Derrick Coco an early candidate for Gonzales council division C seat

Derrick Coco is a man that is committed to the community and dedicated to the progress. That’s why he feels he’s the man for the Gonzales Council Division C seat.

As a lifelong resident of Gonzales, Coco said there comes a point “where you’ve been here this long and you want to start to get involved more.”

“Now that you’re getting older and you see your kids growing up, you realize you want better for them,” Coco said. “More recreation here, you just want to see your city go in the right direction. But you also want to keep the value of certain areas.”

Coco will get an opportunity to let the voters decide if he is the man for the job in the March 28 special election, after council member Gary Lacombe resigned from the seat in November. Coco said he understands in general what a councilman’s job is and wouldn’t have any trouble adjusting to the seat.

“Basically bringing an ear to the community and to the table,” Coco said. “The issue we had was there were two sides and no meeting in between. I’m praying I can be a mediator to meet halfway in between because this side wants this and that side wants that. I want to see unity. I want to bring a better relationship than we have now.”

Coco said he’s for public safety, and believes the city can’t grow without it. Last year, the mayor and three members of the city council, one of which was recalled from his seat and the other resigned, disagreed about funding for the Gonzales Police Department and the Gonzales Fire Department.

Another hot topic that fueled Gonzales’ leadership issues in 2014 was zoning and budgeting for infrastructure needs. Coco said he believe it’s just about working with everybody collectively and prioritizing infrastructure needs.

Coco considers working collectively as a top priority.

“If we can’t have a good relationship behind closed doors then what are the people going to get?” Coco said, asking. “It’s about working things out behind closed doors and when we come to the meetings we should show professional leadership, versus people thinking they are coming to the circus.”

As far as determining the budget, Coco said there must be an accurate account of the budget and it is critical but “you still have to maintain a conservative approach to spending.”

“We have to be careful how we spend, where we spend and who we spend with,” Coco said. “We have to focus on the needs of the city.”

“I believe in the system, the acronym: Save Yourself Stress Time Energy Money,” Coco said. “That’s what I want most of all. That’s my motto approach – a system. If we have a system behind closed doors we won’t have a circus in the public.”