Gerrie Schipske announced on Thursday, December 30th that she would run for Mayor of Long Beach this year.
The second-term city council member made the announcement after Mayor Robert Garcia stated that he would run for parliament leaving the mayor’s seat up for grabs.
Speculation of potential candidates includes Congressman Patrick O’Donnell, District 3 Councilor Susie Price, and Deputy Mayor / District 9 Councilor Rex Richardson.
Five people have already withdrawn documents from the city’s clerk to run for mayor, but only one Deborah Mozer has formed a committee and submitted the organizational form to the clerk. At least two other candidates (both sitting in the city council) will announce the campaign within the next two weeks.
71-year-old Schipske participated in the Long Beach political scene for 20 years and was a councilor of Long Beach City College from 1992 to 1996. She ran for Congress in 2000, lost to Steve Haun, and then served for two terms in 2006.
Schipske is a registered nurse and has a lawyer’s license. She has long tried to increase the transparency of the government. In 2013, she was named “Open Government Transformation Champion” by President Barack Obama. She defined herself as a community activist in the announcement of the campaign.
The Long Beach local primary will take place on June 7. The top two voters there will face off in the November 8 general election, assuming that no one will win the full majority.
