Stephen P. "Steve" Pougnet (born April 27, 1963) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Pougnet served as the mayor of Palm Springs, California from 2007 to 2015.[1]

Steve Pougnet
20th Mayor of Palm Springs
In office
December 5, 2007 – December 9, 2015
Preceded byRon Oden
Succeeded byRobert Moon
Mayor Pro Tem of Palm Springs
In office
2014–2015
Succeeded byGinny Foat
Member of the Palm Springs City Council
for the At Large district
In office
2003–2015
Personal details
Born
Stephen P. Pougnet

(1963-04-27) April 27, 1963 (age 61)
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Christopher Green
(m. 2008)
Children2

Background

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Pougnet was born in Flint, Michigan. Pougnet earned his Bachelor of Arts in business from Michigan State University in 1985 and was elected to the Palm Springs City Council in 2003.[2] In 2017, he was accused of receiving $375,000 in bribes from John Wessman and Richard Meany, land and property developers of the Palm Springs area.[3] Pougnet is currently awaiting arraignment on corruption charges.[4] He is free on $25,000 bail.[4]

Positions held

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  • Vice Chairman of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG)
  • Chairman of the Energy & Water Conservation Subcommittee
  • Vice Chairman of the CVAG Energy and Environment Committee
  • Vice Chairman of Sunline Transit Agency, the region’s public transportation management organization
  • Board Member of the Palm Springs Desert Resort Convention Visitors Authority
  • Member of the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
  • Riverside County Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee.
  • Mayor of Palm Springs until bribery charges were brought against him. He currently faces 21 felony counts, including perjury, public corruption and conspiracy.

Family

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Pougnet is openly gay.[5] He married Christopher Green in 2008, and they have two twin children named Beckham and Julia.[2]

Elections

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In 2010, Pougnet ran unopposed in the June 2010 primary election to win the Democratic nomination for the United States House of Representatives seat representing California's 45th congressional district. In the November 2010 election, he ran against American Independent Bill Lussenheide and Republican incumbent, Mary Bono Mack. Bono Mack defeated both Pougnet and Lussenheide in the general election.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "City of Palm Springs: Mayor & City Council". Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "About Steve Pougnet". California Democratic Council. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  3. ^ Zonkel, Phillip (July 16, 2017). "Ex-Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet's corruption, bribery court case delayed to fall". Q Voice News.
  4. ^ a b Marx, Jesse (April 21, 2017). "Ex-Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet appeared in court to answer corruption charges". USA Today. The Desert Sun. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  5. ^ "thebacklot.com – Corner of Hollywood and Gay". 365gay.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  6. ^ Felci, Erica (June 9, 2010). "Easy win for Rep. Mary Bono Mack". The Desert Sun. Retrieved June 9, 2010. [dead link]
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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Palm Springs, California
December 5, 2007–December 9, 2015
Succeeded by
Robert Moon