The New Face of Pasadena Politics

Pasadena, Set Your Politics To Stun…A Candidate Hungry Like The Wolf…A Bright Man In A Dark Room…Make-up to Make Nice and Other Happy Distractions

By Jake Gaskill

Aaron Proctor and Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard debate during 2006 mayoral race.
Aaron Proctor campaign glamour shot.

The cramped one bedroom apartment Aaron Proctor shares with his girlfriend, Kelli, is reminiscent of a stereotypical college dorm-room, with clothes scattered across every surface, death-rock posters on the walls, a small, dust-covered television on a one-foot high, equally dusty cabinet, several stacks of CD cases piled on a desk next to a mountain of miscellaneous papers and a mattress on the floor for a bed.

Such a scene would hardly be news if Proctor, 25, were not the youngest candidate in Pasadena history to run for mayor.

“I represent change and Pasadena sure needs a lot of it,” Proctor said. “There are a lot of issues that I feel and my neighbors feel aren’t being tended to. There are issues in the city that city council pretty much ignores when it comes to the part of the city that I live in and parts of the city that aren’t as wealthy as the other parts. So I decided to put my money where my mouth is, the little I have, and run for mayor.”

New Face of Pasadena?

At first glance, Proctor is an intimidating and surprising figure. He is over 6-feet-tall, wears a black-leather jacket covered in over a dozen music-related buttons and his pale face is accentuated by black eye-liner. Oh, and he is a self-proclaimed “Goth,” a term used to described anyone who dresses in all black, wears dark makeup, idolizes Marilyn Manson, or satisfies any of the countless qualifications that exist in the public consciousness.

Even though Proctor is proud to describe himself as an “anti-politician,” he often falls into the habits of “traditional,” seasoned candidates. One such habit is the way he describes his lifestyle and his upbringing.

“I don’t come from political lineage…I don’t make a lot of money. We’re always scrambling to pay bills. I just got a cell phone after not having one for four years. I don’t even have cable. I’m just a regular guy.”

Fortunately for Proctor, or perhaps unfortunately depending on what the general public expect from their representatives, he truly is.

Proctor grew up in a predominantly blue-collar suburb of Philadelphia that was not too “supportive of guys in makeup.” While California is a better fit for his lifestyle, Proctor still holds deep affections for his hometown and its citizens.

Proctor said that he has been interested in politics his whole life. He said when he was 7-years-old, he wanted Michael Dukakis to defeat the first President Bush in the 1988 presidential election. Both of his parents are registered Democrats, while Proctor is a registered Independent.

He moved to Pasadena seven years ago and now works as a customer service representative for an online travel agency where he is one of only 4 employees, which forces him to “wear many hats,” as he proudly explained. He loves football, Playstation and likes to play darts at local bars. In 2005, he earned an associate degree from Pasadena City College.

He said his inspiration for running for mayor was just “to see what I could do and what ideas I could get people talking about.” But he quickly followed this statement by saying that he will not classify his campaign as a “social experiment” because he is “serious about serving and helping Pasadena citizens.”

“There are two kinds of Pasadena: the ‘political’ Pasadena and the ‘real’ Pasadena. I’m from ‘real’ Pasadena,” he said.

Judging solely on appearances, it is only natural to wonder how the city council would react to Proctor as mayor.

“If Pasadena is going to become a fair and good city, a great place to live for everyone, and we’ll get affordable housing and it won’t be such an arrogant city anymore, if that means they want me to wear a dress shirt and take off my eye-liner for city council meetings, then fine, because I’m still who I am…It won’t be selling out because I would have won the election being myself. But if it’s going to be something that they use to distract everyone from the issues, then hell no.”

What’s Age Got to Do With It?

"I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." – Ronald Reagan, 1984 presidential debate.

Proctor believes that his age is one of his strongest assets.

“I’m young so I have a lot of new ideas. I feel that I’m closer to the pulse of the community, because I interact with part of the community that’s not really involved locally in politics. They care about what’s going on, but they’ve been disenfranchised or disillusioned with the city and the politics here.”

Proctor explained that Pasadena politics is a “Good Ol’ Boys Club,” where those in power stay in power by enshrouding the political process in secrecy. The head of that club, Proctor said, is Mayor Bill Bogaard, who was elected mayor in 1999 and then reelected in 2003 after receiving just 9,800 votes.

“9,800 votes!” Proctor exclaimed. “There are 65,000 people registered to vote in Pasadena.” According to Proctor, politicians in Pasadena should replace the term “representative” with “kind-of representative.”

And while Proctor said he use to blame the public for their lack of political involvement, he realizes now that the blame rests at the feet of the politicians.

“They’re not going out into the entire community…They keep it exclusive. Do you know how many people I’ve met that didn’t even know Pasadena elected a mayor, had a mayor, or knew who he was?...Bogaard doesn’t have one sign, one commercial…he doesn’t want any attention on this election and Pasadena politics in general.”

Mayor Bogaard said of Proctor and the election, “I think Aaron is an intelligent candidate. I’ve enjoyed coming to know him. I look forward to working with him in the future. But at this point his political campaign has not developed to the point where it appears to be threatening.”

And the Winnder Is...

Proctor said that at this point it is too difficult to gauge exactly what his chances are of securing victory in the March 6th mayoral election. But Proctor is nothing if not a realist.

“If you were a betting person and there was some kind of Vegas line, then you’d bet on the mayor. But anything can happen. I like to think I have a chance. Mathematically I have a 50-50 chance. And even if I lose – I am totally going to sound like a politician here – I win, because I got these issues out there.”

Proctor also said that he will not fade into the background after the election. He has been offered various positions at local action groups as well as at a neighborhood association where he hopes he will be able to continue his push for a new Pasadena. Since so much attention has been brought to Proctor’s campaign because he has proclaimed himself a “Goth,” it was only natural to ask if he felt that the country was ready for a Goth representative.

“I think we’d have to have a black president, then a gay president, and then maybe the country would be ready for a Goth.” Proctor said that since he does not fit into any of the traditional Goth categories, he is happy to be the prototype for a new one: Goth-itician.