Former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole is returning to the dais after Tuesday’s primary election. Cole unseated District 2 incumbent Felicia Williams, who has served on the council since 2020. As of March 12, Cole had received 2,825 votes (60.22%).
The race between Cole and Williams was contentious at times. In the end, voters had to choose between two experienced public servants who have long devoted themselves to the community.
In addition to representing the 2nd District, Williams currently serves as Vice President of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority and sits on the Executive Board of Foothill Transit. Prior to her time on the council, she chaired the Planning and Environmental Commissions. She was also Treasurer of the Pasadena Center Operating Company and a member of the Transportation Advisory Commission. She has served on the Boards of Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, the Pasadena Educational Foundation, and the Pasadena Police Foundation. She has received numerous awards and holds an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA, as well as an M.B.A. from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She also owns her own consulting company, serving municipal clients in Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley.
Cole is a local government veteran and policy wonk with an expertise in urban planning. He started out as a city councilman in Pasadena and served as mayor in the 1990s. He later became City Manager of Azusa and Ventura and served as Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation for the City of Los Angeles. Until 2020, he managed the City of Santa Monica and, in 2021, he was named Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism. He currently serves as Chief Deputy Controller for the City of Los Angeles, while sitting on the Pasadena Planning Commission and advising Mayor Victor Gordo on housing policy. In 2006, he was named one of the nine “Public Officials of the Year” by Governing Magazine.
As the next representative for District 2, Cole has promised to support small businesses, greater transparency, and the construction of more affordable housing. He wants to see more bike lanes and a streetcar that would run from old Pasadena to Pasadena City College. He also supports new limits on campaign contributions and wants to transform the central library into a 24/7 learning center.
Click here for more March 5 election results from Pasadena.