Mayor Tornek Posts Message to Community

Mayor Terry Tornek on Tuesday — one week after City Councilmember Victor Gordo opened a wide lead in election results which show Gordo unseating Tornek — took to Facebook to post a message to the community.

“It has been a week since Election Day and while the final results are not yet posted, it is clear that the Voters have decided not to reelect me for another Term as Mayor,” Tornek said in his message.

“While I am very disappointed, I am buoyed by the knowledge that during the past 5 years we have made real progress and that 30,000 Pasadena Voters were prepared to allow me to continue. It has been a real privilege to be able to serve a City that has been so wonderful to my family since 1982.”

Currently, Gordo, who serves as the council’s District 5 representative, leads Tornek by 36,422 to 30,020 votes.

A lifelong Democrat, Tornek was born and raised in New York City and moved to Pasadena from Massachusetts in 1982 to accept the position of planning director, a job he held for three years. He was hired primarily because of his history of neighborhood improvement and historic preservation while serving as planning director of Springfield, Massachusetts.

During his time as planning director, he helped rewrite the city’s Zoning Ordinance, its General Plan, and helped establish redevelopment plans for Old Pasadena.

In 2009, he was handpicked by former Councilman Sid Tyler as his replacement for the District 7 council seat when Tyler decided not to run for reelection after 12 years on the council.

Tornek beat former Los Angeles County Police Chief Margaret York, wife of Superior Court Judge Lance Ito, in a runoff election in 2009. He ran unopposed in 2012.

He won the mayor’s gavel when he defeated District 1 Councilmember Jacque Robinson in 2015. He became the second elected mayor in modern times following Bill Bogaard.

He took over as the city was reeling from a $6.4 million embezzlement scandal. During his time in office, the city passed a $15 minimum wage and finally saw the end of the threat of the 710 freeway extension which could have led to the destruction of hundreds of homes.

He may be best remembered for a three-quarter cent sales tax increase that was passed largely to bail out the beleaguered school district. At that time, neither Tornek nor Pasadena residents could know just how valuable the sales tax would be during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to city officials, revenue generated by Measure I has been used to help stave off service reductions during the pandemic, which virtually shut down the city.
After the officer-involved death of George Floyd in Minnesota, Tornek and Councilmember John Kennedy, chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, overcame decades of resistance and led the push to pass police oversight.

Some details are still being worked out on the commission, but its formation represented an about-face for Tornek and the majority of the council, which had resisted civilian oversight of police.

“Pasadena has been buffeted by the COVID Pandemic and by cries for social justice,” Tornek said. “We will feel the consequences of both for some time to come — but I believe that as a community, we are up to the challenge,” he wrote.

“I want to thank my family, my supporters, and volunteers and my campaign consultants for their tireless efforts on my behalf and on behalf of Pasadena. I am truly sorry that I couldn’t deliver a victory in return for their incredible energy and their desire to make our community better for everyone.

“Pasadena and our Nation face challenging times, but with God’s blessings I am confident that we shall overcome.”