Bedford’s youngest mayor wants to make a difference in classroom, City Hall

Dan Cogan isn’t called “Mayor” only by his constituents.

The 35-year-old is often the talk of his sixth-grade science classroom at South Euless Elementary in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD.

“I had some students that came up to me and said, ‘Mr. Cogan, is it OK if I call you Mayor Cogan from now on?’” he shared during an interview at Bedford’s City Hall only a few months into his new role.

“I hope that I can be an inspiration to them. I hope that they can see that you can make a difference in your community. You should pay attention to what’s happening in your community and you can take part in it.”

Although he is thought to be the youngest mayor in Bedford history — and perhaps even Tarrant County — Cogan’s age doesn’t undermine his experience. He was first elected to Bedford’s City Council in 2018.

“One good thing is that I’ve had the experience,” Cogan said. “Seeing the city over the last few years transform into what it is today — I carry (that experience) with me. It’s funny, you know, I am the youngest, but I’m also the most experienced on council as well.”

‘Fresh face, fresh start’

The Ohio native moved to Bedford in 2011, following his wife who works in aerospace. Cogan’s father was a bus driver and his mother owned and operated a maid service business. He grew up with close family ties and describes his upbringing as truly being raised by a village.

The values he learned as a child continue to guide his adult life: giving back to your community, working hard, putting family first and doing your best to make the world a better place.

“When I moved (to Texas), I wanted to get into education, because I found that I have a love for learning. The future is our children,” Cogan said. “Some people, they work to make a living. I want to work to make a difference.”

His first encounter with municipal politics was in the Bedford City Hall council chambers in 2017, where a proposed $70 million bond concerned him. In what he described as no plan for the large sum of money, Cogan saw the disconnect between residents and the city leadership at that time.

Resolved to change that, he ran for office the following year and won a seat on the other side of the dais.

His motto? “Fresh face, fresh start.”

City of Bedford

First settlers: late 1840s

Year incorporated: 1953

Current population: 49,455

Size: 10 square miles

Form of government: council-manager

After all, the city needed a change, Cogan recalled of his early years in office. Bedford’s economic development had become stagnant, with little to no development in the city of nearly 50,000 residents, despite its convenient location 10 minutes away from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and about 30 minutes from anywhere else in North Texas.

Over the years, Bedford has had its own set of challenges. One of Cogan’s first big tasks, alongside the rest of the council, was to part ways with Bedford’s previous city manager and bring in Jimmy Stathatos, who brought experience to the role.

“It set the stage (for) repairing relationships between staff, council and the residents, because we finally had a council that wanted to listen to the residents and move the city forward. Now we had the leadership in place to do it,” he said.

Over three years, Cogan and the rest of the council, including former Mayor Michael Boyter, restructured the city’s departments to be more efficient, saving Bedford over $5 million, he said.

“This was a team effort to do that. And I think the residents have seen the progress we’ve made over the last three years, and they don’t want to go back to the way things were,” Cogan said.

But in September 2023, halfway through Cogan’s second term on council, Boyter resigned with eight months left to his term. Cogan, mayor pro tem at the time, was sworn in as the city’s next leader on Oct. 10, 2023.

For councilwoman Amy Sabol, having Cogan lead as mayor at a young age is a good thing for a city that has struggled to find good staff and be relevant to its younger population.

“He was green when he came to council, but he has grown a hundred-fold. And he always had the capability to be such a great leader,” Sabol said. “It was just a matter of time before he would come onto his own.”

And that has translated into good leadership on the dais, she said.

“He is well-spoken. He has the ability to engage people when they meet him. They enjoy him but he’s not overbearing,” Sabol said. “He’s not one of those guys that’s going to be just doing it for their own image.”

Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan, 35, has a passion for learning and draws from his educator background and family values to lead the city, he said. (Sandra Sadek | Fort Worth Report)

Focusing on a new vision

As Bedford continues to develop as part of the Mid-Cities, Cogan and the rest of the council are working to put the former bedroom community on the map.

In 2020, the council approved the creation of Bedford Commons, a destination mixed-use project adjacent to its City Hall. In 2021, the redevelopment of Campus West into residences, restaurants and other amenities was given the green light.

With only 2% of vacant land available for development, the city purchased both sites to make sure goals were delivered.

“It’s going to transform the city and set the city up for financial success for years to come,” Cogan said.

Although Cogan is working to make his time on council count, his challenges are not over. Bedford is searching for a new city manager after Stathatos announced his retirement. Cogan is also running for reelection in May and has one opponent, former Mayor Jim Griffin.

“I believe in this community. I believe in the progress that we’ve made over the last three years,” Cogan said. “We can’t go back to the way things were previously.”

Dan Cogan Bio:

Hometown: Originally from Ohio but moved to Bedford in 2011 with his wife.

Family: His wife, Sneha, and one daughter.

Education: Master of Education in teaching from The University of Texas at Arlington; Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from Kent State University

Volunteer experience: council liaison to the Bedford Public Library; president of the Street Improvement Economic Development Corp.; Tarrant County Community Development Block Grant Ranking Committee member

Advice for someone learning to be a leader: “Start paying attention to what’s going on around them, the issues that are facing their communities. That’s exactly what I did…”

Best advice you’ve ever received: “Just take everything in stride. Listen to your gut. Trust your instincts. That always helped me out going forward.”

Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or @ssadek19. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.