As of July 20, two Coronado residents have filed papers to run for a pair of City Council seats up for election this fall – Andrew Gade and Mark Warner.
A third, incumbent Kelly Purvis, has her nomination status currently listed as “Issued,” which means that she has pulled her nomination papers, according to the city’s communications officer Kaylee Ricci.
She has yet to complete and return her papers which would be an official file.
Gade and Warner, both of whom also ran in 2024, announced they are making another try for office and hoping to fill seats currently occupied by council members Carrie Ann Downey and Purvis.
Purvis was appointed to City Council in 2024 to finish out John Duncan’s term when he vacated his seat to become mayor.
Downey did not give an answer on whether she would be running for reelection.
Candidates were allowed to file their intention to run starting July 13, and the filing process is open through Aug. 7.
In a field of six candidates in the 2024 election, Gade finished last with 8% of the votes and Warner came in fourth with around 16% of the votes.
Gade
Gade said he hopes for a different outcome this time because five years of living on the island have allowed him to learn from the residents and immerse himself in Coronado’s history and municipal operations.
Gade, 45, has run a window-tinting business in La Mesa for two decades. He noted that being active in local government aligns with his passion for building a thriving and sustainable environment. “It ties in [with] just being a concerned resident, concerned San Diegan, Californian,” he said. “How do we protect our cities?”
In 2011, as a resident of San Diego, he made an attempt to run for mayor of California’s second-largest city. He didn’t make it on the ballot but explained that it was a good learning experience.
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.
In 2021, Gade moved to the island. He serves on the Fourth of July board and the city’s mobility committee; he also is a member of the Coronado Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Coronado.
But the “No. 1” club he is a member of, Gade joked, is the Coronado Beer Club.
How can we encourage building owners to rent out to local residents, small businesses, keeping our city and our units and our businesses filled?
Andrew Gade
Gade said wants to focus on affordability – for businesses and for residents. “One of the things that’s really difficult is just seeing empty, vacant businesses and storefronts on Orange Avenue,” he explained. “How can we encourage building owners to rent out to local residents, small businesses, keeping our city and our units and our businesses filled?
“Tying that into residential affordability. Making sure that we’re not turning our island into just a seasonal vacation island. It’s an island that still has a thriving community that is affordable.”
Warner
Warner, on the other hand, has been on the island for over a quarter century. He’s worn many different hats over the years, working as a broker, asset manager, senior valuation specialist at Colliers International and, until his recent retirement, as president of Warner Valuation & Fiduciary Services, which focuses on appraisal of commercial, retail and office buildings.
“It takes time to understand the way the place works,” Warner, 68, said. “I’ve lived here for 27 years, I have a lot of experience.”
Warner was a past board member of the Rotary Club, and staff commodore and senior member of the finance committee at the Coronado Yacht Club. He served as treasurer of the Coronado Maritime Foundation and as chair of the Historic Resource Board.
“I’ve been giving back to the community for over 22 years … and now I feel I’m qualified to do this job – and it’s a job,” Warner emphasized. “I retired nine months ago, and I can devote my full attention to that position.”
He said that he wants to focus on conservative management of the city and its resources. That includes ensuring maintenance of pump stations to prevent island flooding, and a hard look at Coronado’s infrastructure such as sewers and electrical systems.
Warner expressed strong support for municipal employees, pointing to his backing of the city’s recent purchase of electric firetrucks as a primary example.
“I thought that electric fire truck was great, but now, I’m like, what else is it in their world that we need to provide so that our employees are well taken care of?” Warner said.
People in our age group, it’s not about us anymore … It’s more about what can I do to my legacy and leave behind something that’s better than I found it.
Mark Warner
“People in our age group, it’s not about us anymore,” he added. “It’s more about what can I do to my legacy and leave behind something that’s better than I found it.”
