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Council Members
Richard W. Kite, Mayor
Richard W. Kite has been a desert resident for over 57 years. He graduated from Palm Springs High School in the early 1960s and then went on to the University of California at Berkley where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Upon returning to the desert, he entered the investment business and was later the Manager and Vice President of PaineWebber in Palm Desert for 22 years. In 2005, he joined the investment firm of UBS Financial where he is currently a Senior Vice President and Investment Advisor.
Richard has served as President of the Board of Directors for both the Cove Communities Joslyn Center and the Family YMCA of the Desert. He was also elected as the Director of the Coachella Valley Parks and Recreation District. Because of his service to the community, the Palm Desert Post selected him as “Citizen of the Year.”
In April of 2000, Richard was elected to the Rancho Mirage City Council where he served as Mayor from April 2001 to April 2002. In April 2004, he was re-elected for another 4-year term on the City Council, running unopposed. He served again as Mayor for the City from April 2006 to April 2007. In April of 2008, he was re-elected again for another 4-year term on the City Council. On May 6, 2010, Richard was selected to be Mayor from May 2010 to April 2011. In 2012 he ran unopposed and appointed by City Council for another 4-year term. He is currently servinga as Mayor for the City from April 2013 to April 2014.
In 2008 Richard served as Chairman of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC). He serves on the Executive Committee of the League of California Cities Riverside County Division. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Cove Communities/Anita B. Richmond Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert and the Board of Trustees for the McCallum Theatre. He was recently appointed as the City's representative on the Board of Directors for the Coachella Valley Economic partnership (CVEP). In May of 2013 he joined the Board of Directors of Ranch Mirage Public Library Foundation.
Richard has also served on the Board of Trustees for the Palm Desert Presbyterian Community Church. He has two daughters, Ashley and Kristina.
Iris Smotrich, Mayor Pro Tem
Iris Smotrich was appointed by the Rancho Mirage City Council on July 7, 2011. In 2012 she ran unopposed and appointed by City Council to serve for 2-year term. She currently represents the City as a member of the CVAG Pubilc Safety Committee, and Cove Communities Services Commission. Prior to her appointment to the City Council, she was active in community service throughout the Coachella Valley. Council Member Smotrich has served as Commissioner on the Rancho Mirage Cultural Commission, Board Member of the Rancho Mirage Public Library Foundation, College of the Desert Foundation, College of the Desert President's Circle, and Jewish Federation of Palm Springs and Desert Area.
Council member Smotrich was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Los Angeles at the age of three. She and her husband Thom have lived in Rancho Mirage since 2001. They have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Scott Hines, Councilmember
Scott Hines is the Chairman and CEO of Hines Global Education Inc., an education technology company that develops cutting edge online learning platforms, education business technologies, revenue models and educational content that significantly reduce the expense of delivering online education, thereby reducing the cost of education for lower and middle-income global student consumers. It is the mission of Hines Global Education to make universal access to all levels of education a reality for the world's underserved citizens. Prior to this, he served as the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of World Education University, a free online University available to underserved students worldwide. He is also the founder of Mercury Advocates, a Southern California based government affairs firm. Prior to this, he founded and was the CEO of A to Z In-Home Tutoring, a national supplemental education company, delivering innovative education services to low-income and foster care youth.
Before moving to California, Scott served for ten years on active duty as an Air Force Intelligence Officer, leading clandestine missions throughout Latin America as part of an elite Special Operations team. He ultimately rose to the rank of Major and has served in the Pentagon in the Offices of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Scott holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the United States Air Force Academy, a Master's Degree in Public Management from the University of Maryland and a Master's Degree in Organizational Management from The George Washington University.
He is passionate about issues related to our most vulnerable members of society including children and youth, the homeless and senior citizens. Scott is also an ardent supporter of renewable energy and related clean technology development. He believes that education should be free.
Scott Hines was elected to the City Council on April 13, 2010 and lives in Rancho Mirage with his partner and children.
G. Dana Hobart, Councilmember
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dana and his wife, Vicki, have lived in Rancho Mirage since 1993. They have four children and three dogs. After serving in the US Air Force from 1950 to 1954, Dana attended local colleges, graduating from California State University in 1959, and received his Juris Doctorate from USC School of Law in 1963. As an attorney Dana achieved a variety of honors and achievements. He was President of the Consumers Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, he has been identified annually in "Best Lawyers In America" from 1987 to 2007, and was conferred the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell since the mid-1970s. Dana also taught civil trial law at a Los Angeles law school. He has pleaded and won precedent-setting cases, including one before the United States Supreme Court.
Ted Weill, Councilmember
 Ted Weill has been a desert resident for 16 years and was appointed to the City Council on December 20, 2012. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania and received his MBA from Pepperdine University, graduating with honors.
Ted served in the U.S. Navy. He moved to California and joined an executive training program with ABC Television. His passion was real estate where he formed Weill Financial Corporation. His company was involved in the development of master planned communities and recreational vehicle parks. Ted has been active in banking and has taken a company public that was listed on the stock exchange.
On December 20, 2012, Ted was appointed by the Rancho Mirage City Council to serve on the Council. He currently represents the City as Board member for the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and the Coachella Valley Mountain Conservacy. He also represents the City as a member of the CVAG Transportation Committee, the Bighorn Institute, Cove Communities Services Commission, Palm Springs Unified School District, and Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce.
He served as Chairman for the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission for six years and Co-Chairman of the Redevelopment Successor Agency Oversight Board .
Ted was on the Board of Directors of the Hereditary Disease Foundation and his family was involved in the formation of United Cerebral Palsy. He has been a strong supporter of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
He has two children and five grandchildren.
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