August 26, 2013
San Diego Welcomes Interim Gay Mayor
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
No matter whether he stays in office for 90 days or longer, Todd Gloria, San Diego's second-ever openly gay mayor, has vowed to resurrect the city's reputation after Bob Filner's fiasco.
Mayor Filner was forced to resign on Aug. 24 af part of a mediation agreement met in a sexual harassment lawsuit he is facing filed by a former aide. A total of 18 women have come forward to say they were sexually harassed by Filner, according to the Los Angeles Times.
For his part, Gloria is the city council president, a post he has held since 2008. The 35-year-old represents District 3, which includes the city's popular gay neighborhood of Hillcrest, where Gloria lives.
His first step as mayor, he said, is "a top-down review of all city departments" and "swift action on pending items that have languished on Mayor Filner's desk for months."
A special election must be held within 90 days. Gloria has not said whether or not he will be running for the permanent job.
San Diego's first gay mayor was Tony Akins in 2005, who ascended to the post under similar circumstances.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
