Before he was the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, he was “Mayor Pete” to the people of Redlands.
In 2006 at age 26, Pete Aguilar was the youngest person ever to be appointed to the Redlands City Council. He served eight years on the council — the last four as mayor — and credits his time there with shaping his leadership style, one which those who know him well say primed him for his new role in Congress.
“He’s not afraid to take a different side than yours, but he’ll listen, he’ll be respectful and he’ll consider what you’re saying,” said Carole Beswick, CEO of the Inland Action think tank, who has known Aguilar for more than a decade. “You may not have persuaded him, but you know he’s heard you.”
Bob Gardner, who served with Aguilar on the council from 2010 to 2014, agreed.
“We had a neat council in that we all pretty much got along, and a lot of that is due to Pete,” Gardner said.
But the House floor is different than the Redlands dais.
Representatives from opposing political parties regularly lob accusations and insults at one another, and in the first week of January, Republicans fought amongst themselves when electing the new speaker for the 118th U.S. Congress. The majority was stymied by far-right members of the House wanting to extract concessions from Kevin McCarthy, who won the seat after 15 tries.
“What you saw (that week was) unfortunate: chaos, dysfunction,” Aguilar said. “That’s what we’re probably in store for in the next two years.”
The Republicans who rebelled against McCarthy becoming speaker include members who “want to break government,” Aguilar said. “They don’t want things to work.”
Aguilar, now 43, wants government to work.
Born in Fontana, Aguilar, a fourth-generation Inland Empire resident who graduated from Yucaipa High School and the University of Redlands, has spent much of his adult life in public service.
He served as deputy director for Gov. Gray…
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