2 Lead in San Diego Mayoral Contest

Councilwoman Donna Frye and former Police Chief Jerry Sanders are the leading candidates to replace Mayor Dick Murphy in a July 26 special election, according to a poll released Sunday by an independent firm.

Frye got 37% and Sanders 31% of the endorsement from 1,099 likely voters queried in a telephone survey conducted by Datamar Inc. of El Cajon, a firm with extensive experience in polling for candidates and businesses.

The firm is not working for any of the 11 mayoral candidates, said Datamar official Richard Babcock.

The poll also showed the rest of the field lagging far behind. Healthcare business owner Steve Francis had 15% approval, Harley-Davidson dealer “New York” Myke Shelby had 3%, bankruptcy attorney Pat Shea 2% and all other candidates combined 0.4%.

Some 13% of the voters questioned were undecided. The poll has an error rate of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Although Frye led the field, she would not fare as well in a two-way race against Sanders, the poll found. Voters picked Sanders over Frye, 46% to 39%.

Frye, the owner of a surf shop and a maverick voice on the City Council, is running on a campaign of open government and opposition to the fiscal decisions that led to the city’s $2-billion pension deficit.

Sanders, who was police chief from 1993-99 and later headed the local United Way, has offered a series of plans to reduce government spending.

Murphy announced his resignation in April after months of criticism over his handling of the city’s pension problem, considered the worst financial debacle in city history.

His resignation becomes effective July 15.