BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
If City Council Candidate David “DJ” Fransen is about one thing, it is his community. As a Turlock native, a child of families that stretch back into Turlock’s history to the early 1900s, Fransen is a staunch advocate of “old-school” values even though he’s one of the younger candidates on the ballot at age 32.
“I just really care about my hometown, where I’m from,” said Fransen.
Fransen has truly made his life a study of Turlock, as he likes to say.
He works for the City of Turlock in Maintenance, outside all day soaking up the people and the city. While he held a position in the Finance department for six months, he was turned off by the work and quit in order to get back outside in Maintenance with the people.
If elected, Fransen says he would quit his current job-something that has given him an inside view of the organization he considers invaluable to an elected official-to avoid any conflicts of interest.
“These other candidates aren’t giving up their job,” Fransen said.
Of course, it’s not just being a city employee that gives Fransen his reputation as “Quasi-Turlock Famous,” a title he once heard attached to his name.
Fransen also owns and operates TurlockCityNews.com, a blog about all things Turlock. Through this position, Fransen has attended countless meetings and public events and has become intimately involved with “anything and everything Turlock,” as his Web site says.
Turlock City Radio, a program on the California State University, Stanislaus radio station, is also hosted by Fransen. He calls it an example of the kind of city/university interaction he would like to see more of as a councilmember.
Of course, Fransen also has a modicum of experience in dealing with city government through his work to create the Turlock Skate Park, an effort that claimed seven years, and the Turlock Bike Park, a project that has already taken two years of work and has yet to see a single pile of dirt.
“So I know governmental bureaucracy and the red tape you have to get through,” said Fransen.
Additionally, Fransen is active in Turlock Recreation and planned the War Memorial Concert Series to give kids something safe and fun to do, is a Chamber of Commerce member, and serves as a Stanislaus County Parks and Recreation Commissioner, at the request of Mayor John Lazar.
Fransen is a member of the Turlock Active 20/30 Club and the Turlock Historical Society, is a past Turlock City Employee Executive Board member, and serves on the committee to pass Measure S in Turlock.
Fransen was an instrumental member of the Centennial Committee, working on research for the historical documentary, serving on the merchandise subcommittee and the Melon Carnival subcommittee, and playing the role of a shoe shiner in the anniversary council meeting. He went above and beyond the call when he researched and found the Golden Jubilee Time Capsule, the exhumation of which he led during the Centennial Parade.
Amazingly, Fransen is somewhat reluctant to speak about all of the community efforts he has been a part of. It takes repeated prodding to get a full list from the candidate.
“It’s not about the titles, it’s about helping people,” Fransen said. “There are many people more involved than me, and there are people in the community more qualified than anyone running.”
The various groups and organizations that Fransen has been a part of were all just a part of the “Student of Turlock’s” education. Between his community involvement and his strong family links, Fransen feels like he has Turlock figured out.
“Everyone who comes here considers Turlock to be a nice place,” Fransen said. “I know what made it nice.”
In order to keep Turlock tops, Fransen is a major advocate of fiscal prioritization. In the face of potentially smaller budgets and what he sees as money slipping through the cracks, Fransen thinks that it is very important for the city to differentiate between desires and needs.
“Right now, the General Fund budget does not make sense to the average person,” Fransen said.
While a full spectrum of services are essential to a successful Turlock in Fransen’s eyes, all of these services must be funded in proportion with the city’s-and the citizens’- priorities. If the city sees art as a higher priority than parks, for example, then the budget should reflect that.
As Fransen sees it, the three major priorities in the eyes of every Turlocker are police, fire, and city streets, but streets currently receive zero General Fund dollars from the city. Factor in Development Services-something Fransen sees as essential to the city’s economy and growth-and beyond that everything else is a desire.
While Fransen supports Development Services, he is quick to point out that he is not in favor of the sort of growth that has typified Turlock’s last 20 years.
“I’m the biggest proponent for limited growth here in Turlock. I think I stand out in that area,” Fransen said.
While Fransen sees growth as inevitable, any expansion must retain Turlock’s high quality of life. In order to do that, Fransen thinks it’s necessary to remain a tight-knit community, growing only as needed to sustain the population.
It’s called “Sustainable Growth,” maintaining the land that Turlock has and making that land better through infill development, redevelopment, and urbanization. Fransen believes the city should develop land to its highest potential while the city grows within its current borders and no more.
Through multi-story mixed-use development, Fransen sees the development of condos and other residences suitable for first-time purchasers.
“We’re not forcing people out because they can’t afford anything,” Fransen said. “And no one would (commute from Turlock to the Bay Area) to live in a condo here.”
Fransen does not advocate a firm growth limit, with a certain number of new houses each year, because he believes the city needs freedom and flexibility to keep natives -and the students at CSUS-here in town. But, in order to convince the students to stay and prevent the brain drain, Turlock needs more jobs.
“We already have a lot of jobs that fit a certain area of the job spectrum,” Fransen said. “To get the others we need to go out and lobby businesses, not just send out an information packet.”
Fransen envisions attracting businesses that go hand in hand with the graduate programs available at CSUS, offering students opportunities for internships and jobs once school is complete. In short, Fransen believes in creating jobs for the workforce Turlock already has.
Fransen is also leading a project currently known as “Virtual Turlock,” a citywide effort to support business and economic development in Turlock through the Internet. The site would allow Turlock businesses to get online and profit from the many billions of dollars of online sales each year.
Fransen has also stated that he would take the lead in the efforts to solve homelessness in Turlock.
“I believe the city’s role is to be a lead participant,” Fransen said. “That doesn’t mean fully funding, or even necessarily funding a shelter.
“If the city takes a hands-off approach, we’re paying state and federal taxes that go off to other communities,” he continued.
There are certain funds that are available to the City and not to private entities, according to Fransen. Through the city’s involvement, he sees the likelihood of a shelter becoming a reality greatly increased.
Turlock had a “temporary emergency” shelter every year for six years, Fransen bemoaned. Through a collaborative effort with faith-based groups Fransen believes that the city can achieve a permanent solution that neither side would be capable of on their own.
That solution to homelessness includes more than just a shelter but also a daily work requirement according to Fransen. By requiring the homeless to work for a place to stay, the natural weeding out process would prevent Turlock from become a magnet for homelessness.
Of course, the city is best off if it can prevent citizens from becoming homeless in the first place. In order to do that, Fransen thinks you need to start with the children.
“My vision is to support our youth in almost every way you can,” Fransen said.
An ardent supporter of recreation, art, and cultural activities, Fransen believes that building a tight-knit community, which offers alternatives to drugs and gangs, is essential. As Fransen often says, you have to catch kids by the time they are 11.
“After that, there is no arresting your way out,” he said.
Fransen’s solution, like many of those he proposes, relies upon the strength of the community. As such, it seems only fitting that he himself is relying upon the community to help make his campaign a success this Nov. 4, through his Fransen Fall Festival being held today from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Einstein Acres.
An entirely free event, supporters and members of the community came together to offer a petting zoo, a jump house, live music, and children’s activities. Fransen isn’t asking for anything in return for the day of celebration, though campaign donations are certainly accepted.
A community solution to fundraising just seems natural to Fransen. After all, that’s what it’s going to take to keep Turlock on top, in his mind.
“It’s going to take all of us working for a solution,” Fransen said. “Not just a few people voting (on the Council bench), it’s going to take us all.”
As a citizen who loves conversing with anyone, be it a 16 year old or a 60 year old, Fransen believes he can represent the masses and bring the town together. But, in the short term, the “Student of Turlock” is just enjoying the run-up to Nov. 4.
“I love campaigning because I get to talk to people about Turlock all day,” Fransen said with a smile.
David “DJ” Fransen can be reached through his Web site at www.votefransen.com or by calling 678-7759.
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 10/8/2008.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.