SAN DIEGO -- San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein, who terms out this fall, said in remarks published Thursday that he will run for the job of city attorney.

Maienschein, a business attorney, represents some of San Diego's wealthiest neighborhoods, including Scripps Ranch and Rancho Bernardo.

He declined to tell The San Diego Union-Tribune what motivated him to run, but said he will divulge that next week when he formally announces his candidacy.

Maienschein joins a field that already includes current city attorney Michael Aguirre and challengers Jan Goldsmith, Dan Coffey and Lee Burdick. Goldsmith is a San Diego Superior Court judge while Coffey and Burdick are local lawyers.

Former San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Alan Bersin, a one-time U.S. Attorney in San Diego, and San Diego City Councilman Scott Peters have also said they were considering running. They have until March 6 to file paperwork with the county registrar of voters for their names to appear on the ballot June 3.

Peters also terms out from the council this year. Both he and Maienschein were elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 to back-to-back four-year terms on the council.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in June, a runoff between the top two candidates will be held in the Nov. 4 general election.