{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Myrtle Cole | image = Myrtle Cole.jpg | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = <!-- Valid citation required for date of birth for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) --> | birth_place = | children = | spouse = | profession = | alma_mater = University of Arizona<br>National University | office = Member of the<br>San Diego City Council<br> for the District 4 | term_start = June 3, 2013 | term_end = December 10, 2018 | predecessor = Tony Young | successor = Monica Montgomery | 1blankname = {{nowrap|Mayor}} | 1namedata = Bob Filner <br> Kevin Faulconer | party = Democratic | website = [http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd4/ City Council District 4 website] | office2 = President<br>of the San Diego City Council | predecessor2 = Sherri Lightner | successor2 = Georgette Gomez | term_end2 = December 10, 2018 | term_start2 = December 12, 2016 }} '''Myrtle Cole''' is an American politician who served as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2013 to 2018, representing District 4. A member of the Democratic Party, Cole was the first African American woman elected to the city council and served as council president from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, Cole lost a bid for re-election, becoming one of the first incumbent council members to lose re-election since 1992.
== San Diego City Council == Myrtle Cole was first elected to office in the 2013 special election to fill the District 4 seat of the city council vacated by Tony Young,.<ref name=CD4results>{{cite web|title=Election History - Council District 4|url=http://www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk/pdf/cd4results.pdf|publisher=City of San Diego|access-date=21 August 2013}}.</ref> District 4 includes the neighborhoods of Alta Vista, Broadway Heights, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Greater Skyline Hills, Jamacha, Lincoln Park, Lomita Village, North Bay Terrace, Oak Park, O'Farrell, Paradise Hills, Redwood Village, Rolando Park, South Bay Terrace, Valencia Park, and Webster.<ref>{{cite web|title=Council District 4 Communities|url=http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd4/communities/index.shtml|publisher=City of San Diego|access-date=21 August 2013}}</ref> She won re-election to a four-year term in the June 2014 primary election, drawing 57% of the primary votes. Her second term began in December 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/jun/03/san-diegans-vote-city-council-races/|title=Zapf Wins; Cate, Kim Headed To Runoff In City Council Races|date=June 3, 2014|work=KPBS|access-date=7 June 2014}}</ref>
In December 2016, Cole ran against fellow Democrat David Alvarez for the position of council president. The council president is responsible for setting the council's agenda and making committee assignments and chairmanships. Cole was chosen by her colleagues on a 6–3 vote, securing the votes of all four Republicans on the City Council as well as Democrat Barbara Bry. Although both Cole and Alvarez were Democrats, Cole was seen as the more moderate of the two.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-council-president-20161212-story.html|title=Cole selected San Diego City Council president|last=Garrick|first=David|date=December 12, 2016|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref>
In the November 2018 election, Cole lost her reelection bid to civil rights attorney and former staffer Monica Montgomery. This marked the first time that an incumbent had failed to be reelected to the City Council since 1992.<ref name=results>{{cite news |last1=Garrick |first1=David |title=Cole, Zapf lose re-election bids in two rare instances of San Diego council incumbents being rejected |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-san-diego-council-20181106-story.html |access-date=November 7, 2018 |work=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=November 7, 2018}}</ref>
== Controversy and other information == Myrtle Cole received some criticism during her time on the San Diego City Council. For example, in 2016, she said, during a council meeting discussion of racial profiling by police, "There is more black on black shootings in our nation than ever before...That's why when someone says, 'Do you think there is racial profiling?' Yeah, because blacks are shooting blacks."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-19 |title=District 4 Residents Respond To Myrtle Cole's Poor Election Performance |url=https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2018/07/19/district-4-residents-respond-myrtle-coles-poor-ele |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=KPBS Public Media |language=en}}</ref> Critics argue that this is what resulted in decreased support in her role in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-19 |title=District 4 Residents Respond To Myrtle Cole's Poor Election Performance |url=https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2018/07/19/district-4-residents-respond-myrtle-coles-poor-ele |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=KPBS Public Media |language=en}}</ref>
In 2018, she was asked to speak at the National University Southern California Commencement as a National University Alumna.<ref>{{Cite web |last=University |first=National |date=2017-06-01 |title=San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole Named Keynote Speaker for National University Southern California Commencement |url=https://www.nu.edu/news/myrtle-cole-named-keynote-speaker-southern-ca-commencement/ |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=National University |language=en-US}}</ref> In addition to being the keynote speaker, she also received an honorary doctorate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=University |first=National |date=2017-06-01 |title=San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole Named Keynote Speaker for National University Southern California Commencement |url=https://www.nu.edu/news/myrtle-cole-named-keynote-speaker-southern-ca-commencement/ |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=National University |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Electoral history== {{Election box open primary begin no change | title = San Diego City Council District 4 election, 2014<ref name=CD4results/> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Myrtle Cole | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 6,921 | percentage = 57.00 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Bruce Williams | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 2,378 | percentage = 19.58 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Blanca Lopez Brown | party = Nonpartisan politician | votes = 1,832 | percentage = 15.09 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Tony Villafranca | party = Nonpartisan politician | votes = 1,011 | percentage = 8.33 }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 12,142 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box open primary begin no change | title = San Diego City Council District 4 special election, 2013<ref name=CD4results /><ref>{{cite web|title=City of San Diego Municipal Special Election Results|url=http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/voters/results/transform.htm?paramVal1=election.xsl|publisher=County of San Diego|access-date=28 March 2013}}</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Myrtle Cole | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 4,304 | percentage = 32.3 }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Dwayne Crenshaw | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 2,025 | percentage = 15.2 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Brian "Barry" Pollard | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,548 | percentage = 11.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Ray Smith | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,207 | percentage = 9.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Blanca Lopez Brown | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,084 | percentage = 8.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Sandy Spackman | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 1,067 | percentage = 8.0 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Bruce Williams | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,059 | percentage = 8.0 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Tony Villafranca | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 621 | percentage = 4.7 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Monica Montgomery | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 404 | percentage = 3.0 }} {{Election box total no change | votes =13,319 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box open primary general election no change | title = San Diego City Council District 4 special general election, 2013<ref name=CD4results /> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | candidate = Myrtle Cole | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 6,612 | percentage = 54.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Dwayne Crenshaw | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 5,603 | percentage = 45.9 }} {{Election box total no change | votes =12,215 | percentage = 100 }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Myrtle}} Category:Living people Category:San Diego City Council members Category:California Democrats Category:Women city councillors in California Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:African-American city council members in California Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:21st-century African-American women politicians Category:21st-century American women politicians
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