A new business brought John Gannon to the North County in 1989 and with that business came involvement in the community through Templeton Youth Sports as his business sponsored teams, bought uniforms, donated food and promotional items for various events. He has served on the TCSD/TUSD Ad Hoc, Finance & Personnel, and Refuse Committees.

As he continued to sponsor and participate in Youth Sports he noticed community projects that were unfinished and facilities that were inadequate or needed.

“Our kids were small and involved in baseball and basketball,” said Gannon. “Too many things weren’t completed like Bethel Road Park, the Community Center, and the Youth Center—I wanted to help change that.”

Gannon is proud of the progress and accomplishments achieved by TCSD during the more than 8 years he has served as a Director.

“I feel that we’ve really brought Templeton up,” said Gannon. “Considering the size of the community, the variety of services and activities we offer to both adults and kids is amazing—there is no other community of our size or with our budget that can offer what we do.”

Among the accomplishments Gannon said he was most proud is the Community and Youth Centers as well as the new Fire Station and TCSD office facilities.

“When I first come on the board we were renting a location on Main next to the Video Store,” said Gannon. “The money for rent was just going down the drain and we talked about building a facility that the District owned rather than rented.”

“Today we own the nice new facilities (on Fifth and Crocker) that contain the Fire Department and the new administration building,” said Gannon. “This is a definite asset and investment for the community.”

Also high on his list of TCSD accomplishments is the agreement between Templeton and the City Paso Robles that finally ended the “border wars” between the two entities and tremendous working relationships between Templeton’s Fire Department and all the other fire agencies in the county.

“You know, in the past a lot of people would simply blow off Templeton,” said Gannon. “But now we’re actually making a standing in the communities around us with a respected General Manager, Fire Chief, and all the things that Templeton has going for it’s size and our budget.”

“Every one who visits us here thinks we live in heaven,” concluded Gannon. “When I drive home from work and head home it’s almost like going on vacation. That’s why we came to Templeton—to get away from the big city, the rat race, all that congestion and the problems that come with it.”

As a successful local business owner, Gannon brings both practical business and budgetary experience to the boardroom. Prior to owning his own business, Gannon worked for the City of Burbank Water Treatment Facility and holds certificates in water treatment and facilities operation that meet or exceed those held by TCSD staff.