Mark Seager, who arrived in Tracy some 15 years ago, has always been grateful to the City of Tracy and how it has allowed him to grow his downtown business. However, Seager on Monday resigned from his position on the Economic Development Authority board.
Seager’s allegiance toward Tracy has not wavered, but listening to last week’s public hearing — as time and time again his name was brought into the ongoing controversy at City Hall involving a fellow EDA member — prompted him to step away from his duties on the EDA board. Seager actually put his resignation in weeks ago, but rescinded.
“My relationship with the City, leading up to my time with the EDA, was a positive one,” he said in an interview Monday.
That has changed to an extent, but to no fault of the City. Seager’s name was mentioned multiple times at last week’s hearing that was held to determine the fate of Jeff Salmon, who had been accused of multiple violations, stemming from his professional relationship with Jamie Mattson, who owns a commercial roofing company and who did work for Salmon at his dealership on the highway.
In an email sent to EDA Director Jeff Carpenter, City Administrator Kris Ambuehl and EDA chair Dennis Fultz on Monday, Seager shared his disappointment over how often his name was brought up during the public hearing, simply because of his due diligence into looking into a background check on Mattson that was sent to him in the “11th hour.” He said that on not one occasion did anyone take the opportunity to speak to the sense of responsibility he had in looking into the background check. Ultimately, he felt as if he name was being used to fill the “uncomfortable gaps and holes that came out in the hearing like spackling.”
Moreover, he added, his name was attached to a meeting at Salmon Automotive that he said never occurred — a statement backed up by Salmon during his testimony at last week’s hearing.
See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.