Three possible candidates stay out of race for San Diego mayor

SAN DIEGO -- Three potential candidates for San Diego mayor said thanks but no thanks Tuesday, announcing that they will not run to succeed Bob Filner.

San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, a Republican, said he will instead run for reelection.

Former Councilman Carl DeMaio, who lost to Filner in the November runoff, said he will instead continue his bid for the GOP nomination for Congress to face Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego).

Acting Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, said he will instead spend the next few months attempting to clean up the problems left behind by Filner. As City Council president, Gloria took over most of the mayor’s powers once Filner departed.

“It has become clear to me that the problems left by Bob Filner are substantial and serious,” Gloria said.

Filner, 70, a Democrat, resigned effective Friday after weeks of accusations that he had sexually harassed women. His resignation was a bargain with the City Council in exchange for the city paying his legal bills in a lawsuit filed by a former staff member.

Councilman Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, is set to announce Wednesday whether he will be a candidate to fill Filner’s final three years in office. Councilman David Alvarez, a Democrat, is also considering a candidacy.

If, as expected, Faulconer announces that he is running, the campaign could evolve into a contest between Faulconer and former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who is already a declared candidate.

In the Assembly, Fletcher was a Republican. He re-registered as an independent when he ran for mayor last year, losing in the primary. Now, he’s a Democrat.

While the mayor’s job is considered nonpartisan, local Republican and Democratic leaders have tried to ensure that their party has only one major candidate in the election.

Tony Krvaric, chairman of the local Republican party, issued a statement Tuesday saying that he is pleased that Faulconer is considering running and calling him “a centrist leader in proud San Diego tradition with broad appeal and an established track record of service.”

Also on Tuesday, before DeMaio announced his decision, the editorial page of the U-T San Diego, which had endorsed DeMaio for mayor last year, said that “his in-your-face doggedness and sometimes abrasive manner” were not what is needed to “heal our broken city” after Filner. The paper said it would endorse him for Congress.

The same editorial slammed Fletcher for having no loyalties except to political expediency.

Other former officeholders said to be considering a mayoral candidacy are former Assemblywoman Lori Saldana and former City Atty. Michael Aguirre. Both are Democrats and both lost their last races: Saldana for a nomination for Congress, Aguirre for a second term as city attorney.

Also, more than a dozen other potential candidates have signed up with the city clerk but none has the name recognition of current or past officeholders.

The special election is set for Nov. 19, with a runoff next year between the two top vote-getters if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.

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Twitter: @LATsandiego

tony.perry@latimes.com