Tracy City Councilman Bob Elliott announced his intention to seek the 5th District San Joaquin County Supervisor seat in the June 2012 election.

The seat is currently held by Tracy dairyman Leroy Ornellas who is prevented from running again due to term limits. The new district boundaries have the southern part and eastern section of Manteca in te same district as Tracy. Ripon is no longer in the 5th District.

 “As County Supervisor, my primary concern will be ensuring adequate funding for public safety,” Elliott said. “ Our Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s office are on the front line in addressing crime and gang problems in our County.  We need to do everything we can to ensure that our communities are safe – potential employers won’t bring new jobs to communities they view as unsafe.”

Elliott grew up on a farm near the city of Osborne, in the great plains of north-central Kansas.  He was class valedictorian and Student Council President of his high school, and went on to graduate in the top 5 percent of his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.  He served his country for 30 years in the United States Army, and retired as a Colonel of the US Army Special Forces (the Green Berets.)  

Elliott served on diplomatic assignments at the U.S. Embassies in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, Korea.  After leaving the Army, Elliott joined General Electric Company and served in a variety of positions with various GE affiliates.  He is currently employed by Westinghouse Electric Company, where he serves as a program manager in the company’s nuclear energy business.

“Protecting our County’s agricultural heritage is a paramount concern”, said Elliott. “Chief among those concerns are protecting San Joaquin County’s water resources and opposing burdensome regulations that affect agricultural production”. “Agriculture is San Joaquin County’s number one industry - we need to ensure that our transportation system allows farmers to move product to market efficiently”.

“At the same time, we need to diversify our employment base and attract high paying jobs that eliminate the need for long commutes that keep parents on the freeway when they should be home with their families”.

“It’s clear to me that a strong partnership between the cities and the county is essential if we are to get our economy moving again,” said Elliott. “We’ve had the benefit of strong leadership from Leroy Ornellas over the last 10 years and I want to build on that - strengthening that partnership for the benefit of south county residents”.

In addition to his service on the City Council, Elliott is a Board Member of the Tracy Hospital Foundation and past President of the Tracy Sister City Association.  He is also a member of American Legion Post 172, Tracy Breakfast Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce and West Side Pioneers.  Elliott and his wife Debbie have three daughters: Judy, Kathie and Erika; two sons-in-law: Glyn and Scott; and seven grandchildren:  Huw, Kyle, Anna, Evan, Kara, Kallie and Ryan.