Before being sworn in as Tracy’s new mayor Monday, Tony Dimmers sat down with the Headlight-Herald to share his thoughts about the city and his vision for the future
By Per Peterson
A city is bigger than the mayor and bigger than its city council, says Tony Dimmers, a relative newcomer to town who was sworn in as Tracy’s new mayor Monday.
“I hope people are confident that our focus is on what’s good for the city, and not just individuals,” he said in an interview with the Headlight-Herald last week.
Dimmers moved to Tracy in January 2018 and last November defeated embattled councilman Tony Peterson in the mayoral race. Dimmers shared his thoughts on a number of issues concerning Tracy:
Public input
Dimmers said much of his focus early in his tenure will be on what the residents of Tracy want and where they see the city going in the future. A perfect example of that, he said, were two events this week that the public was invited to: “Phase 3A” infrastructure improvements and “sidewalk standardization.”
“We need to hear from the folks — what do they want,” he said. “We want to offer as many options as possible, but not so many that you confuse the issue,” he said. “Tracy is not the city council, or the mayor, or city staff — it’s our city together. It’s not just a panel sitting there making decisions.”
Dimmers said giving people an opportunity to speak publicly about their concerns is an important step in fostering a sense of community.
“For those who feel disenfranchised, come out, tune in, be a part of it, get involved,” he said.
Dimmers reminds the public that every council meeting offers a chance for members of the public to speak and address the council about their concerns.
“The more input we get from the community, the better the council and mayor can do their jobs,” he said. “We can only work with the information that we have. If we don’t know that it’s a special concern to you, we can’t address it.”
All of a sudden, he’s mayor
Dimmers, who has lived in town for just a little over a year now, admitted to being a bit surprised when he realized he defeated Tony Peterson to become Tracy’s mayor. Dimmers won by less than 100 votes.
See this week’s Headlight-Herald for more on this article.