SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council voted 5-4 to re-elect Sean Elo-Rivera to a third term as council president Monday afternoon.
However, the four council members who voted against his re-election made it very clear they do not support him as president.
"I have been interrupted multiple times in my testimony, aggressively," said Council member Marni von Wilpert. "And I see that not being treated the same with the men on this council. There are little girls watching these council meetings and I have been asked publicly multiple times why women get interrupted more than men by some of the people in leadership. I do not think that is the kind of council presidency we want as a body."
"You have demonstrated unreliability by penalizing council members who did not initially support you, either by removing them from their committees or reducing their committee members or reducing their responsibilities on council," said Council Member Jennifer Campbell.
"Both my district and the city at large deserve leadership that prioritizes fairness, collaboration, and the well being of all of our residents," she added.
Council member Stephen Whitburn pointed to remarks Elo-Rivera made during discussion of Mayor Todd Gloria's Housing 2.0 package last month.
"He intentionally waited until last minute to propose amendments. He said he waited until the last minute because he did not want other council members to hear from certain stakeholders who were opposed to his amendments. I disagree with that approach. As a council member I want to hear from all points of view on an issue and I believe a council president should facilitate that dialogue, not thwart the input of stakeholders he disagrees with," he said.
Council president Elo-Rivera will choose a council president pro-tem in the coming weeks. His selection will need to be approved by the full council.
Monday's vote falls on President pro-tem Monica Montgomery Steppe's last day in office. She is leaving to take over Nathan Fletcher's seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
"I just want to say for my last day this is unfortunate and extremely disappointing," said Montgomery Steppe. "I would just say that how a person votes to represent their own district should not be a measure for whether or not they should be council president."
"How we feel personally shouldn't be a measure either. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I do think some of it was unfair, I just want to express that on the record," she said.