Mayor Tornek Upbeat, Declaring the City’s “Daunting” Problems Can Be Solved

Incoming Mayor Terry Tornek delivered a short speech in the City Hall Courtyard Monday evening, saying Pasadena “is a great city and we are facing some serious challenges” but he concluded by saying he’s “confident that we’ve got what it takes to solve these problems.”

Tornek’s remarks came shortly before he was sworn in.  He was introduced by private citizen Bill Bogaard, who was just moments into his retirement after 16 years as Pasadena mayor.

People like to list all the problems the city faces, Tornek said, taking stock himself of several major issues.

“We’ve had this embezzlement scandal that everyone is asking about. We have concerns about public safety and public education. There are tremendous financial demand confronting us. There’s a growing gap between rich and poor in our city that a lot of people talk about. We have homelessness issues, affordable housing issues. We have disagreements over the scale and the pace and the appearance of the new development that we have all over our city. We have water shortages,” Tornek said.

In fact, Tornek summarized, “You name it, we’ve got it. The list is very long and is very daunting.”

But Tornek said he agreed with “Bill Bogaard and some of my colleagues on the Council” that these problems can be solved and really gotten after “in short order.”

Tornek said that with the addition of incoming District 1 Councilmember Tyron Hampton and an as yet unknown replacement for Tornek himself to fill his now empty District 7 seat, “the Council will have a renewed mix of experience and energy that I think will allow us to be working together with some new department heads, with our 2.000 city employees and an engaged citizenry.”

“We can and we will enhance Pasadena’s traditional position as a model city,” Tornek promised. “We’re going to be reaching out to you, to the residents in some new ways to help make that happen, because without your help, we really can’t make it happen.”

“I am excited,” he concluded. ” I’m anxious to get started. I hope you feel that way, too.”