State of the City
Nevada City's Mayor Gary Petersen is going to give a State of the City talk! Should be fun and enlightening!
A big shout out and thank you to our Mayor for serving as a Judge at our Inaugural 2024 Paws and A Cause!
Gary was elected to City Council of Nevada City in November 2020 and currently serves as Mayor.
Gary Petersen first came to Nevada City in the 1970s. For seven years he worked with the U.S .Forest Service as a “hot shot” firefighter, a tank truck operator, and a Heli attack squad leader in California and seven other states. This led to a 30-year career in airport management during which he served as the Nevada County Airport manager. He helped to reorganize Nevada County government, and worked on the United Way Community Report Card.
In 2005, Gary relocated after being offered a position as the Salinas Municipal Airport director, and eventually became the city of Salinas Public Works director. During this time, he chaired the Governing for Racial Equity program, produced one of the first Groundwater Sustainability Plans in California, completed innovative solar energy and water programs and dealt extensively with neighborhood viability, homelessness and community relations.
Gary and his wife Christine Bottaro (RN, retired) live in their home on Park Avenue, near Pioneer Park. They restored their Victorian home after acquiring it 25 years ago.