Mickey Cafagna

Who was Mickey Cafagna?

Michael "Mickey" Cafagna was the third elected mayor of the city of Poway, California, serving from 1998 until his death in 2009.

Cafagna was born in Detroit, Michigan, the third son of Italian immigrants. He moved to Poway circa 1975; following a successful career as a real estate developer, he was appointed to the Poway City Council in 1992, eventually winning the mayoral election in November 1998.

As Mayor, Cafagna represented Poway in the San Diego Association of Governments, serving for a time as its chairman. His other contributions include the construction of Poway's city hall and of the South Poway Business Park on Scripps Poway Parkway, his efforts to fund much-needed improvements to freeways and transit systems, and his leadership during the Cedar and Witch Creek fires of 2003 and 2007, respectively. He was most known for his outgoing personality and his ability to make deals for the benefit of the city.