Kevin Faulconer

Kevin Faulconer (2014)

Kevin L. Faulconer (born January 24, 1967 in Oxnard , California ) is an American politician and has been Mayor of San Diego since March 3, 2014 . He is a member of the Republican Party , making him one of the few mayors in the United States to be appointed by his party in the country's major cities.

Life

Earlier years and political advancement

After graduating from California State University in San Diego in 1990, Faulconer worked for a public relations firm in California for an extended period . In 2005, he was first in the context of an early election in District 2 in the City Council of San Diego selected. As early as 2002 he made a fruitless attempt to be elected to the local parliament. Although California local politicians are formally non-partisan under state law , Faulconer is a member of the Republican Party . In his party, he belongs to the moderate wing, which is more oriented towards the political center . In 2006 and 2010 Faulconer was re-elected as city councilor. There he was a member of the committees for economic development and finance. Among other things, he was committed to a strict alcohol ban on the city beach.

Mayor of San Diego

Faulconer (right) giving a public speech in summer 2014

In August 2013, the Democratic Mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, was forced to resign. Allegations of sexual harassment of women and deprivation of liberty were raised against him . A by-election was therefore due in which a new mayor was voted for for the remainder of the current term of office until the end of 2016. A few weeks after Filner's resignation, Faulconer announced his candidacy. He won the election in February 2014 completely surprisingly with almost 53% of the vote against the Democrat David Alvarez , for whom 47% of the voters were in favor. Faulconer's triumph was considered a great political surprise and met with great media interest throughout the United States, as almost all of the country's major cities are ruled by Democratic mayors. In addition, California, and especially the state's densely populated coastline, is a democratic stronghold. A strong mobilization of his supporters as well as controversies among the Democrats contributed to his victory. Faulconer's comparatively moderate positions (he advocates legal equality for homosexual couples ) also made his election attractive to numerous swing voters and some democrats . He took up his new office on March 3, 2014. However, due to the democratic preponderance of the composition of the city council, Faulconer remains dependent on cooperation with the Democrats.

In autumn 2015 Faulconer announced that he would stand for re-election for a full four-year term in the next regular mayoral election in November 2016. He was able to win this surprisingly clearly.

Private

Faulconer is married and has a son and a daughter with his wife Katherine.

Web links

Commons : Kevin Faulconer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Personal Website (English)
• Office of the Mayor (English)
• Biography on the City of San Diego website