Daquisto, an attorney and bankruptcy trustee, has been in Redding since 1994. He says that may not be as long as some of the other five candidates, but he specifically chose Redding to be his home.
Michael Daquisto: “I bought a law practice, and we love it here. It’s the best decision we ever made. I wish I had moved here 20 years earlier.”
And now that his children are grown he wants to give something back to the community that he loves.
Daquisto: “I have some skills and abilities that I can give back to the community to try to help. We’re at a turning point in the election right now with our City Council, and I think that I have things I can offer that will help, and bring good quality to the table.”
Daquisto says his number one priority, if elected, would be jobs. But for the community, he feels the number one issue is crime.
And he has an easy fix for both issues: he says the city has about $12 million in unassigned funds that could be used to hire extra police and community service officers. And when the new police station adjacent to the city hall is complete, he has a unique use for the old building on California Street.
Daquisto: “You take that building and the city offers it for sale, maybe at a discounted price and says we want you to put an incubator in here and maybe offer some incentives for somebody to do it.”
An incubator is an incentive of capital, and mentoring for start-up companies to come to Redding. Daquisto envisions young entrepreneurs from the Silicon Valley bringing ideas and technology.
Daquisto: “That’s where the future really is. You get one or two of those started and off you go. They’re here and they’re ready to go.”
Finally, Daquisto says he has a vision for the community, and no more dysfunctional councils.
Daquisto: “As a lawyer I’ve dealt with people with conflict and problems. I think the people in the community want a council that appears to cooperate and listen to each other and I think that will go a long way in improving our community”.
For Northstate Public Radio News, I’m Kelly Frost in Redding.