El Cajon City Councilmember Gary Kendrick said Thursday he will not run for re-election after 24 years in office, citing health concerns.
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Kendrick was the longest-serving Republican in municipal office in San Diego County before leaving the party and registering as a Democrat in February. At the time, Kendrick, 72, said he found himself splitting with the GOP on a variety of issues — with immigration enforcement being the most important.
“I’ve had a long run as an elected official; I put my time in,” Kendrick said, in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune on Thursday.
His retirement was not planned. Despite switching parties in the historically Republican-leaning city, Kendrick was running and said he was confident he would have been re-elected.
While returning home from Comic-Con a little over a week ago, Kendrick said he began experiencing chest pains. He has been hospitalized since then and is scheduled to have a heart procedure this weekend.
Despite speculation swirling online, Kendrick said he had not suffered from a heart attack.
“My doctor said, ‘There can’t be a city councilman without a Gary,’” Kendrick recalled, while explaining his decision to withdraw from the race.
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El Cajon City Clerk Angela Cortez confirmed he had withdrawn from the race.
Reflecting on his tenure — which included five years on the Planning Commission before he was elected to the City Council — Kendrick said he was most proud to have spearheaded tough regulations on tobacco businesses selling to minors.
Last year, he split from his Republican colleagues on immigration issues, disavowing resolutions that asserted the city’s commitment to comply with enforcement of federal immigration law.
“I cannot ignore the Republican Party’s betrayal of our immigrant community, nor its disastrous impacts on the people of El Cajon,” Kendrick said.
Following his party switch, the San Diego County Democratic Party said they supported Kendrick’s bid for re-election in November, noting plans to invest in “heavily in neighborhoods that have recently trended toward the right, but are historically Democratic strongholds.”
The group did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
The deadline for candidates to file statements of interest to run for El Cajon City Council is August 7. As of publication Chuck Kaye, who was endorsed by the Republican Party of San Diego, is the only other candidate who has qualified for the ballot.
“I hope my successor tries to run the city with kindness, compassion, fairness and treats everybody the same,” Kendrick said.
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