Sara Butler | Editor
Nathan Fletcher and Bonnie Dumanis, both candidates for County Supervisor District 4, took to the mic at the Hillcrest Town Council (HTC) meeting Oct. 9.
Rather than participate in a debate, the event was structured as a discussion. Each candidate was provided time to speak directly to HTC attendees and board members about their experience and goals for the role. Each candidate was allocated 30 minutes. After their speech, the board opened it up for audience questions.
Both candidates spoke to their top priority issues, including housing, homelessness, and physical and mental health.
Nathan Fletcher shared his background of growing up in the South, serving in the military for 10 years, and working in the private sector for Qualcomm.
Though he has had some political experience — serving as a state assemblymember and running a campaign for mayor — Fletcher focused on how he wants to bring a new perspective to shake things up in office.
“It is going to take somebody new, someone who’s got experience, someone who knows how to lead, someone who’s not afraid to push, someone who’s not afraid to stand up to drive the county in a new direction — and that’s what my candidacy represents and that’s the opportunity we have,” Fletcher said.
Hear more from Nathan Fletcher in the full audio clip below. Q&A begins at 14:30.
Bonnie Dumanis focused on her previous political roles and experiences.
She was the first openly gay San Diego judge, who served on the bench for 10 years. She spent five of those 10 years in the juvenile court, creating the Drug Court program in 1996.
Then in 2003, Dumanis became the first openly gay district attorney in the U.S., as well as the first female district attorney in San Diego.
One of her proudest accomplishments was staffing the District Attorney’s office with a diverse group of individuals.
“We made a point to hire people that reflected the community that we served so that people would have confidence in the people that they saw their own faces in,” Dumanis said, listing women, people of color, and LGBT people as some of those staffers.
Hear more from Bonnie Dumanis in the full audio clip below. Q&A begins at 14:00.
The next County Supervisor will be determined in the mid-term election on Tuesday, Nov. 6 and the next Hillcrest Town Council meeting is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
—Reach Sara Butler at [email protected].
