New leaders talk about Tulare’s future
By Elena Ferrarin
Take a walk around Tulare, and you’ll sense positivity and renewed energy in the air.
The city has a host of projects underway, along with several new leaders — five in the last two years — who agree its best asset is the sense of community.
Here is a look at the goals outlined by Tulare’s new police chief, fire chief, city manager and school superintendents.
Marc Mondell, Tulare city manager
City government used to be mired in political strife, but those days are over, according to Marc Mondell, who started as city manager in October 2021.
“The community trusts our city council members, who’ve been a blessing for me to work with,” he said.
The city has hired new management personnel and underwent a reorganization focused on customer service, Mondell said. Beautification efforts have increased, several community master plans are underway, and the city has allocated $18 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to a variety of projects. The latter include: the redevelopment of Zumwalt Park; a business accelerator in partnership with the Tulare Chamber of Commerce; an emergency homeless shelter in partnership with Tulare County; and a downtown building rehabilitation grant program.
“I am particularly proud of the fact that our organization is undergoing a culture change and is embracing the role of the city as a leader in making good things happen in the community and with partner organizations,” Mondell said.
The city needs to stay focused on economic development and downtown redevelopment, he said. That will bring new private sector investment and new jobs, which, in turn, will lead to fiscal sustainability.
“This is something that is very doable, but it requires patience, focus and commitment to achieve,” he said.
Tulare also can leverage its central location near major transportation arteries, such as Highway 99 and Union Pacific Railroad, in order to spur economic development, Mondell said.
Lucy Van Scyoc, Tulare Joint Union High School District superintendent
Lucy Van Scyoc is in her second year as superintendent of Tulare Joint Union High School District, from which she graduated and where she’s worked for 22 of her 24 years in education.
This past year, the district worked hard to safely transition students back to in-person learning while providing academic and socioemotional support, as well as opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.
“Because of these efforts, we were able to continue to support our seniors across the finish line,” Van Scyoc said.
For example, the district added a dance program and expanded its choir program. It also added a program to support students who are struggling academically. Socioemotional support available to students was expanded, adding a counselor, two licensed vocational nurses, two psychologists and three social workers. The district also contracted with a telehealth provider as additional support.
“I am proud of many things that our district has accomplished, and attribute these successes to our amazing staff and our ability to work together as a team,” Van Scyoc said.
Van Scyoc also said the district has great partnerships with local businesses and community organizations, and she’s proud to be a member of a generous community that supports education.
Paula Adair, Tulare City Schools superintendent
Paula Adair is in her first year as superintendent of Tulare City School District, where she started more than 30 years ago as an instructional aide.
Adair said she’s proud the district this year opened a free, expanded learning after school program at all its elementary schools, with more than 1,700 students participating.
Her goal is to put in action, every day, the district’s motto: “To raise up caring, creative, and confident children.”
“I expect every staff member, most importantly myself, to be personally accountable for the continued progress and growth of every child entrusted to us,” she said.
Adair, who’s lived in town for 35 years, said she especially felt the embrace of Tulare’s caring community when her husband was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2019. He died in 2021.
“We received an outpouring of love, support, kind words and deeds,” she said. “My family didn’t have to face this tragedy alone. We had the community beside us, supporting us and helping us weather the storm together.”
In her role, she said, she has the opportunity to give back to the community.
Fred Ynclan, Tulare police chief
Tulare’s best quality is its ability to come together, said Fred Ynclan, a two-decade veteran of the police department who was appointed top cop in July.
A prime example were the crowds that gathered to support Tulare native Richard Torres Junior, a boxing silver medalist at the summer Olympic Games held in 2021 in Tokyo. “This city gets behind everything it needs to,” he said.
Ynclan said he wants to continue beefing up staffing of the department, which currently has 70 officers, four officers short of a full roster. Eight were hired in the last four months, and the city council approved funding for two additional officers in this year’s budget.
“Once fully staffed, we can better serve the community with outreach and participating in community events,” he said.
He also plans to create a team of “innovative and caring officers” involved in a new program connected to an upcoming homeless shelter, he said. “The program will serve a diverse group of people with a wide range of problems from mental health issues and drug addiction, just to name a few,” he said.
Ynclan said he’s passionate about ensuring the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of officers. The department has made big strides in providing peer support, he added.
“If I have a healthy officer then that officer will treat our community with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Ynclan said. “We have a very complicated job that not everyone can do. Those who can do it, need to do it well. They need to treat people right, give them what they ask for, and to be assertive when necessary.”
Michael Ott, Tulare fire chief
Fire Chief Michael “Mikee” Ott, who started the job in May, said he’s been working hard at building positive relationships with the members of the fire department.
“It seems I have been accepted into the group based on my open-door policy, forward thinking, and allowing all members a voice in the department,” he said.
The department is working on its community risk assessment and standards of coverage, which will help identify current and potential new hazards, along with ways to address them, Ott said.
Ott said his goal is “to continue to build upon the already outstanding customer service and professionalism the department gives to the citizens of Tulare,” he said.
He also wants to ensure firefighters have the safest, most up-to-date equipment. For example, a new ladder truck will arrive in early 2024, handheld radios and some cardiac monitors are being replaced, and there is a plan to replace self-contained breathing apparatuses for firefighters, he said.
“Cancer prevention, mental health of responders, and physical wellbeing are very important to me,” Ott said. “Firefighters have a very tough career, and I want to do everything I can to keep them safe — during and after their heroic careers.”
