Chris Tallerico announces candidacy for Richmond City Council

Chris Tallerico says he is tired of the “same old, same old” direction that the city of Richmond is headed, and that it came time for him to “put up or shut up.”
    Tallerico is making his bid to fill one of the three City Council seats up for grabs this November, and said he has officially launched his campaign to take Richmond in a new and positive direction.
    “I started to get active in politics during the budget crisis when Irma Anderson was the mayor,” said Tallerico. “I worked closely with Anderson as well as City Councilman Gary Bell. Additionally, my political experience expanded when I was appointed as a police commissioner, a position I’ve had for two years.
    “I expect this campaign to be an uphill battle because I’m going up against major incumbents who have large campaign chests and are well-known in the community. But I’m not going to let that bother me because I’ve never backed down from a good fight,” he said.
    First and foremost on Tallerico’s platform is the issue of crime. “In my opinion, nearly everything that’s wrong with this city can be tied back to crime,” said Tallerico. “Before we can implement any number of social services, we have to get crime under control.
   “Once crime is under control, businesses will move back in the city and we can begin to look forward to good union-paying jobs for the residents of Richmond. There’s not going to be a turnaround until crime is under control, and I have some creative ideas on how to make that happen,” he said.
    Increasing the tax base in Richmond rather than increasing taxes is another of Tallerico’s goals. “We have to start with Measure T, which is up at the same time of the election,” he said. “If we continue to overtax the businesses we have, it will prevent other businesses from coming into town. We need to work on supporting the businesses we have and help them grow, which in turn will also help to keep crime down.”
    “An average Joe,” as he calls himself, Tallerico is a marketing manager for a construction products firm by day and police commissioner at night. He is married and has two sons. As a Richmond homeowner, Tallerico said he is passionately interested in Richmond’s growth and direction. “I’ve been in the shadows for a long time. It’s time to ‘get real’ and make a difference for Richmond,” he said.
    Tallerico is endorsed by the Richmond Police Officers Association; James Jenkins, president of the North and East Neighborhood Council; former City Councilman Gary Bell; and Cara Kopowski, president of the Oakland Citizens Police Review Board.
    For more information on Tallerico’s campaign, contact him at (510) 557-7908 or visit his website at www.christallerico.com.