Mayor & City Council

Steve Pougnet
Mayor

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Member of the Council Since: 2003
Elected Mayor: 2007
Current Term: 2007-2011

Biography

External Organizations
Chairman, Coachella Valley Assn. of Governments (CVAG) Energy & Water Conservation Subcommittee
Vice Chairman, CVAG Executive Committee
Vice Chairman, CVAG Energy and Environment Committee
Vice Chairman, Sunline Transit Agency
Board Member, Palm Springs Desert Resort Convention and Visitors Authority
Member, CVAG Transportation Committee Member, Riverside County Transportation Commission
Member, Riverside County Indian Gaming Local Community
Benefit Committee

Boards, Commissions & Community Affiliations
President, Mizell Senior Center
Board Member, Valley Action Group
Board Member, Palm Springs Art Museum Member, Advisory Committee, Palm Springs Unified School District
Member, Citizens Oversight Committee, Palm Springs Unified School District
Member, Desert Pride Center
Member, Desert Women for Equality
Honorary Co-Chairman, Palm Springs International Film Festival Honorary Board Member, Western Coachella Valley Police Activities League
Volunteer, United Way of the Desert
Former Chairman, Palm Springs Citizens Community Development
Block Grant Committee
Former Board Member, Michigan State University Business School Alumni Association
Former Member, Riverside County Community Action Partnership

City Council Subcommittees
Sustainability
College Of The Desert
Convention Center Management Agreement
Finance
Special Events
Tourism/Convention Center
Jackie Lee Houston Plaza
Desert Fashion Plaza
Western Valley Leadership Group
Issues of Interest
• Hotel Incentive Program & New Economic Development in Palm Springs
• Sustainability - water, energy, waste, recycling Public Safety
• Youth and Senior Activities

Awards
Desert Business Association Community Citizen Award, 2006

Education
Bachelor of Arts in Business from Michigan State University-1985
Business Experience
Former Vice President, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO Former Associate Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations,
Michigan State University
Former Associate Director, National Corporate Leadership Program,
United Way of America
Hobbies
Running, biking, swimming, snowboarding, golfing and spending time with his partner, Christopher, and their children, Beckham and Julia.

Chris S. Mills
Councilmember

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Member of the Council Since: 2001
Current Term: 2009-2013

Biography

Boards & Commissions
Member, City of Palm Springs Planning Commission 1988-1991
Member, City of Palm Springs Planning Commission 1994-2001
Chairman from 1996-2001
Member, City of Palm Springs Energy Commission 1981-1986
Member, City of Palm Springs Architectural Advisory Committee, nine years
Member, City of Palm Springs Convention Center Blue Ribbon Committee
Member, Palm Springs Airport Terminal Expansion Review Committee
Member, City of Rancho Mirage Architectural Review Board, 17 years Vice Chair, Coachella Valley Mountain Conservation Commission

Community Affiliations
Member Desert Roundtable, President 1997 and 1998
Palm Springs Library “Blockbuster” Program, 20 years
Palm Springs High School; Partners-In-Education Program
Palm Springs Youth Center Basketball Coach
Desert Chapel Junior High School Girls’ Basketball Coach 1993-1996
Palm Springs Little League Coach
Festival of Lights Parade, Santa float designer
Sponsor for AYSO, Palm Springs Youth Center Palm Springs Little League, Palm Springs Softball

Issues of Interest
Quality development
Downtown redevelopment
Quality of life for the residents
MainStreet

Awards
American School & University Educational Design Excellence:
Katherine Finchy Elementary School, Palm Springs, 1998
Cahuilla Elementary School, Palm Springs, 2001
Mizell Senior Center – Founders Honoree
Palm Springs Boys & Girls Club – Service to Youth Award

Education
Riverside Polytechnic High School, 1964
Arizona State University, 1970

Business Experience
Licensed California Architect since 1977
Member, American Institute of Architects

Hobbies
Spending time with his family, playing softball, golf and cheering on the Lakers and Angels.

Ginny Foat
Councilmember

E-MailPalm Springs City Councilmember

City Council Sub-Committees
Business Retention
Animal Shelter Committee
Sustainability Committee
Budget Committee
Downtown Sign Committee
Finance Committee
Tri-City Coordinating Committee
College of the Desert West Campus Committee
Andreas Hills Annexation Committee
Walk of Stars Committee
Medical Marijuana Task Force
Homeless Blue Ribbon Task Force, Co-Chair

Interview Panel for Hiring Police Chief
Interview Panel for Hiring Sustainability Coordinator
Interview Panel for Hiring Animal Shelter Architect

Council Representative to Main Street
Council Representative to Palm Springs Neighborhood Involvement Committee

Riverside County Committees
Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) - Member and alternate since 2003
RCTC Plans & Programs Committee - Member and alternate since 2003

Coachella Valley Association of Governments Committees
Human Resources Committee - Member since 2003
Homelessness Committee - Member since its inception in 2007
- Homelessness Committee Site Selection Committee - Chair
- Shelter Service Provider Selection sub-committee, Member
Transportation Committee, Alternate
Public Safety Committee, Alternate
Coachella Valley Housing Trust – Secretary, Board of Directors

Community Volunteering:
League of California Cities, Riverside County District – Executive Board
League’s GLBT elected officials caucus - Member
Desert Pride Center – Board of Directors and Founding Co-Chair
Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter – Board of Directors
Vista Las Palmas Neighborhood Organization - Member
Soroptimist International of Palm Springs - Member
Uptown Business Association - Past President
Los Angeles County Commission on HIV/AIDS Services - Past Co-Chair
City of Palm Springs Budget Review Task Force – Past Member

Business Experience:
Government Affairs and Political Consultant
VP Governmental Relations, Environmental Service Professionals
Owner and corporate officer, GBG Palm Springs Inc. – property management company
Owner, Ginny Foat, Non- Profit Consulting – consulting and grant writing services for non-profit organizations
National Regional Director YWCA of the USA
Executive Director of Caring for Children & Families with AIDS

Hobbies:
Cooking, politics, equality and social causes, volunteer work and spending time with family, friends, and my dog, Jake. And I’m a pretty good domino player.

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Member of the Council Since: 2003
Current Term: 2009-2013

Rick Hutcheson
Mayor pro tem

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Member of the Council Since: 2007
Current Term: 2007-2011

Biography

Boards & Commissions
Former member of the Palm Springs Planning Commission
Former member of the Palm Springs Police Advisory Board
Founding board member of the Old Las Palmas Neighborhood Organization Former member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Community Development Block Grants in Palm Springs

Community Affiliations
Board of Directors, Palm Springs Sunup Rotary
Partners for Life Steering Committee, Desert AIDS Project
Palm Springs Economic Development Corporation
Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce
Mizell Center Center
Palm Springs Art Museum

Issues of Interest
Downtown revitalization
Economic growth and diversification
Public safety
Conservation, renewable energy and green building
Customer friendly City
Tourism
Real Estate
Infrastructure improvements

Education
Graduated with Highest Honors from Swarthmore College in 1973, pursued graduate studies in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and returned to Swarthmore College in 1981 as a Visiting Fellow, lecturing on government and politics

Business Experience
Owns Palm Springs businesses focusing on real estate, tourism and investments; with his partner of nine years, Rob Kincaid. Former senior Business Development executive for companies including Time Warner and J.D. Power Clubs.
Former member of President Jimmy Carter’s senior staff, working in the West Wing of the White House for four years.

Hobbies
Gardening, music.

Lee Weigel
Councilmember

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Member of the Council Since: 2007
Current Term: 2007-2011

Biography

Community Affiliations
Former Executive Board member Palm Springs International and Short Film Festivals
Current member and former Board member Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter
Current member and former Executive Board member of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce
Member California Police Chiefs Association
Member Resort Communities Security Association
Former special advisor to the Board of the Mizell Senior Center
Former Board of Directors member Palm Springs Boys and Girls Club
Former Co-chair Western Coachella Valley Health Partnership
Former Executive Board member Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
Former Executive Board member of the Police Activities League (PAL)
Former Executive Board member of the Palm Springs Gang Task Force Former Chairman Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force
Founder of the Palm Springs Consolidated Gang Task Force
Former Chairman Riverside County Chiefs of Police

Issues of Interest
Public safety
Ongoing maintenance of our buildings, parks and streets
Smart growth while preserving what makes Palm Springs unique
Continue marketing initiatives and work with other valley cities to resolve mutual concerns

Education
Graduated from Palm Springs High School
Graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BBA in Business Management from National University
Made the Dean’s List while attending a Leadership Program at Southern Police Institute at he University of Louisville

Military
Assistant catapult captain aboard an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. Served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War.

Business Experience
Currently an executive with Guardsmark, LLC, an international security firm.
Interim Police Chief in Desert Hot Springs and Banning after retiring from the Palm Springs Police Department
Spent 32 years with the Palm Springs Police Department, serving as Police Chief from 1997 until his retirement in 2002

Hobbies
Spending time with his wife Marie and their two sons, Alec and Christopher and golf.