There’s no more flirting: Coronado City Councilmember John Duncan is running for mayor.
“I am definitely running,” Duncan told The Coronado News.
The former lawyer told The Coronado News his decision in a phone interview as he was dropping off his forms off to register to run. Duncan becomes the first to publicly declare a candidacy in what could become a hotly contested race to lead the city in 2025.
The councilmember had been toying with the idea for a few months as he’s dedicated almost the entirety of his work life to serving on the city council and as a board member of multiple outside organizations including representing Coronado at SANDAG and the San Diego Advisory Forum Board at the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).
Will continue fight on sewage crisis
Duncan says one of his most important roles has been serving on a city subcommittee for the Tijuana sewage crisis with Mayor Richard Bailey.
The two are headed to Washington D.C. for meetings on Jan. 7 regarding the pollution issue that has shuttered access to the city’s beaches.
“This is one of the most important things that I feel that I can spend my time working on.”
-Councilmember John Duncan
“This is one of the most important things that I feel that I can spend my time working on,” Duncan says.
He said he wants to push for a resolution with the Tijuana sewage issue, whether that’s with the IBWC or with meetings with members of Congress in Washington D.C.
“I think being mayor gives you a little bit more gravitas to work on these issues,” Duncan says.
Elected to city council in 2022
Duncan was elected to city council in December 2022 and said he knew he wanted to do more with Coronado after Bailey voiced to The Coronado News how he had no plans of continuing in politics after his term ends at the end of this year.
“I want to represent Coronado and outside agencies to help protect our interests against the pressures that are being put on Coronado from the county and the state,” he said.
Duncan added that the state-mandated housing allocation for low-income homes is still a huge bullet point he wants to address and figure out with SANDAG, the regional planning organization and council of governments that coordinates infrastructure projects.
Duncan has already been working with these agencies, so these obstacles that Duncan is campaigning on are not new to residents of Coronado that have seen him at work, he said.
Another point of interest for Duncan is working with the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) as that entity operates Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Orange Avenue and CA-75 that runs through the Coronado Bridge and through the city.
Duncan said he also plans to work on Coronado’s historic resources and preservation codes.
The community has also pushed for Duncan to run, he says.
“Confirming the support of the people, for me, it’s a big deal,” Duncan says. “The group of people that are going to endorse me, it’s a bipartisan group from a wide variety of organizations in our town, including the support of many community leaders and people I greatly respect.”
