Charles Manne sees himself as a typical Tracy resident. And that, he says, is exactly why he’s running for one of two open seats on the City Council.

“If the community is looking for a candidate who is ingrained in the community and who works for a living, I am that candidate,” said the 33-year-old New York Life financial services professional during an interview Tuesday, May 15.

Manne’s wife of 10 years, Dawn, commutes to the Bay Area each workday, a trip he made until three years ago when he opened his New York Life practice in Tracy at 672 W. 11th St. He also has two sons — 10-month-old William and 3-year-old Duncan.

“People have the same concerns, the same questions” as he does, Manne said, including when Tracy will provide more recreation for families and when workers will no longer have to commute for their livelihoods.

“I meet with 200 to 300 clients every year,” he said. “I’m very ingrained in the city, and I started to ask, ‘Well, who would you vote for? I’m doing this because I think I’m the right man for Tracy right now.”

In addition to his personal perspective, Manne touts his professional and volunteer experience. He is on the board of the Pregnancy Resource Center nonprofit and a member of the Tracy Breakfast Lions and has also served on the Tracy Planning Commission the past three years and the San Joaquin Council of Governments citizens advisory commission the past four.

That planning background, he said, helps him have a long-term view about what it will take to grow Tracy.

His plan, if elected, includes encouraging the right mix of businesses to occupy suitable storefronts while revisiting slow-growth limits in the housing ordinance if and when growth picks up again.

“I understand planning in Tracy,” he said, adding that he has an outlook on growth that imagines 20 or 30 years down the road, “because that’s how long my family is going to be here.”

Manne also claims his business background gives him “a leg up” in dealing with the city budget, which includes a general fund that is suffering from serious deficit concerns.

Manne earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in finance, both from National University. His professional career includes several years of working in the financial world at Ford Motor Co., Honda and now with New York Life.

Manne said he understands the perspective of employees working to make ends meet as well as an organization that shouldn’t spend beyond its means.

“You can’t spend more than you have,” Manne said, likening city spending to family financial planning. “When it comes to those extra vacations and amenities … you can’t spend more than you receive as a family, and sometimes you have to make tough decisions.”

He said trimming city services and negotiating with unionized workers is one of those tough points.

“There obviously needs to be a balance,” between the workers’ and the city’s interests, Manne said. “As contracts expire, I think negotiations need to be fair and balanced.”

He also added that cutting jobs in the police and fire departments would be a disservice to the city, as public safety is necessary to a healthy community.

Three others have also announced they will run for the two City Council seats that are during the election on Nov. 6.

Current Councilman Mike Maciel, first elected in 2008, is running for re-election.

Ray Morelos and Nancy Young have also announced their bids for the open seats.

Moralos is a former city councilmember and current owner of El Castillo restaurant on the corner of Sixth Street and Central Avenue, while Young, a project manager for JP Morgan, is making her second run for council after finishing fourth in 2010.

Also running is Roger Birdsall, a longtime Tracy resident and businessman.

Councilman Steve Abercrombie announced last week that he will not seek another term, citing commitments to his family and nonprofit work.