Juana Dement made the announcement among about two-dozen supporters in the lobby of City Hall, where she said the best way to create jobs in Tracy is to embrace small business people and entrepreneurs in town.
She said the city should “give them some of the incentives to get businesses moving.” Dement pointed to loans the city now helps small businesses with, but she rather than offering $100,000 to $1 million loans to businesses, shackling them with debt, those loans should be shrunk to as little as $20,000 or so.
Dement, 50, who helped co-found the Tracy Hispanic Business Group in the chamber of commerce, said the city should do more to help the downtown as well by cracking down on code violations that drag old neighborhoods down.
She said officials need to beef up their fight against gangs by reaching out more to police in Bay Area cities, whose gang bangers are increasingly making their presence known in Tracy.
Police here need to walk gang neighborhoods to connect with families who are involved with gangs in an effort to break the culture of gangs. She said she used her own money to start scholarships for high-school students as part of the Hispanic Business Group.
And the one-time victim of a short sale that led to a bankruptcy filing said she’ll push for a “foreclosure task force” made up of tax attorneys, accountants and others who can offer free advice for homeowners facing the chance they’ll lose their houses.
“There’s nothing wrong with Tracy that can’t be fixed by what’s right with Tracy,” she said.
Dement joins home inspector Larry Hite, corporate manager Bob Elliott and Nancy Young, a pastor who works for J.P. Morgan’s software division, as people who have declared their intention to run.
Contact Tracy Press City Editor Eric Firpo at 830-4223 or efirpo@tracypress.com.
My big concern is that the city sets up a system that appears to be like corporate welfare for local businesses, as that could lead to businesses becoming to dependent on handouts and unwilling to reinvest in the community. If we look at the banks they've been given bailout funds and they're unwilling to pass that money on to those mortgage holders who are in trouble for loan restructuring. I don't want to see the city end up in that dilema.
I think you fell in the same trap as others on here assuming there are some investors out there pulling our leg.
If you read the artivle. In reality it's the opposite. The City is investing in business.
Personally, I don't mind if we help businesses. But I don't think it is so much the amount of the loan.
20k could remodel the carpet and air conditioner.
More important we should consider the businesses plan.
@dfras13 I think it was the role of appraisers and loan officers who had a bigger involvement with the inflation of house prices. Ultimately it is them who gave the final approval of home sales and their prices.
I think Mrs. Dement seems like a very appropriate candidate who will have insight on what Tracy should do to get out of this slump.
My vote is for Juana!
My understanding is that real estate agents were the first step in building the over inflated housing prices of the early 2000's, so they could directly benefit from over inflated commissions on the sale of these overpriced homes.
The question is; How did Ms. Dement conduct herself during the housing boom. Was she one of those agents who would push buyers to mortgage companies like countrywide mortgage, so the could get a quick closure and easy financing, or was she one of those agents who would try to keep prospective buyers within their "true" range of affordability?
Since she threw her hat in the ring, anything's fair game, so I believev it's time to ask her the hard questions.
Would you like to respond Ms. Dement?
Juana come by and pick up your filing fee. As advertised. $25.00 to anyone runs for council,or mayor limit one candidate only.