I was born and raised in a rural area near Syracuse, NY. I moved to Colorado as a young adult where I worked in electronic maintenance at a steel mill. I was laid off at the mill then started a 30 year carrier at two Universities. I earned degrees in electronics and engineering while employed and taught classes in electronics and engineering. I moved with my family to Tracy in 2019. I’ve kept myself busy these days helping with substitute teaching for a while and recently helping with transporting railroad crews. I have two daughters age 45 and 40 with 3 grandchildren. I also have two sons aged 14 and 15 that live with me in Tracy. My wife of 45 years, Mary Ann, passed away last year.
Why did you decide to run for a seat on the council?
I think I can help Tracy by contributing to the decision making based on my years of experience. Also I have the idea that if you’re going to complain, like I’m sometimes inclined to do, then rather than just complain we should do something about it.
Are there areas along Hwy. 14 that can be improved, and if so, how can we make that happen?
Lots of travelers pass through Tracy on Hwy. 14 and get an impression of the city based on how things look. I’m in favor of investing in lighting and signage on our our major roads and keeping these and the roads themselves well maintained. I’m bothered by the ill maintained dirt road accessing Dollar General for example. The city can work on funding incentives to help with this.
As we all know, small-town downtowns are mostly quiet these days when it comes to retail. What can Tracy do to bring vibrancy and traffic back to downtown, and how can Tracy attract more business to bolster our tax base, either downtown or elsewhere?
Development for small cities like Tracy is a huge topic. I think we need to emphasize our strengths. Economies depend on the population base. We should concentrate on making our community attractive to families with children. I’d like to see more opportunities for education and training for young people. I’ve been in communication with Minnesota West Community & Technical College representatives and would like to establish a extension here for technical education.
