Garcia announces Grand Island Town Board run

Jose Garcia has announced his candidacy for the Grand Island Town Board in the Nov. 5 special election to fill the remaining one year for the council seat vacated when Peter Marston took office as town supervisor.

Garcia has the endorsement of the Grand Island Republican Committee, said Committee Chair Kristin Ochs.

Here is Garcia’s letter to voters:

I humbly request your support of my candidacy for Grand Island Town Council in the 2024 special election.

Raised and educated on Grand Island (graduate of Grand Island High School Class of 1989), after a brief time in Minnesota, my wife of 28 years, Dorothy, and I purchased a home on Grand Island in 1998, where we currently reside. After retiring as senior special agent (29 years) in the Department of Homeland Security/INS Office of Professional Responsibility, I founded a small business to provide private investigation and language interpretation services.

Dorothy and I have two daughters who we proudly raised on the Island (GIHS Class of 2018 and 2021). Our family maintains membership in various local clubs, where we remain actively involved to engage in all that Grand Island has to offer.

I love Grand Island; it is my home!

Carefully growing our town while keeping in mind its rural charm is of particular interest to me. Our town has a vast amount of vacant land and there are many proposals before our Town Board to develop this land. It is important that we control our population density, especially in areas outside of the main business district in the vicinity of Grand Island Boulevard.

Beyond the challenges to our infrastructure, aesthetics and the impacts of increased traffic are fundamental issues that need to be proactively managed and addressed. I want to support existing local business while attracting new businesses that serve the needs of our community.

It is incumbent that town leadership finds innovative ways to control crime and support the efforts of our police in preventing crime – especially crimes of opportunity, such as petit theft and vandalism. Our town needs to send a message to criminals that we are not easy prey and that we will do whatever is in our power to prosecute crime, independent of the challenges that recent changes to our state laws present.

Being familiar with town departments and current initiatives, I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with each stakeholder to ensure the best service for our town residents while remaining fiscally responsible.

I believe in hard work, integrity, dedication and transparency.

Know that my experience in law enforcement has taught me to listen, navigate bureaucracy and find common ground. It is my humble wish to bring this knowledge and experience to our Town Board to serve our community ­– the place I so proudly call home.

I respectfully ask for your vote on Nov. 5. I will not let you down!