Bill Bogaard

William Joseph Bogaard (born 1938) is an American politician and the former mayor of Pasadena, California.

Early life and career On January 18, 1938, Bogaard was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He graduated from Loyola Marymount University and was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan and became a lawyer. Prior to being elected mayor, Bogaard taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California.

Mayoralty and after Bogaard is a member of the Democratic Party. He was first elected mayor in 1999, and was reelected with an overwhelming majority of the vote (over 85%) in 2003. Bogaard was the first elected mayor of Pasadena since the 1940s and the longest-serving mayor in Pasadena's history. As Mayor of Pasadena, Bogaard appeared frequently in Pasadena's Rose Parade.

In 2007, Bogaard sought reelection for a third term as mayor. His opponent was Aaron Proctor. The election was held on March 6, and Bogaard won easily, getting 11,558 votes (88.7% of the vote).

In 2011, Bogaard ran unopposed, receiving 12,202 votes.

He has served on the board of directors of the League of California Cities since 2007, and was elected as president of the board on September 7, 2012.

2015 State of the City Address In his 2015 State of the City Address, Mayor Bill Bogaard reflected on his 16 years in office and the impact of his service as Pasadena’s first directly elected mayor. He noted the importance of cooperation from the city’s officials and residents in building the city. Bogaard also used the speech to express his commitment to public service and to the city during his final year as mayor.

Bogaard talked about the discovery of an embezzlement incident involving the city’s utilities and its undergrounding fund. The city had conducted internal reviews of the city departments that discovered the issues, which led to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office investigating the Pasadena City Council and its departments, leading to felony charges being filed against several individuals involved in the Pasadena City Council. Additionally, KPMG audits revealed that the Pasadena City Council lost up to $6.4 million over the course of 10 to 11 years in relation to the utility fund issues.

In addition to discussing the situation and the investigation that followed it, Bogaard shared plans to address the uncovered issues. Several employees of the Pasadena City Council who were involved in the embezzlement were placed on administrative leave. An independent investigator was hired to investigate the city offices and the internal controls that the city had in place as a means of preventing the embezzlement from occurring again. Additionally, both the City Council and a task force made of city residents were to be formed to improve the city government and controls within the Pasadena City Council to prevent any future instances of the City Council members engaging in such misdeeds.

Legacy and Impact During his term as mayor of Pasadena, Bill Boggard was able to significantly increase the city’s economy and its infrastructure. Bogaard stated in his 2015 State of the City address that the city’s assessed property valuation had reached over $24 billion, and that the city’s unemployment rate had declined to near 6 percent. Bogaard also discussed Pasadena’s adoption of budgets that balanced the city’s public revenues and expenditures, as well as reforms to the city’s pension system.

Furthermore, Bogaard undertook a variety of infrastructure projects during his term. Bogaard mentioned in his 2015 State of the City address his city’s improvement to parks, streets, sidewalks, and the Glenarm Power Plant. Bogaard also committed the city to the Foothill Gold Line extension, as well as to the continued renovation of the Rose Bowl Stadium.

Finally, Bogaard committed to forming partnerships with other organizations within Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, as well as starting development and economic projects to promote the growth of Pasadena as a city. Bogaard mentioned initiatives like Innovate Pasadena and Collaborate Pasadena, which aimed to promote business growth and education within Pasadena. Furthermore, Bogaard also stated in his 2015 State of the City address his opinions of Pasadena as a city that was formed through the collaborations among its citizens, who were committed to long-term planning for the city.

Personal life Bogaard married Claire M. Whalen on January 28, 1961, in San Francisco, California. In 1971, they moved to Pasadena, California. They have four children.

Electoral history

1999

2003

2007

Proctor ran as "decline to state" as he did not join the Republican Party until late 2007.

2011