Big Bear News – Big Bear Lake, CA – Council member Bill Jahn announced that he will not seek re-election to the Big Bear Lake City Council in the upcoming November general election. He was first elected to the Big Bear Lake City Council in 2004 after serving on the City’s Planning Commission for two years.
“I have enjoyed every minute of my public service,” Councilmember Jahn said. “Even during the difficult times, such as what we are currently experiencing with the coronavirus pandemic, it has been my life’s pleasure to serve our great community.”
During his tenure on the City Council, Councilmember Jahn served as mayor five times. With extensive experience on transportation issues, Councilmember Jahn has been able to bring millions of dollars in grants and advancement agreements to the City of Big Bear Lake. “I am proud of the work I have been able to accomplish to make Big Bear Lake a better place than it was when my wife Mary Jo and I moved here in 1991.”
“It has surely been a great run and I truly cherish the relationships I have established with my colleagues on the City Council both past and present, as well as state and federal representatives and elected officials throughout Southern California,” said Council member Jahn. “I have learned that in order to get things done in this business, you have to build trust and relationships among your colleagues.”
Apart from his seat on the City Council, Councilmember Jahn is currently serving the final weeks of his year-long term as president of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), which develops long-range regional transportation plans and regional housing needs allocations for a region that consists of six counties (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura) and 191 cities. During his presidency, which caps off ten years of service on SCAG’s Regional Council, he oversaw the final phase of work that led to the adoption of “Connect SoCal,” a 25-year long-range transportation plan that consists of more than 4,000 projects and $638.6 billion in infrastructure investments that is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars of economic activity in the region. He has also represented the City on the San Bernardino County Transit Authority (SBCTA) board since 2006, which included a term as president from 2014-2015.
Council member Jahn previously served on the City of Chino City Council from 1982-1986 and was a past president of the League of California Cities Desert/Mountain Division, former member of Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control board, and past president of the Building Industry Association (BIA) Baldy View Chapter. In 2016, Council member Jahn was presented with the League of California Cities Desert/Mountain Division’s Larry Chimbole Public Service Award for his leadership and community service throughout the region.
Councilmember Jahn’s current term on the Big Bear Lake City Council ends in November of this year and he plans to stay fully engaged until then on both regional and local issues. “The show is not over yet and I still have a few things I would like to finish between now and then,” said Councilmember Jahn.
In his retirement, Council member Jahn plans to spend more time with his family and travel. “Mary Jo and I have been blessed with a large family and we plan to spend a lot more time with our six children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. We also plan on doing some traveling throughout the United States.”
