Three vie for 2 City Council seats: Trisha Wilkins

TRISHA WILKINS

“I’ve always been interested in politics,” said Trisha Wilkins, candidate for Placerville City Council. “My father was always very involved in local politics and when he died in 2008, I took a break from my involvement, but now, with my youngest being 2, it’s a good time to get back into it. I want to make sure my children are raised in a safe environment.”

Wilkins, a 33-year-old homemaker, is married with a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. She was raised in Placerville and graduated from El Dorado High School.

Her extreme community pride and desire to serve the people of Placerville are what she brings to a City Council position,said Wilkins. “I don’t own property, don’t have a business in town, so I don’t have special interests. I have values and principles.”

If elected to City Council, Wilkins said her focus would be on creating a thriving city economy while preserving Placerville’s small town feel.

“Everything is based on the economic survival of our town. The history of Placerville, if it’s used correctly, can bring people to our area,” said Wilkins.”I want to make it easier for new businesses to start and attract business to the community. If we aren’t bringing in money in sales tax revenues, we’ll have to cut somewhere.

“Our location and our history are our biggest assets. We’re right at the snowline and we have everything here but an ocean. I want people from out of town to see Placerville for what it is. If they do, they will want to come here.”

Wilkins supports the Hangman—”What other town has something like the Hangman?”— and she believes that all downtown businesses should be open during special downtown events.

“As a City Council member, I would love to be a liaison between organizations and the businesses to coordinate events,” said Wilkins. She does not support the Clay Street Bridge/roundabout project. “I live in the house on Cedar Ravine where I grew up and I don’t think a roundabout is necessary.”

Wilkins has attended meeting of the newly formed Economic Development Advisory Committee and had formal meetings with City Council members Carl Hagen and Wendy Mattson. She toured Hangtown Haven, the legal encampment for the homeless and said, “It will be interesting to see if they can transition through the changes needed with a special-use permit and run as smoothly as it appears to run now. It’s not perfect and it needs work, but it’s better than I expected it to be.”

If not elected during the November elections, Wilkins plans to stay involved with city government and run for City Council again in two years. “I’m not going away,” she said. “I want to rally Placerville pride.”

Wendy Schultz

Wendy Schultz has been a columnist for the Mountain Democrat since 2002 and a staff writer since 2005. She covers Placerville city events and City Council meetings, writes feature stories and reports on things of interest in El Dorado County.

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