Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar received a major endorsement Tuesday in her bid to unseat San Diego County 3rd District Supervisor Dave Roberts.
Escondido Mayor Sam Abed, who fell short in his bid to challenge Roberts, officially endorsed Gaspar.
Abed issued this statement:
"I ran for the Board of Supervisors because Dave Roberts violated the public trust and this disqualifies him from serving in public office. Roberts abused the taxpayers, used his office to advance himself politically, and he's refused to take responsibility for the more than $300,000 in settlements taxpayers have had to pay because of his personal behavior. I am endorsing Kristin Gaspar because she is committed to good fiscal management for San Diego County, will protect the taxpayers' interests, and restore trust in the office of Supervisor."
Gaspar said:
"Sam Abed has been a strong voice for conservative principles as mayor of Escondido. He's helped usher the city into an era of sound fiscal management and growth, while maintaining balanced budgets and creating new jobs. I appreciate his support and look forward to working with him to continue to push sound fiscal policy for the region."
In June, Gaspar topped Abed for the right to face the incumbent Roberts in a November runoff.
Roberts found himself in hot water last year when several members of his staff resigned.
Roberts became vulnerable to a serious challenge after his colleagues on the board agreed to pay $310,000 to settle claims brought by three former staffers that he misused his powers.
The District Attorney's Office declined to pursue criminal charges against Roberts, saying that while he may have violated county workplace policies, his actions did not meet the threshold for pursuing a criminal case.
District 3 consists of almost 630,000 residents and takes in coastal communities including Torrey Pines State Beach, Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas. Other communities in the district are Mira Mesa, Escondido, the San Pasqual Valley, Lake Hodges, Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Scripps Ranch, Tierrasanta and Sabre Springs.
