Guadalupe City Councilman William “Jerry” Tucker died Saturday morning after struggling with health problems for several months.
His health forced him to miss council meetings or participate in them remotely if he was able.
Before being elected to council, Tucker served as chief of the Guadalupe Police Department.
“He’ll always be Chief Tucker to me and I think to a lot of us,” Mayor Frances Romero said.
“When he won a seat on the council he was so proud to represent the community. He really placed a high value on serving the public here.”
Tucker led the Guadalupe department for about a decade after arriving in 1998 from a job in Huron in western Fresno County.
He was elected to a four-year term the Guadalupe City Council in 2012.
Tucker was “the voice of common sense and reason,” Romero said.
“I considered him a friend because he was always there for you. You didn’t necessarily have to agree but he was always respectful of differing opinions. And he was never scared of differing opinions.”
During turmoil faced by the city, Tucker was supportive of the city being transparent.
“What you saw is what you got with Chief Tucker. You never had to wonder where you stood,” Romero said.
“You could count on him to have reasonable thought process.”
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Judy.
A memorial is planned for 10 a.m. Friday at Pacific Christian Center, 3435 Santa Maria Way.
Visitation is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary. After Friday’s memorial, burial is planned for the Guadalupe Cemetery.
The service reportedly will include full police and military honors for the man who served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
The council can decide whether to appoint a replacement or hold a special election to fill the remaining two years of Tucker’s term.
However, a special election is the most costly option, and unlikely for the cash-strapped city.
The Guadalupe City Council is expected to start talking about filling the vacancy during its next meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at City Hall, 918 Obispo St.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
