Tracy native Clay Caron has been hired as the successor to Shane Daniels as the City of Tracy’s new public works director.
Caron will serve as the interim director until his hiring becomes official on Oct. 5.
For the City, it’s a perfect transition, as Caron worked under Daniels since he was hired as a public works employee/building inspector by the City in 2013. And for Caron, it’s a move that makes just as much sense, as he is a Tracy native and knows the city well.
“Out of high school, I actually wanted to work for the City,” he said. “I knew a lot of the City guys; I was friends with Paul DeSmith, so I kind of had an inkling of what was coming.”
Caron said he gained a lot of institutional knowledge from his predecessor, which will help make his move as seamless as possible.
“He had a wealth of knowledge that he taught me — a lot of the building side, building inspections — and then infrastructure of this town, what’s underground, what needs to be done,” said Caron.
CARON
Caron has been sitting in on some pre-planning meetings, so he will be able to hit the ground running when it comes to things like the Phase E project and the SCADA project. Also, having grown up in Tracy, residents are already familiar with him.
“I know most of the town,” he said.
Caron said having that general knowledge of the town will go a long way during his transition. That, and a good crew, he said will make his transition all the more easier.
“We’re all fairly young, knowledgable,” he said. “I think being from here is going to help quite a bit when it comes to dealing with the general public. I’d like to think I’m easy to work with. Growing up here, I know what’s been done and what needs to be done.”
As a union president, Caron has also had experience working with the city council and administration.
Caron graduated from Tracy Area High School in 2002 and went to college for carpentry at Alexandria Technical College. He and his wife Melody have three children: Hailey Bornitz, McKenna, a senior at TAHS; and Gage, a freshman. Hailey’s husband, Carter, also works for the public works department.
