His parents were mayors. Can a Bay Area legend follow in their footsteps?
Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Ahmad Anderson, who famously created the school’s “Bear Territory” chant, now has a chance to leave his mark on another Bay Area institution: the Richmond mayoral office.
The former Golden Bears defensive back is one of two candidates for mayor who seem certain to advance to a run-off election in the East Bay city of around 115,000 people, which doubles as his hometown. Out of five candidates in Richmond’s first-ever primary election for mayor, the unofficial results have Anderson in second place with 28.82% of the vote, behind City Council member Claudia Jimenez (37.55%) but comfortably ahead of the next-closest candidate, incumbent Mayor Eduardo Martinez (19.5%). While 55,200 unprocessed ballots remain in Contra Costa County, the latest vote count on Friday saw the gap between Anderson and Martinez grow from where it was after election night.
In a phone call with SFGATE after Tuesday’s election, Anderson said he’s grateful to have essentially advanced but stressed that the work is far from over now.
“It’s a rewarding feeling,” Anderson told SFGATE. “For me to be in the hunt, that says my voice resonates for people not only in my district but throughout the city.”
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/bay-area-mayors-richmond-22291343.php