There are two seats up for grabs in this year’s City Council election and, as of July 8, five Coronado residents have announced their candidacies.
The next municipal election will be Tuesday, Nov. 5 for those two positions, as well as for the office of mayor.
Three current council members — John Duncan, Mike Donovan and Casey Tanaka — are running for mayor. Donovan and Tanaka leave their council seats vacant, according to Kelsea Holian, the city clerk, while Duncan does not have his seat up for re-election this year. If a vacancy occurs in his absence, the person appointed will hold office for the remaining unexpired term, added Holian.
The five candidates who have announced for council seats are: Andrew Gade, Christine Mott, Laura Wilkinson Sinton, Mark Fleming and Mark Warner.
Andrew Gade
Gade, 43, moved to Coronado three years ago after settling in San Diego during 2001 to finish his economics degree at San Diego State University.
He bought a store 18 years ago in La Mesa and turned it into a tinting service business which he still works at six days a week, he said.
Gade grew up in Northern California with tough financial conditions, with both his parents being laid off and struggling to find well-paying jobs, or any work, for a while.
He has worked over 13 jobs in more than 11 different fields, starting as a 10-year-old paperboy, according to his website.
Twenty years after his move to Southern California, he realized San Diego was not the city he thought it would be and made the move to Coronado.
Being in the state of California, a lot of large cities, including San Diego, are in dire financial conditions with infrastructure deficits, budget deficits. So it’s extremely refreshing to be in Coronado, in a city that’s had good leadership, good governance.
Andrew Gade
“Being in the state of California, a lot of large cities, including San Diego, are in dire financial conditions with infrastructure deficits, budget deficits,” Gade said. “So it’s extremely refreshing to be in Coronado, in a city that’s had good leadership, good governance.”
Gade credits the residents as well. He said that the city has so much pride, with locals volunteering and doing community service.
He wants to live the rest of his life in Coronado, and he feels that by running for local office, he can help protect what he holds dear in town while maintaining the relationship between city government and residents.
Gade is on the Fourth of July board and the Mobility Commission; he is a member of the Coronado Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Coronado.
Most importantly, Gade joked, he’s also a member of the Coronado Beer Club.
“I think, in order to run for office in Coronado, being a member of the Beer Club should be a prerequisite,” he said, laughing.
This is not the first time Gade has felt the need to get involved in local government.
In 2011, he made an attempt to run for mayor of San Diego.
“That was just an idea of how to run for office. Didn’t make it on the ballot, but I learned a good amount at the time,” Gade explained. He said that less than 200 of his nominating signatures came back valid.
Gade then ran for City Council in San Diego’s District 9 in 2020 – his first full campaign, and came in 4th out of seven candidates.
He said running in San Diego is a completely different animal than Coronado, but it taught him the basics.
The sewage crisis is one of the issues Gade wants to work on as a council member, and so is the infrastructure affecting the pump station.
The January storm showed Coronado the hard way what needed to be done, Gade said, and it’s something he would prioritize as a council member.
He also has a concern for sustainability of the environment, saying he paddleboards on Sundays and constantly sees the conditions of the water he’s in.
“It’s important we maintain our natural resources to keep Coronado a beautiful place,” Gade said.
Gade believes that Coronado has been in amazing hands for years and what he would do is just further the work of past and present council members and mayors.
“Coming to Coronado and realizing how amazing of a city it is and how incredibly important it is to protect it,” Gade said. “I feel there’s a kind of sense of, we have to take ownership as residents and our future by making sure that we have the best possible representatives in our local government.”
Christine Mott
Christine Mott, said she is running for City Council to support and protect Coronado’s unique coastal community.
“I am motivated to preserve the unique qualities of Coronado so our kids and future generations can continue to enjoy this special place,” wrote Mott in her campaign statement.
Mott, 42, said she and her family have lived in Coronado for nearly five years and reside in the Country Club Estates neighborhood.
She is on the board of the Coronado Floral Association and a member of the parent organization at Christ Church Day School. She said she also has supported the Coronado Junior Woman’s Club, PAWS of Coronado, Emerald Keepers, the Coronado Historical Association and Coronado Soroptimists.
Mott said she and a group of community leaders sued the city to stop the removal of the pine trees adjacent to the Lawn Bowling Green, which, according to city officials, contributed to fungus growing on the lawn’s surface. The lawsuit succeeded and the trees remain.
She said that interest triggered a greater interest in local government.
On her website, Mott describes herself as a 15-year advocate for people, animals and the environment. During that time she has worked as a Wall Street lawyer, an animal-rights advocate, a real estate industry lobbyist and a children’s book author.
“I have a background in law, business, legislative affairs and public interest and I am ready to use my experience to serve the community of Coronado,” reads Mott’s statement.
Mott is focused on environmental protection, public safety, community infrastructure and crisis readiness, as well as accountability and accessibility of local government.
That includes the sewage pollution in local beaches; developing a city sustainability department; instituting local regulations that require licensing, training and insurance for e-bikes; natural disasters preparedness and undergrounding power lines, Mott said in her statement.
Raising two daughters, I want to see women more engaged in our community as leaders. Today women are woefully underrepresented on our City Council…and I believe it’s high time to change that!
Christine Mott
“Raising two daughters, I want to see women more engaged in our community as leaders,” Mott wrote. “Today women are woefully underrepresented on our City Council…and I believe it’s high time to change that!”
To learn more about Mott, visit http://www.christinemott.com/.
Laura Wilkinson Sinton
Laura Wilkinson Sinton, who grew up in Pasadena, said she remembers visiting the Hotel Del and local beaches with her best friend, who lived in Coronado. Now, as a town resident, she frequents those same beaches, and helped launch a protest movement to protect them.
In 2023, Sinton co-founded Stop the Sewage.org, a nonprofit focused on educating and advocating for Coronado and the South Bay beaches amid a centuries-long cross-border sewage pollution crisis.
The group was a recipient of a 2023 Environmental Hero Award for its work that included establishing and assisting Coronado High School’s (CHS) Stop the Sewage Club.
Sinton, 66, who has owned a home in the Coronado Cays since 1999, said her campaign will focus on three main issues: the sewage crisis, e-bike safety, and prudent spending of taxpayer dollars to improve municipal infrastructure that failed during flooding in January.
Sinton said she hopes Stop the Sewage, which exists to fight the sewage crisis, can be dissolved as quickly as possible.
“How long should our beaches be closed and dangerous to our populations?” she asked.
Sinton said Coronado deserves fresh perspectives.
“This is a unique community in many ways,” she added. “To preserve the great qualities of Coronado while planning for the future requires engagement.”
With a master’s degree in sustainability leadership from the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University, Sinton said she has experience on the science of resiliency and what cities must do to prevail into the future.
“I can use the same advocacy skill sets that are already working to help the community to make it better and move it forward,” said Sinton.
Sinton’s background includes a professional career in media, broadcast and managing large and small businesses.
According to her LinkedIn site, she served as vice president and sales director at CBS radio in Atlanta.
She is also the founder of Caligrown, a marijuana company, which the Union-Tribune reported sued Chula Vista earlier this year after the city rejected cannabis licensing applications.
Her LinkedIn page also said she founded a small business, Acme Inventions LLC, and invented a recyclable kitchen tape.
Sinton has served on the board of the South County Economic Development Council and the Coronado Climate Action Group. She volunteers with Coronado neighbors at Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO), is a member of Emerald Keepers, and volunteers as a master composter across the community.
I want to be hard on the issues and soft on the people because everyone cares deeply about our town.
Laura Wilkinson Sinton
“I want to be hard on the issues and soft on the people because everyone cares deeply about our town,” said Sinton. “I have heard so much encouragement since announcing… It is really humbling.”
To learn more about Sinton, visit LauraForCoronado.com.
Mark Fleming
Fleming, 66, grew up in a small town in South Dakota with only 900 people. He said that he and his wife, who also grew up in a small town, fell in love with the similar community charm of Coronado.
They got engaged at the Hotel Del in 2008 and decided to establish roots in the community after visiting for years.
Fleming is involved in the Rotary Club and the Coronado Yacht Club and decided to run for City Council to give back to the community, especially after entering retirement.
“I love Coronado,” Fleming said. “I believe that, overall, our current leadership… has done a good job, and I want to see that direction continue.”
Fleming, who retired in 2019, previously owned and operated two businesses with over 800 employees— a large commercial electrical contracting company called Corbins and a technology and innovation company that provides services to the construction industry, NOX innovations.
I’m very focused on being fiscally responsible. That comes from my root of owning and managing businesses. I’ve always had to balance the budget…and be responsible for the costs
Mark Fleming
“I’m very focused on being fiscally responsible,” Fleming said. “That comes from my root of owning and managing businesses. I’ve always had to balance the budget…and be responsible for the costs.”
Fleming said Coronado is currently in a pretty good financial position with excess funds. However, with a lot of expenditures coming up, he said, it is important to be careful not to end up in a deficit.
One topic he’s watching is the Cays Park Master Plan, a long-range vision for renovations at the Coronado Cays Park.
“There are some taxpayer dollars that are going to end up needing to be spent down there, but I don’t think we need to spend $40 million,” Fleming said.
In addition to the master plan, Fleming is focused on the sewage crisis, improvements to the stormwater system and public safety. Another priority for Fleming is for the city to take an active role in regional government agencies including the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the California Coastal Commission and the U.S. Navy.
Fleming said he appreciates the work that the City Council did to come up with a reasonable plan for affordable housing, but the issue will come back.
“We need to be actively involved with outside agencies such as SANDAG and not be passive about it, but actually be plugged in and actively involved so… they know they’re going to get pushback if they try to force something on Coronado that really doesn’t make sense,” Fleming said.
Mark Warner
Warner, 66, has been a resident of Coronado for 25 years.
Over that time, Warner said, he has been amazed at the generosity and gratitude of the people in the town.
“I think it’s important to realize that we are standing on the shoulders of people’s efforts, both people who are alive now and in the past,” Warner said. “Going forward, I think it’s important and incumbent upon us, as leadership and all citizens of Coronado, to keep it going and pass it on so that our children, grandchildren and future generations can experience what is an amazing community.”
At 13 years old, Warner said, he knew he wanted to go into real estate. And he accomplished that on multiple levels.
He has worked as a broker, manager, asset manager, property owner, property manager, senior valuation specialist at Colliers International and the current president of Warner Valuation & Fiduciary Services, which focuses on appraisal of commercial, retail and office buildings.
He said that he’s always been a firm believer in starting from the ground up.
Over his career trajectory, he has simultaneously been involved in the community through the Rotary Club and the Coronado Yacht Club. He served as treasurer of the Coronado Maritime Foundation and as a commissioner – and now chair – of the Historic Resource Board.
Warner said his time with the Yacht Club has given him experience working with the Port of San Diego and the California Coastal Commission, which he said provides a unique perspective.
He said he is focused on a few topics: the sewage crisis, the Winn Room renovations at Coronado Public Library, the Cays Park Master Plan and stormwater infrastructure.
Whether you agree with it or disagree with it [global warming], we are having more storms. We had two 100-year floods in a five year period…We need to make sure we have the systems in place to remove the water.
Mark Warner
Regarding the latter issue, Warner said climate change presents challenges for the city. “Whether you agree with it or disagree with it [global warming], we are having more storms. We had two 100-year floods in a five year period,” he note. “The Del got wiped out about six years ago and then we had this one again this winter. That’s a big one that’s affecting people’s lives and I have questions about that. We need to make sure we have the systems in place to remove the water.”
“I’m a clear, logical thinker,” Warner said. “I’m experienced; I’m a leader. I have time now [since] I’m semi-retired. I want to give back. I just believe in giving back because I’ve been so fortunate in so many different ways.”
