District 3 City Council candidate Stephen Whitburn has picked up key endorsements headed into the November run-off election for the District 3 City Council seat to replace outgoing Councilmember Toni Atkins, who terms out this year.

Calling Whitburn the best choice for Mid-City neighborhoods, on June 19, the third-highest vote-getter in the June 3 primary, former District 3 council candidate, John Hartley announced his endorsement of Whitburn for the open seat.

“Stephen Whitburn is the neighborhood choice for District 3,” said Hartley, a former councilmember and neighborhood activist. “I know Stephen will stand up to the developers who have too much clout at City Hall. Stephen Whitburn will work to make sure neighborhoods have a greater say in city government.”

Hartley received 18 percent of votes, while Whitburn got 29 percent. Both were running against Todd Gloria, who snagged 41 percent of votes.

In the past Whitburn said that he would need Hartley’s supporters to beat Gloria in the November run-off election.

Like Hartley, Whitburn is invested in funding repairs for aging infrastructure, and increasing police or safety patrols in District 3 neighborhoods.

As an elected member of the North Park Planning Committee, Whitburn serves as the group’s public-safety liaison and has drawn attention to the problem of growing crime in North Park.

Whitburn also announced the endorsement of former District 3 Candidate Paul Broadway, who got 6 percent of the June vote.

“During the campaign, I’ve gotten to know my fellow District 3 candidates quite well,” said Broadway. “I’m supporting Stephen because I think he’s a man of integrity. Stephen Whitburn will help restore city government by asking the tough questions, advocating open and honest government, and implementing neighborhood-focused policies for communities like Golden Hill and South Park.”

Whitburn faces Gloria in the November runoff. While Gloria placed first in the primary, more than half of the voters chose a candidate other than Gloria, with Whitburn receiving 28.6 percent, Broadway 6.2 percent, and Hartley 17.6 percent.

Whitburn said that he is confident if voters follow Hartley and Broadway’s endorsements he will come out on top in November.

“These endorsements show the growing momentum for our campaign,” Whitburn said. “Our general election grassroots campaign is already working to reach voters in every part of District 3, and these endorsements will help us do that.”

During the primary campaign, Whitburn announced his Neighborhood Right-to-Know Plan, which emphasizes expanded noticing requirements for development projects – an effort to bring City Hall to the neighborhoods, greater public review of projects, and a mandatory 30-day review period for proposed demolitions of potentially historic properties.

In addition to the endorsements of Broadway and Hartley, Whitburn announced that he and Gloria had received the joint endorsement of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of San Diego & Riverside Counties as well as the sole endorsement of the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA). MAPA indicated it endorsed Whitburn, who is fully-bilingual in English and Spanish, because of his “solid support” of San Diego’s working class and Latino communities.

In March, the District 3 candidate, a resident of North Park, who is a former radio news journalist and currently serves as a spokesperson for the American Red Cross Blood Services. won the Democratic Party’s nod securing 74 percent of the party’s vote. Whitburn is the only democrat running for the District 3 City Council seat that is endorsed by the Democratic Party.

The former president of the San Diego Democratic Club adds these endorsements to his list that also includes Councilmember Donna Frye, Congressmember Bob Filner, the San Diego Unity League and the Progressive Majority.