Myrtle Cole

Myrtle Cole is an American politician in San Diego, California. She was a member of the San Diego City Council representing City Council District 4 from 2013 until 2018. Cole served as president of the City Council from 2017 until 2018. In 2018 Cole lost a bid for reelection, becoming one of the first incumbent council members to lose a reelection campaign since 1992. She was the first African American woman elected to the city council. She is a Democrat, although city council positions are officially nonpartisan per California state law.

Myrtle Cole
Member of the San Diego City Council for the Fourth District
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

Myrtle 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]

Electoral History

San Diego City Council District 4 election, 2014[1]

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

San Diego City Council District 4 special election, 2013[1][6]

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

1. "Election History - Council District 4" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved 21 August 2013..
2. "Council District 4 Communities". City of San Diego. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
3. "Zapf Wins; Cate, Kim Headed To Runoff In City Council Races". KPBS. June 3, 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
4. Garrick, David (December 12, 2016). "Cole selected San Diego City Council president". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
5. 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.
6. "City of San Diego Municipal Special Election Results". County of San Diego. Retrieved 28 March 2013.