In front of his wife and sons, a phalanx of firefighters and the City Council, Nero raised his right hand and took his oath of office, administered by Mayor Brent Ives.
Following his swearing-in, Nero made several brief remarks.
“The city of Tracy and the Tracy Fire Department have a long history of excellence,” he said. “I’m very excited to work with this talented staff.”
He also said that he hopes, under his direction, the department can “achieve all of the (City) Council’s goals” and maintain a commitment to serving the community.
Nero, 62, has served as fire chief in Brea, a Southern California city, for 11 years. He was selected for the position in Tracy over several candidates, including longtime Tracy firefighters Germane Friends and David Brammell.
He replaces Chris Bosch, the Tracy chief fired in early 2010 after alleging misconduct by city officials.
For more on Nero, see upcoming online editions of the Tracy Press.
For more on Tuesday's City Council meeting, including the final approval of the Tracy aquatics center design, see the Friday print edition of the Tracy Press.
Walkingtall Someone from inside the police department? Who pray tell?
You seem a little entitled. Just so you know; the people have a right to question their government. Given the history of Tracy’s government who can blame the people for questioning their motives. Power unchecked is corrupt. The police chief is doing a horrible job, why would we expect those who put/keep her in power to make any better decision regarding the fire chief?
And yes, a 62 year old firefighter is too flippen old. (His qualifications are negated by his age) He should be on a bingo buss and not making decisions regarding the future of our community. He is one of the classic reasons the state is in such financial trouble. We have too many retired government employees on the job, double dipping at the tax payers’ expense, not knowing when to quit.