Ron Oden (born March 21, 1950) is an American politician. In November 2003, he was elected the first gay

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Palm Springs, California, after serving eight years on the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

. He became the first Black

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

man to be a

of a U.S. city. He was also "the first gay African-American elected to lead a California city." In December 2017, Palm Springs elected "America's first all-LGBTQ city council."

Biography

Early life and education

Oden was born on March 21, 1950, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, and grew up in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He attended

Oakwood University Oakwood University is a private, historically black Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the only HBCU owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Oakwood University is accredited by the Southern Associati ...

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History, Sociology, and Theology. He also went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Theology at

Andrews University Andrews University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flagship universi ...

Berrien Springs, Michigan Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,800 at the time of the 2010 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township. History Berrien Springs, like Berrien County, is na ...

, as well as a Master of Arts Degree in Ethnic Studies at the

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

. He is an ordained

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

minister, who resigned shortly before entering politics.

Politics

In 1990, Oden moved to Palm Springs, California, to begin teaching at the

College of the Desert College of the Desert (COD) is a public community college in Palm Desert, California. COD enrolls about 12,500 students, of which around one third attend college full-time. It serves the Coachella Valley of Riverside County. The college is fede ...

as an adjunct

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

instructor. Concern about educational and social issues motivated Oden to enter politics, and in 1995, he was elected to the Palm Springs City Council. In 2000, Oden ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on a limited budget, capturing 38% of the vote. In 2003, Oden was elected Mayor of Palm Springs. As the first openly gay African American mayor elected in California, Oden's election made global news headlines. Oden's tenure as mayor was notable for his work promoting organizations focused on diversity, including the Palm Springs Human Rights Task Force, the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission, and the Palm Springs branch of the NAACP. Oden also brought in the Palm Springs City Council's first gay majority. Palm Springs saw historic growth during Oden's tenure, with the city's budget doubling during his term. Oden saw success in building Palm Springs as a destination resort city, helped by a new concourse being added to the

Palm Springs International Airport Palm Springs International Airport , formerly Palm Springs Municipal Airport, is an airport two miles (3 km) east of downtown Palm Springs, California, United States. The airport covers and has two runways. The facility operates year-roun ...

in 2007 and new amenities like the Palm Springs Skatepark, considered one of California's best skateparks. In June 2006, he ran for and lost in the Democratic primary for a seat in the California State Assembly by less than 100 votes. In 2007, he was honored with a Golden Palm Star on the

Palm Springs Walk of Stars The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes po ...

. In 2015, eight years after the completion of his initial stint as mayor, Oden once again ran for mayor of Palm Springs. He campaigned on a platform calling for governmental transparency and restoration of trust and faith in city leadership. He wanted elected officials to disclose their income and its sources, a response to allegations of "conflict of interest between the current mayor Steve Pougnet and a private developer." Oden wanted to restore the proper course of conduct to investors and entrepreneurs: "Businessmen are investors in our city. They’re not bad people but I think people get stirred and go the wrong way.” Oden also wanted to assuage the “eroding relationship” with the

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of the Cahuilla, located in Riverside County, California, United States.College of the Desert College of the Desert (COD) is a public community college in Palm Desert, California. COD enrolls about 12,500 students, of which around one third attend college full-time. It serves the Coachella Valley of Riverside County. The college is fede ...

. He used to teach there, and it disappeared without much discussion. Finally, Oden acknoweledged that he had been out of politics for several years, and said he "hopes to channel

Frank Bogert Frank Mitchell Bogert (January 1, 1910 – March 22, 2009) was an American actor, professional rodeo announcer, author, and politician best known as the longtime mayor of Palm Springs, California. Born in Mesa, Colorado to Henry Kneeland Boger ...

," the city's first directly elected mayor, who successfully "came back for seconds" almost three decades later. Oden lost the election to Robert Moon.

Personal life and legacy

Oden is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and is the father of two daughters, Brooke and Brittany Oden. He is also the grandfather of two granddaughters and two grandsons. In recognition of his role in the Palm Springs community as the first openly gay African American elected as mayor of a California city, and 30 year of public service, Oden was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Great Palm Springs Pride at the 2019 Pride Honors Awards.

References

Notes

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oden, Ron 1950 births African-American mayors in California American Seventh-day Adventists Mayors of Palm Springs, California California Democrats LGBT African Americans Gay politicians American gay men Living people LGBT Christian clergy LGBT mayors of places in the United States