By Aryka Randall, Contributing Writer
All eyes were on the candidates for the 4th District City Council at St. Stephens Church on Tuesday, January 16th. With the blessing of Pastor Glenn McKinney, Francine Maxwell and a few dozen locals in the crowd, candidates Chida Warren-Darby, Tylisa D. Suseberry and Henry Foster III took the stage to explain why they would be the best candidate to represent District 4 and Southeast San Diego.
The District 4 Special Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 to fill the District Four vacancy after Montgomery Steppe was elected San Diego’s first female African American County Supervisor in November 2023, representing the Fourth Supervisorial District for the remainder of former supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s term after Fletcher resigned.
At Tuesday’s debate, each candidate was given 10 minutes to introduce themselves as well as how they can be of service to the community. One common theme all of the candidates shared was being local to San Diego and having at least one generation of family members thrive within the city. Aside from geographic connectivity, the three candidates couldn’t be any more different.
First of three to introduce themselves was Henry Foster III who used his introductory time to speak on personal accolades, his family’s legacy within Southeast San Diego, and why being deeply entrenched in the area made him the best candidate for City Council. His campaign emphasized his desire to make improvements to the community because he’s been invested in it for so long as a local as well as a civil servant. He’s worked side by side with Monica Montgomery Steppe which has given him an inside look into what’s required to make an impact within District 4, and he also works closely with the San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce. During his introduction he adamantly expressed his disapproval of Mayor Todd Glorias leadership for San Diego, and vowed to personally hold him accountable for his lack of execution on the Climate Action Plan if elected.
Tylisa D. Suseberry was second to address attendees about her candidacy for District 4’s City Council. Suseberry has taken a grassroots approach to connecting with the community where she’s raised her children, worked with youth by way of a number of programs she implemented, assisted locals interested in starting their own small business, and spearheaded a non profit where she helped educate young women on health and education. She’s also very passionate about changing the narrative of the district and bringing small businesses back to the area.
Third to take the stage was Chida Warren-Darby who gave a colorful backstory on her connection to San Diego, the publishing world with The Voice and Viewpoint, and the Black
Chamber of Commerce from a young age. Chida currently serves as the Director of Boards and Commissions under Mayor Todd Gloria where she’s acquired notable experience with navigating citywide policies and working as a civil servant. Chida was the only candidate who mentioned how programs with creative and performing arts adds value to the community and the people in it, which is a poignant perspective because schools like SCPA too often go overlooked in areas like Southeast San Diego. She also shed light on her personal experience with entrepreneurship, having starting a nonprofit aimed at shedding light on sex trafficking within Black and Brown communities .
Concluding introductions, attendees were given the opportunity to ask a series of questions to ascertain who might be the best candidate for City Council. The first question was what policy or initiative they would implement during their first 100 days in office.
For Tylisa it was entrepreneurship and the act of meeting with small business owners to see what they need to help grow their business. Whether it be advice on banking, acquiring loans, or how to obtain an LLC, Tylisa wants to support the community by helping them create wealth and autonomy generationally.
Chida expressed wanting to reimagine public safety and consider looking at resources that are closer to community constituents within the first 100 days of her term if elected. She also mentioned looking into public policy and creating an environment where people feel more comfortable with public safety in general. Her focus would also be embracing mental health and making an effort to spread awareness within the community.
Henry’s initiative would include economic development in District 4 where we would see more initiatives like the Black Arts and Culture District, and innovative new ways to bring more money into the area. He would also work on implementing the Climate Action plan.
Attendees brought a number of important topics to the table like poverty, a lack of EV stations in the area, homelessness, and what will influence their decision making as a Council Member if chosen. Each candidate has something different to contribute to the community and in less than two months, District 4 will have a new leader. Who will the community call on to make sure San Diego remains “America’s Finest City”?
