Chris Ward has kicked off his campaign for San Diego City Council to represent the Third District, announcing a number of significant endorsements one year from the election.
“For years, I have been working to improve our community – by walking our streets, talking with neighbors, and collaborating with our leaders,” said Ward. “As a father and longtime District Three resident, I understand the priorities of our neighborhoods. It is important to me that our city gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy a strong quality of life. I will work on behalf of my constituents to represent their interests and deliver the services they expect every day,” said Ward.
In the race to succeed Todd Gloria, Ward has secured the early endorsement of Assembly Speaker and former District Three Councilmember Toni Atkins, former State Senator and District Three Councilmember Christine Kehoe, San Diego City Councilmembers David Alvarez, Myrtle Cole and Marti Emerald, State Senator Marty Block, Assemblymembers Dr. Shirley Weber and Lorena Gonzalez, former State Senators Dede Alpert and Lucy Killea, former Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher and former City Councilmembers Donna Frye and John Hartley. “I am grateful to have support from many of our community’s most respected leaders,” said Ward. A complete list of Ward’s endorsements is listed at his campaign Web site: www.voteforward.com.
“Chris is well prepared to tackle the difficult issues facing our neighborhoods and will provide the strong leadership that District Three deserves and expects,” said Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins.
“Who we elect to serve as our council member matters,” said former State Senator Christine Kehoe. “That’s why I’m proud to support Chris – a proven leader in the community,” she said.
“As a City Councilmember, I will use my experience in public policy, urban planning and community service to shape a better future for San Diego. To accomplish this, I believe all of our neighbors deserve a seat at the table to solve our complex problems,” Ward continued.
Ward currently serves as the chief of staff to State Sen. Marty Block, representing all of the communities of the Third City Council District and most of the City of San Diego. Previously, he was an environmental planner at the firm EDAW. Before dedicating his career to public service, he worked as a researcher at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at UCSD on the front lines of San Diego’s burgeoning biotech sector.
Ward is a member of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation Board of Directors and the San Diego LGBT Center Board of Directors, and serves on the Uptown Planners community planning group. He was recently recognized as the Community Leader of the Year by the Greater San Diego Business Association, one of San Diego’s 40 Under 40 by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, one of Our City San Diego’s 21 Future Leaders, the San Diego County Democratic Party’s Volunteer of the Year, and was accepted in the Truman National Security Project Class of 2015 Partners.
Ward earned his Bachelor of Arts at Johns Hopkins University and a Masters in Public Policy and Urban Planning at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He and his partner are homeowners in University Heights with their baby daughter and their cairn terrier Monty.
