Former San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis ended months of speculation by filing paperwork announcing her intention to run for the county Board of Supervisors.
Dumanis, a Republican, resigned in July after nearly 15 years as the county's district attorney, but months before her resignation, she sent a letter to her office staff in which she said she was considering running for the Board of Supervisors.
``To be clear, I have not decided if I will be a candidate or not,'' Dumanis wrote in an April letter, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. ``I believe my experience, and the critical role that the Board plays in public safety and policy issues, would make me an effective member.
''She said in that letter that part of her reason for resigning as district attorney was to ``explore my potential candidacy.''On Tuesday, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office processed two forms filed by the 65-year-old Dumanis: her candidate intention statement and a statement of organization for the ``Bonnie Dumanis for Supervisor 2018'' committee. April Boling, board chair of the San Diego Regional Airport Authority and a self-described taxpayer watchdog, was listed as the committee's treasurer.
Dumanis is vying to replace Ron Roberts, who has served on the Board of Supervisors since 1994 but is leaving office due to term limits. The district has nearly twice as many registered Democrats than Republicans.
Dumanis adds another big name to a growing field of candidates looking to replace Roberts that already includes former state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, a Republican-turned-Democrat who is married to state Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. Both Fletcher and Dumanis launched unsuccessful mayoral campaigns in the past.
The others who have announced they'll run include attorney Omar Passons and retired San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Deputy Chief Ken Malbrough, both Democrats, and real estate adviser Marcia Nordstrom, a Republican.
Dumanis, who was also a deputy district attorney and judge, beat out incumbent Paul Pfingst to win election as district attorney in 2002, becoming the first openly gay head prosecutor in the country. She was re-elected three times, running unopposed in 2006 and 2010 and prevailing in the 2014 primary.