SALINAS, Calif. -- Outgoing Salinas mayor Dennis Donohue reflected on what he calls the "best seat in the house" over the last six years.
"I've been really appreciative of the opportunity to serve in this capacity, so I'll miss it," he said.
He said despite a spike in violence and financial struggles, he said one of the city's best traits is its resiliency.
"I think the bottom line is we had a plan, made progress against the plan, and the community stepped forward over and over again," Donohue said.
When the city saw its murder total jump to 29 in 2009, Donohue said Salinas reached out to state and federal partners for help to suppress the gang violence.
And in the wake of the Capital One shutdown earlier this year, Donohue said Salinas implemented a marketing plan to become more business friendly.
Although that building still doesn't have a new owner, Donohue said the plan is working because the city's sales tax base has started to grow again, but he admits there's still work to be done.
"If you look at our tax base, it's still a relatively poor city on dollars per capita to spend per resident, and that really manifests itself to public safety," he said.
Donohue believes the new mayor, Joe Gunter, should push for more police officers on the streets. Last week, Gunter told Central Coast News one of his top priorities is public safety and plans to get more officers.
As a businessman in this community, Donohue is confident the Taylor Farms and Alisal Marketplace projects will bring more jobs and money to the city.
"We can set our watch that within 10 years this will be fundamentally a more peaceful city," Donohue said.
Donohue dismissed rumors he will be staying on the payroll in Salinas as a consultant.
On Tuesday evening, Gunter was sworn into office.
