The Adventures of Aaron Proctor

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their participation in the 1st Annual Proctorformayor.Com Year End Awards and want to also thank everyone for their patience while I tabulated the votes.

There were a lot of interesting choices, some surprises, and some not-so-surprising results for my first attempt at honoring Pasadena politics through a Democratic process.

Note that when people chose more than one selection for a nomination, I threw out the vote (unless it was designated that they had one choice over the other in case they only had to choose one). I threw out write-in’s - maybe we’ll try that next year. I did count incomplete ballots but not ones where they obviously came in minutes apart, voting for one category and that was it (see the results for Reporter of the Year). That’s why the numbers aren’t even in every category.

Without further suspense…..here are the results that YOU, the faithful readers of this very website, decided upon.

Best Overall Pasadena Councilmember

Chris Holden

District 3 City Councilman Chris Holden has overwhelming popularity and support among the readers out there. Voters spoke of his willingness to fight for what’s right, his willigness to call other Councilmembers on their bullshit, and the fact that he doesn’t always appear to be part of the “Good Ol Boys & Girls” country club of Pasadena politics.

Here’s the breakdown of votes:

1. District 3’s Chris Holden - 404 (78.3%)
2. Former District 1 Joyce Streator - 89 (17.2%)
3. District 7 Sid Tyler - 8
4. District 2 Margaret McAustin - 5
5. District 5 Victor Gordo - 3
6. District 1 Jacque Robinson - 3
7. District 4 Steve Haderlein - 2
8. Mayor Bill Bogaard - 1
9. Former District 2 Paul Little - 1
10. District 6 Steve Madison - 0

Worst Overall Pasadena Councilmember

Jacque Robinson & Steve Madison

Yes, ladies and gentleman, this one is just too close to call. In fact, it’s an exact tie, even when I threw in my one tiebreaker vote. 2/3 of my readers are split on just who is the real “winner”. Now, Steve Madison’s an obvious winner because of his horrible attendance record in 2007 and his general douchebaggery. Jacque Robinson was a little bit of a surprise to me though - seems people aren’t fond of an Ad Hoc committee they feel won’t accomplish anything and are wary of Jacque’s commitment to Pasadena if Barack Obama begins winning more primaries (since she works for him). So, congratulations to the two “winners”. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Jacque Robinson - 168 (33.5%)
   
2. Steve Madison - 168 (33.5%)
3. Bill Bogaard - 71 (14.1%)
4. Steve Haderlein - 40
5. Margaret McAustin - 26
6. Victor Gordo - 15
7. Paul Little - 7
8. Chris Holden - 4
9. Sid Tyler - 2
10. Joyce Streator - 1

Best Pasadena Blog

Centinel (or Publius) from Foothill Cities

Amazingly popular (and fun), Foothill Cities is the winner of the 1st annual “Best Pasadena Blog” award. Now mind you, the guys over there do a great job covering the San Gabriel Valley and entire “foothill city” area, it should be known that their presence in Pasadena is very strong and popular. Congrats to the best blog out there right now.

1. Foothill Cities Blog - 247 (47.9%)
2. Under The Dome - 114 (22.1%)
3. The Adventures of Aaron Proctor - 103 (20.0%)
4. Eye Level Pasadena - 34
5. Pasadena’s Political Underbelly - 9
6. West Coast Grrlie Blather - 7
7. Pasadena Pundit - 2

Pasadena Moment of the Year

The City’s $5 million buyout of a strip club while people were getting killed in the Northwest really pissed a lot of people off. Seriously, this category wasn’t just voted on - people waxed on everything from how angry they were when this happened to their disdain for the handsome Councilmember behind this whole thing. While I thought other issues would top the list, it’s obvious people are still stinging about this entire decision.

1. City’s $5 Million Strip Club Buyout - 425 (82%)
2. Sock On Mexican/Gang Violence - 59 (11.4%)
3. Barbecuegate/District 1 Runoff Election - 22
4. China Float Saga - 5
5. Aaron Proctor’s Political Arrival - 2
6. Bakewell’s Breakdown - 1
7. Peloton Troubles - 1
8. Melekian: City Manager/City Police Chief - 1
9. Isaac Haqq’s Scandal In NorCal - 1
10. City Hall Reopens - 1

Best Pasadena News Source

Photo credit: Eyelevelpasadena.com

The Star-News beats out everyone else, according to voters. A lot of people were angry that I didn’t put up the Pasadena Now. Well, cutting and pasting press releases isn’t exactly being a “news source”. A lot of people also skipped this category, deciding that the PSN was a clear cut winner and it really didn’t have “competition”. I disagree, but hey, I’m just glad people voted.

1. Pasadena Star-News - 412 (80.3%)
2. Pasadena Weekly - 94 (18.3%)
3. Pasadena Journal - 7
4. Pasadena Independent/Pasadena Cosmopolitan - 0

Most Exciting Council Election

Without a doubt, Robin Salzer vs. Jacque Robinson takes the cake (or maybe the BBQ ribs, in this case). Some have even called this the most exciting Council election in Pasadena of all time. The votes definitely reflect that line of thinking. Barbecuegate!!!

1. Salzer vs. Robinson - 301 (60.3%)
2. Lomako vs. McAustin - 113 (22.6%)
3. Proctor vs. Bogaard - 85
4. Masuda vs. Haderlein - 0
5. Madison vs. Brown - 0

Reporter of the Year

Definitely the closest race that wasn’t a tie. A lot of quasi-fake email accounts signed up to vote for one of the candidates so I didn’t count them. This was actually the category, believe it or not, that took the longest to count votes (587 people voted)…so I guess either that means the title of Proctorformayor.com’s 2007 Reporter of the Year is really worth it to a lot of people or someone has an ego almost as huge as my own. This category also doesn’t reflect people’s reading habits (or maybe honesty reflect them?) The PSN destroyed the Weekly in the best news source but Andre Coleman & Todd Ruiz were neck-and-neck in this one. Coleman edges out Todd but, as you will see, not by very much.

1. Andre Coleman - 298 (50.8%)
2. Todd Ruiz - 281 (47.9%)
3. Joe Piasecki - 6
4. Joe Hopkins - 2

Most Influential Pasadenan

Me!

First of all, I’d like to thank the Academy…no, seriously. I know most of the votes were biased due to my general awesomeness but people did have legitimate reasons. Most of them were because of the fact a lot of people feel they wouldn’t be paying attention at all to what’s going on if it weren’t for my memorable run for Mayor in 2007. I personally voted for the Bogaard clan.

1. Aaron Proctor - 209 (42.9%)
2. Bill & Claire Bogaard - 122 (25.0%)
3. Ann Lau - 59
4. Martin Truitt - 51
5. Larry Wilson - 27
6. Joe Hopkins - 14
7. Rev. Jean Burch - 3
8. Wayne Lusvardi - 3

2007 Hall Of Fame Induction

Former District 1 Councilwoman Joyce Streator

Joyce should be commended for her long-standing and respectful work, not only in her community but all of Pasadena. She received a resounding majority of the votes and will be added to my “Pasadena Hall of Fame” when I get around to adding that part to the site.

1. Joyce Streator - 312 (61.2%)
2. Chris Holden - 102 (20.1%)
3. Bill Bogaard - 86
4. Paul Little - 5
5. Bill Bibbiani - 4
6. Bill Thomson - 1

So there you have it. Around 510 to 520 people took part in this “election”. I am thankful for not only the people who participated but the amount of traffic this website has received since posting the nominees here and on Foothill Cities and Todd Ruiz re-posting the link on his blog.

For those who didn’t win or feel slighted by the readers of this blog, remember - it’s only Proctor’s “silly little website”.

Stand & Deliver.

- AP

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year’s celebration!

Don’t forget today is the last day (yes I extended I one day) to vote in the 2007 Year End Awards. Click here to do so. I’ve already received hundreds of responses. Votes after midnight tonight will not be counted.  I’ll be posting the results sometime later this week.
- AP

There’s still time to submit your vote in the Aaron Proctor 2007 Year End Awards!

Over hundreds of votes have already been submitted.

Is Victor Gordo the worst Councilman of the year…or the best? Well, either way, he scored 4 touchdowns in one game against Arcadia High!!

Voice your opinion in something three-times more meaningful than the Best of Pasadena Weekly Awards OR the local elections!!! Time’s-a-wastin’!

Click on THIS LINK to enter your choices.

These guys hope you vote!

- AP

Some new faces of 2007 (From left to right): District 1 Councilwoman Jacque Robinson, District 2 Councilwoman Margaret McAustin, and “Planny” - the Planning Commission dalmatian.

By the power vested in me by hyperlinking and blog archiving, here’s a shout out to the year 2007 - one of the most memorable years of not only my life but Pasadena’s as well.
2007 was definitely a year that saw both challenges for me in my personal life and for the City of Pasadena. While my life saw me unjustly fired from two jobs in the same year and subsequently being exiled to St. Louis, Pasadena saw gang violence, strip club buy outs, Rose Bowl float drama, door hanger drama, developer drama, high school football game drama, a police chief doubling as a City Manager, long-time PUSD board members upset from their seats, and lots, lots more.

Kimberley Brown ran against Steve Madison in the District 6 Council election. I’d like to have her in my polling place, if you catch my drift.

The year started out with some exciting Council and PUSD board races - all culminating with the March Primary election and the April runoff election (well, the latter if you didn’t get trounced by Mayor Bogaard).

Danny Bakewell made hell for Council to quell.

This very blog blossomed and came into its own a few weeks after the dust cleared from the election. As you’ll see, this site started out as my own personal campaign site. After the election, it became a place where I continually posted my attempts at comedic musings, controversial rants, controversial musings, and comedic rants (Ha!).
Ever since late March or early April, this site has become a favorite of elected officials, political candidates, anonymous pundits, newspaper reporters, crazy liberal bitches, bitches with smokin’ bodies, family members, erstwhile school board members, losers on professional wrestling message boards, Nigerian porno spammers, and Average Joes.

Local bloggers Centinel (left) and Dormitas (right).

And it’s not just this blog either. The entire blogsophere - moreso Blogadena - has grown to be quite the influential source from everything like straight information to complete ridicule of/on our leaders. More people pay attention to what goes on at historic City Hall than ever before. Let’s band together and make 2008 even more memorable!

When I was a kid, I was a big fan of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. So why not sit a spell and do just that - choose your own Proctor-guided adventure in the archives of 2007.

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December
• Febtabuary

Breakdown: 2007 In Numbers

• 195,000: The number of total hits for the year 2007 this site will reach sometime just before the end of the year.
• 8: The number of people on City Council (including the Mayor) who read this blog.
• Approximately 2300: The number of times the word ‘fuck’ is used on this site.
• 47: The number of times I’ve pissed people off.
• 86 minutes: The amount of time it takes Mayor Bogaard to finish a sentence.
• 48: Updated - number of times I’ve pissed people off.
• 3,000,000: The number of people I pissed off in the St. Louis area.
• $5,000,000: The amount the City spent to rid it of a strip club (the amount invested in to gang violence was far less).
• 40: Ounces of King Cobra goodness.
• $10 million: The amount Victor Gordo claimed we need in order to pay our police officers and fire fighters, in support of 2008’s worst decision, Measure D.
• $25 million: The amount in surplus the City actually will have. So why do we need Measure D again?
• 65,000 or so: The number of registered voters in Pasadena
• 5: The number of registered voters in Pasadena who vote
• 4: The number of registered voters in Pasadena who can name the Mayor or any member of City Council
• 73: The number of times Joe Hopkins attributed gang violence to a late 80’s or early 90’s hip hop group
• 8,294: The number of hours for entire City Council meetings this year
• 277: The number of times Jim Lomako used the phrase “granny flats” during the District 2 election
• 3,156: The amount of people who think things located just above Washington & Allen are part of incorporated Pasadena and not unincorporated Pasadena or Altadena.
• 1472: The number of geniuses in Pasadena.

Some Things I Learned In 2007

• John Shaft is a complicated man and no one understands him but his woman.
• Sid Tyler doesn’t use e-mail, he uses fe-male.
• The Midwest isn’t good for anything except cheap alcohol and cheap cigarettes.
• No MTA or ARTS bus in Pasadena is ever on time.
• Martin Truitt is 7 feet tall, weighs 650 pounds, and lives in a cave under the Allen Gold Line station.
• Running for office doesn’t get you a burger named after you. Calling the owner of a restaurant a ‘dick’ in the Pasadena Weekly does.
• Ace Star-News reporter Todd Ruiz and I have both seperately had sexual relations with this one chick back in our younger days. She had good taste.  UPDATE (Dec 27, 2007):  Chick pulls a Steve Madison and cries to me about this.  I took her picture down…here’s the e-mail I sent back:

  Because I'm a nice guy, a paragon of virtue, an icon, a superstar, role
  model, genius, et al....and since it's Kwanzaa, I'll take down your
  picture from that entry.
  
  It's a shame you don't have a sense of humor.  Then again, that's why
  you're a 30 year old Goth chick.
  
  - AP
  www.proctorformayor.com

• This chick on Law & Order: SVU reminds me of Jane Rodriguez.
• The Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Phillies are responsible for breaking my heart twice.
• Giving up the eyeliner and the eyeshadow and the weird clothes has been one of the better decisions I’ve made in life.
• Pasadena needs a Wendy’s and an Arby’s.
• City Council public comment cards make decent paper airplanes.
• Steve Haderlein is a sexy mofo.
• The hairstyle that Emo kids have is called a “Cry shield”. The kind of kids who listen to Emo are called “eleven-teens”.
• Jill organizes fun picnics.
• Former District 2 City Councilman Paul Little used steroids between his 2001 and 2003 terms.
• That guy on Orange Grove isn’t going to use the 50 cents you gave him to buy food.

I guess that all sums up 2007.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

- AP

Seperated at birth?

Metroblogging Los Angeles has their nominees for “Grinch Of The Year”, which includes Mayor Bogaard.

So - go vote at this link.

I think you know who to vote for.

- AP

It’s time for everyone to submit their votes for Aaron Proctor’s 2007 Year End Awards. These awards will highlight the best and worst of Pasadena in the year 2007.

Submit your votes by contacting the site at teamproctor@proctorformayor.com. Please, please put “Year End Awards” in the subject line. One ballot per e-mail address.

Here are the categories and nominees. One vote per category.

Best Overall Pasadena Councilmember:

1. Mayor - Bill Bogaard
2. District 1 - Jacque Robinson
3. District 1 - Joyce Streator
4. District 2 - Paul Little
5. District 2 - Margaret McAustin
6. District 3 - Chris Holden
7. District 4 - Steve Haderlein
8. District 5 - Victor Gordo
9. District 6 - Steve Madison
10. District 7 - Sid Tyler

Worst Overall Pasadena Councilmember:

1. Mayor - Bill Bogaard
2. District 1 - Jacque Robinson
3. District 1 - Joyce Streator
4. District 2 - Paul Little
5. District 2 - Margaret McAustin
6. District 3 - Chris Holden
7. District 4 - Steve Haderlein
8. District 5 - Victor Gordo
9. District 6 - Steve Madison
10. District 7 - Sid Tyler

Best Pasadena Blog:

1. The Foothill Cities Blog
2. Pasadena’s Political Underbelly
3. Eye Level Pasadena
4. Under The Dome
5. West Coast Grrlie Blather
6. Pasadena Pundit
7. The Adventures of Aaron Proctor

Pasadena Moment Of The Year:

1. Bakewell’s Breakdown At City Council
2. “Barbecuegate”/District 1 Runoff Election
3. The China Float Saga
4. Melekian Becomes Interim CM
5. Sock On Mexican/Ebony Huel Tragedy/Gang Violence
6. City Hall Reopens
7. Aaron Proctor On The Scene (Election, Blog, Leaving/Coming Back, Etc.)
8. Peloton Troubles
9. Former Councilman Isaac “Haqq” Richard’s Oakland School Scandal
10. City’s $5 Million Strip Club Buyout

Best Pasadena News Source:

1. Pasadena Star-News
2. Pasadena Weekly
3. Pasadena Journal
4. Pasadena Independent

Most Exciting Council Election:

1. Bogaard vs. Proctor
2. McAustin vs. Lomako
3. Salzer vs. Robinson
4. Masuda vs. Haderlein
5. Madison vs. Brown

Reporter Of The Year:

1. Todd Ruiz (PSN)
2. Andre Coleman (PW)
3. Joe Piasecki (PW)
4. Joe Hopkins (Pasadena Journal)

Most Influential Pasadenan:

1. Wayne Lusvardi
2. Martin Truitt
3. Ann Lau
4. Bill & Claire Bogaard
5. Rev. Jean Burch
6. Joe Hopkins
7. Aaron Proctor
8. Larry Wilson

2007 Hall Of Fame Induction:

1. Bill Bogaard
2. Bill Thomson
3. Paul Little
4. Joyce Streator
5. Chris Holden
6. Bill Bibbiani

Most Boring Pasadenan Of The Year:

1. Larry Wilson
2. The Tree On The Corner Of Mountain & Hill Avenues.

Submit your votes now! Voting ends on December 30th! Winners will be announced on or sometime right after January 1, 2008!

- AP