afford it). My mother set an example that inspires me to empower women to this day. I founded Athena San Diego, an organization that supports the advancement of women in the tech and life science sector, and Run Women Run, to inspire, recruit, train, and support women for elected and appointed office.
I believe that government transparency, honesty, and authenticity are most important. There should be no secrets in government.

Elected officials have a responsibility to respect the voters. Part of the culture at San Diego City Hall is to treat voters as if they were adversaries rather than constituents.

That's why I led the charge on a transparency ballot measure that requires private companies to disclose their owners, so the city knows who it's doing business with. It passed overwhelmingly in November 2018.

I also think city leaders need to listen, lead, and offer real solutions. Too often, politicians simplify complex issues with carefully crafted talking points. We should give voters more respect and do the job of solving real problems, not magnifying our differences with empty political promises.
My life experiences set me apart. I'm a wife, mother, and grandmother. I've been an investigative journalist, started successful tech companies, and founded nonprofits that have empowered hundreds of women in the workforce. I've had to make payroll, create jobs in the private sector, and overcome obstacles along the way. These life experiences give me the perspective, executive experience, and leadership skills that we need in the City of San Diego.
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians who Helped Win the Space Race. It's my favorite book because it's an inspirational story of women who defied expectations despite the odds and the discrimiation against them and served their country.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 25, 2020
Political offices
Preceded by
Sherri Lightner
San Diego City Council, District 1
2016-2020
Succeeded by
Joe LaCava