By Ian Thompson | Daily Republic | June 20, 2008
Suzanne Bragdon is the city manager of Suisun City. Photo by Brad Zweerink
SUISUN CITY - Suzanne Bragdon checked her vision three years ago before deciding to become Suisun City's manager. If she didn't see a light at the end of the city's dark economic tunnel, she would have never taken the job.
The light is much closer these days.
'We have made a lot of headway,' Bragdon said as she reflected on all that city staff has accomplished in her time at the helm.
Suisun City is moving toward becoming the waterfront destination that Bragdon has envisioned. She sees the Hampton Inn, the first Main Street West retail project and the Wal-Mart Supercenter attracting people to the city and generating revenue for city coffers.
Bragdon arrived in Suisun City on Sept. 1, 2005, after leaving her job as an economic development consultant for the city of Grover Beach on the Central California coast.
Her short-term goals at the time included a daunting campaign to put the city's general fund finances back in the black. She also set out to restore stability in City Hall because several department heads were interim and budget cuts had deflated employees' confidence.
New department heads are now in place, general fund finances are back on track and employee confidence has improved.
'I still have not figured out why this core team is so dedicated,' Bragdon said in tribute to the city's workforce. 'All we can show them is that things will get better.'
City leaders have aggressively marketed all possible development sites not covered by the Main Street project at business and development conventions to catch the eyes of potential retailers and developers.
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