Struiksma Out of San Diego Mayor’s Race

Acting Mayor Ed Struiksma dropped out of the mayoral race here Thursday night, according to his campaign manager, hours after the district attorney’s office decided to launch a full-scale investigation into Struiksma’s travel expenses on a city-paid trip to the East Coast in 1984.

David Lewis, Struiksma’s campaign adviser, said the decision to pull out of the hotly contested race was made because “the City of San Diego shouldn’t have to be dragged through this anymore.”

Asked whether the withdrawal was based on the decision by the district attorney’s office to pursue an investigation on the expense report matter, Lewis replied, “That’s correct.”

Dist. Atty. Edwin Miller met Thursday with several members of his legal and investigative staff, who for the last week had been reviewing Struiksma’s travel expenses to New York and Boston. It was decided that a full investigation was warranted, said district attorney’s spokesman Steve Casey.

“There are some questions we need answers to . . . and the only way to get them is through an investigation where we’ll be looking at more documents and talking to more people,” Casey said.

The Feb. 25 mayoral election is being held to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Roger Hedgecock, who was convicted in December of felony conspiracy and perjury involving campaign law violations.

Still in the race are Councilman Bill Cleator; former City Council members Maureen O’Connor and Floyd Morrow; John Kelley, a businessman; Loch David Crane, self-described “professor of composition magician”; Nicholas Walpert, businessman; Ralph Peters, engineer; Warren Nielsen, businessman; Rose Lynn, self-described “ombudscientist;” Vernon Watts, carpenter; Robert McCullough, environmental designer; Arthur Helliwell, and Mary Christian-Heising, political scientist.