# Barbara Bry

Barbara Bry (born April 9, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2016 to 2020, representing District 1. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as president pro tempore of the city council from 2017 to 2020 and was a candidate for mayor of San Diego in the 2020 election.

## Early life and education

Bry was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology and a Master of Education. She later attended Harvard Business School, where she earned a Master of Business Administration degree.

## Career

Prior to running for elected office, Bry worked at Connect, a venture capital group. She later became an entrepreneur and served on the initial management team of ProFlowers.
In 1998, Bry founded Athena San Diego, an organization for women in the tech and life sciences community. In 2008, Bry founded Run Women Run, an organization that recruits and trains pro-choice women seeking elected and appointed office.

### San Diego City Council

In 2016, Bry ran for the District 1 seat on the San Diego City Council vacated by term-limited incumbent Sherri Lightner. Bry and Republican Ray Ellis advanced from the March primary with 48% and 34% of the vote, respectively. However, on August 12, 2016, Ellis withdrew from the race, although his name still appeared on the November ballot. Bry went on to win the general election with 65% of the vote.
After assuming office in December 2016, Bry served as president pro tempore of the San Diego City Council from 2017 to 2020 under council presidents Myrtle Cole and Georgette Gómez. During her tenure on the city council, she supported restrictions on short term vacation rentals and dockless bicycles, while supporting efforts to combat the gender wage gap in San Diego.

### 2020 mayoral campaign

Bry ran for mayor of San Diego in 2020, seeking to succeed term-limited incumbent Kevin Faulconer. Bry and fellow Democrat, California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria advanced from the March primary with 22.9% and 41.5% of the vote, respectively. During the campaign, Bry received pushback from local Democratic Party leaders for mailers seen as critical of the YIMBY housing movement. Gloria went on to defeat Bry in the November general election with 55.95% of the vote.
After leaving office in December 2020, Bry returned to the private sector to work for a venture capital and private equity firm.

## Personal life

Bry lives in San Diego, California with her husband, entrepreneur Neil Senturia. They have two daughters and are grandparents. Bry and her husband are of the Jewish faith.

## Electoral history
### 2016 San Diego City Council

2016 San Diego City Council, District 1 :
| Primary election ||||
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Barbara Bry | Barbara Bry | 18,559 | 48% |
| Ray Ellis | Ray Ellis | 12,982 | 34% |
| Bruce D. Lightner | Bruce D. Lightner | 3,711 | 10% |
| Kyle Heiskala | Kyle Heiskala | 2,344 | 6% |
| Louis A. Rodolico | Louis A. Rodolico | 707 | 2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 38,303 | 100% |
| General election ||||
| Barbara Bry | Barbara Bry | 38,470 | 65% |
| Ray Ellis | Ray Ellis | 20,305 | 35% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 58,775 | 100% |

### 2020 Mayor of San Diego

2020 San Diego mayoral election :
| Primary election ||||
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Todd Gloria | Todd Gloria | 147,654 | 41.5% |
| Barbara Bry | Barbara Bry | 81,541 | 22.9% |
| Scott Sherman | Scott Sherman | 80,352 | 22.6% |
| Tasha Williamson | Tasha Williamson | 25,629 | 7.2% |
| Gita Applebaum Singh | Gita Applebaum Singh | 12,716 | 3.6% |
| Rich Riel | Rich Riel | 8,067 | 2.3% |
| Jarvis Gandy (Write-in candidate) | Jarvis Gandy (Write-in candidate) | 3 | 0.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 355,994 | 100% |
| General election ||||
| Todd Gloria | Todd Gloria | 346,662 | 55.95% |
| Barbara Bry | Barbara Bry | 272,887 | 44.05% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 619,549 | 100% |