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Mayor to present three addresses on the state of the City of Turlock
Gary Soiseth
Mayor Gary Soiseth - photo by Journal file photo

City of Turlock Mayor Gary Soiseth has changed the standard of mayoral duties by instating biweekly public workshops for the City Council and staff as part of his 100 day commitment, but he isn’t stopping there. In the coming weeks, he will give three State of the City addresses for the City staff, local Rotarians and the public.

The series will kick off early on Feb. 12 at 7 a.m. for the City staff, who will gather at the War Memorial for a private address.

“I thought it was important to reach a broad group of individuals, but I wanted to give a State of the City address to staff first because they are going to be the backbone as far as what we achieve in the next four years,” said Soiseth.

That evening Soiseth will head to Covenant Village of Turlock to give his address at 6 p.m., an event which will be open to the public. On Feb. 17, the Turlock Rotary Club and the Turlock Sunrise Rotary Club will jointly convene for the address from Mayor Soiseth. Those eager to hear the speech but are not available to attend the public meeting can read the mayor’s remarks on the City of Turlock’s website after Feb. 12.

Other than writing his State of the City address, Soiseth has been busy on the East Coast attending the 2015 U.S. Conference of Mayors. With a week of lectures and seminars on topics like community policing, energy independence, and food policy, Soiseth stepped outside the city limits of Turlock for some perspective on issues facing mayors across the country.

Like former mayor John Lazar, Soiseth will serve on the Conference’s Standing Committee on Community Development and Housing and has also been appointed to the Mayors Water Council and the Task Force on Veterans Affairs.

 

“These additional appointments are equally important to me with Turlock facing a fourth year of drought and as we, as a city, create a more veteran-friendly and veteran-inclusive community. I will be discussing both of these topics in the coming weeks and months,” said Soiseth in a statement in January.

 

While in the nation’s capital, Soiseth also met with Congressman Jeff Denham, also an advocate for veterans, and discussed regional issues including the impact of the drought.

 

The mayors also received comments from President Barack Obama and members of his cabinet where topics such as the state of Community Development Block Grant programs and the status of trade initiatives were discussed.

 

“One of the more notable quotes from the President was that, 'The state of the nation is strong, because the state of our cities is strong.' I believe this to be true and I want to re-state this Council's commitment to enabling all staff to continue their excellent work,” stated Soiseth.