Filner, Bob

Robert Earl Filner (born September 4, 1942) is an American academic and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the U.S. Representative from California's 50th (1993-2003) and 51st (2003-2012) congressional districts and as Mayor of San Diego, California from December 2012 to August 2013.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens, New York before earning a B.A. from Cornell University in 1963, an M.A. from the University of Delaware in 1969, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1973. While completing his Ph.D., he moved to San Diego, becoming a history professor at San Diego State University for more than 20 years. Filner was long interested in politics. He worked for U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota in 1975 and for Minnesota Congressman Don Fraser in 1976. He also worked for Congressman Jim Bates from the San Diego area in 1984. His elective career began in 1979, when his opposition to the closing of a neighborhood school led him to run for the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education, defeating a longtime incumbent. His "back to basics" approach to education won him wide praise, and his colleagues elected him president of the board in 1982. He was elected to the San Diego City Council in 1987 and was reelected in 1991; his colleagues elected him Deputy Mayor of San Diego.

After California gained seven seats following the 1990 census, Filner won the five-way Democratic primary and general election to fill the new 50th district seat. He was a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a member of the Congressional Motorcycle Safety Caucus and International Conservation Caucus. Filner was one of the 31 House Democrats who voted to not count the 20 electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 presidential election. In 2008, Filner sponsored a resolution, passed by the House of Representatives, in support of National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day. While in congress, Filner was known for his combative personality, and for personally dealing with constituent issues. Filner's district in south San Diego had one of the largest populations of Filipino Americans in the country, leading Filner to focus on issues relevant to the Philippines while in congress, especially Filipino veterans. Filner's accomplishments included legislation allowing Filipino veterans to maintain a small stipend from the government if they moved back to the Philippines, burial benefits, and access to VA clinics.

Filner announced on June 8, 2011, that he would be a candidate for Mayor of San Diego in the 2012 election and would not run for re-election to Congress. In the primary on June 5, 2012, he placed second with 30.7% of the vote. He faced city councilmember Carl DeMaio in the November 2012 runoff election. Filner defeated DeMaio, 52.5% to 47.5%. Filner, age 70, won as San Diego's first elected Democratic mayor since 1992 and only its second since 1971. On July 11, 2013, three of Filner's long-time supporters held a press conference to call for Filner's resignation as mayor, based on numerous unspecified but "credible" allegations that he had sexually harassed women. By August 26, 19 women had publicly claimed that Filner had sexually harassed them; he resigned four days later. On October 15, 2013, Filner pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court to three criminal counts filed against him. He served a three-month term of house arrest which ended on April 6, 2014.