An incumbent San Diego city councilman is the first to file papers to run for mayor in 2012, although he said he has not decided whether to seek the office.
City Councilman Carl DeMaio, whose district includes Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch and Mira Mesa, filed on Wednesday, according to the City Clerk's Office.
DeMaio said that he filed papers because it is a step required by law, but that he is still talking with supporters about whether to run.
Mayor Jerry Sanders cannot run for re-election because of term limits.
DeMaio, a former management consultant, successfully campaigned against Proposition D, a measure on November's ballot that would have raised the city's sales tax by a half-cent for five years.
"Fixing the city's pension and budget problems are my top priorities, and if running for mayor will advance fiscal reform of our city, I will do it," DeMaio said in an e-mailed statement. "As I weigh this decision whether to run, I will be spending the next several weeks talking to supporters and listening to residents across our city to seek their advice and ideas."
He will not be able to raise funds until one year before the election.
According to the Clerk's Office, no one else has filed to run for mayor or any other city office.
