Myrtle Cole is an American politician who served as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2013 to 2018, representing District 4. A member of the Democratic Party, Cole was the first African American woman elected to the city council and served as council president from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, Cole lost a bid for re-election, becoming one of the first incumbent council members to lose re-election since 1992.
Myrtle Cole | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the San Diego City Council for the District 4 | |
| In office June 3, 2013 – December 10, 2018 | |
| Mayor | Bob Filner Kevin Faulconer |
| Preceded by | Tony Young |
| Succeeded by | Monica Montgomery |
| President of the San Diego City Council | |
| In office December 12, 2016 – December 10, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Sherri Lightner |
| Succeeded by | Georgette Gomez |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona National University |
| Website | City Council District 4 website |
San Diego City Council
editMyrtle Cole was first elected to office in the 2013 special election to fill the District 4 seat of the city council vacated by Tony Young,.[1] District 4 includes the neighborhoods of Alta Vista, Broadway Heights, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Greater Skyline Hills, Jamacha, Lincoln Park, Lomita Village, North Bay Terrace, Oak Park, O'Farrell, Paradise Hills, Redwood Village, Rolando Park, South Bay Terrace, Valencia Park, and Webster.[2] She won re-election to a four-year term in the June 2014 primary election, drawing 57% of the primary votes. Her second term began in December 2014.[3]
In December 2016, Cole ran against fellow Democrat David Alvarez for the position of council president. The council president is responsible for setting the council's agenda and making committee assignments and chairmanships. Cole was chosen by her colleagues on a 6–3 vote, securing the votes of all four Republicans on the City Council as well as Democrat Barbara Bry. Although both Cole and Alvarez were Democrats, Cole was seen as the more moderate of the two.[4]
In the November 2018 election, Cole lost her reelection bid to civil rights attorney and former staffer Monica Montgomery. This marked the first time that an incumbent had failed to be reelected to the City Council since 1992.[5]
Controversy and other information
editMyrtle Cole received some criticism during her time on the San Diego City Council. For example, in 2016, she said, during a council meeting discussion of racial profiling by police, "There is more black on black shootings in our nation than ever before...That's why when someone says, 'Do you think there is racial profiling?' Yeah, because blacks are shooting blacks."[6] Critics argue that this is what resulted in decreased support in her role in 2018.[7]
In 2018, she was asked to speak at the National University Southern California Commencement as a National University Alumna.[8] In addition to being the keynote speaker, she also received an honorary doctorate.[9]
Electoral history
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Myrtle Cole | 6,921 | 57.00 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Williams | 2,378 | 19.58 | |
| Nonpartisan | Blanca Lopez Brown | 1,832 | 15.09 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tony Villafranca | 1,011 | 8.33 | |
| Total votes | 12,142 | 100 | ||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Myrtle Cole | 4,304 | 32.3 | |
| Democratic | Dwayne Crenshaw | 2,025 | 15.2 | |
| Democratic | Brian "Barry" Pollard | 1,548 | 11.6 | |
| Democratic | Ray Smith | 1,207 | 9.1 | |
| Democratic | Blanca Lopez Brown | 1,084 | 8.1 | |
| Republican | Sandy Spackman | 1,067 | 8.0 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Williams | 1,059 | 8.0 | |
| Democratic | Tony Villafranca | 621 | 4.7 | |
| Democratic | Monica Montgomery | 404 | 3.0 | |
| Total votes | 13,319 | 100 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Myrtle Cole | 6,612 | 54.1 | |
| Democratic | Dwayne Crenshaw | 5,603 | 45.9 | |
| Total votes | 12,215 | 100 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Election History - Council District 4" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved 21 August 2013..
- ^ "Council District 4 Communities". City of San Diego. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Zapf Wins; Cate, Kim Headed To Runoff In City Council Races". KPBS. June 3, 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ Garrick, David (December 12, 2016). "Cole selected San Diego City Council president". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ Garrick, David (November 7, 2018). "Cole, Zapf lose re-election bids in two rare instances of San Diego council incumbents being rejected". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ "District 4 Residents Respond To Myrtle Cole's Poor Election Performance". KPBS Public Media. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ "District 4 Residents Respond To Myrtle Cole's Poor Election Performance". KPBS Public Media. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ University, National (2017-06-01). "San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole Named Keynote Speaker for National University Southern California Commencement". National University. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ University, National (2017-06-01). "San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole Named Keynote Speaker for National University Southern California Commencement". National University. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ "City of San Diego Municipal Special Election Results". County of San Diego. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
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