With the 2012 election cycle right around the corner, Allen Wayne Warren is giving serious thought to whether now is the time to throw his hat into the ring for the upcoming City Council race for District 2.

Warren, 47, is a local real estate developer who grew up in Del Paso Heights. A graduate of Grant High School, Warren went to College of the Siskiyous in northern California and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in political science and business administration from California State University Hayward (now CSU East Bay).

He comes from a tight-knit, hard working family who gave him the foundation for success, Warren said Friday.

“My mother always said, ‘you’re going to college,’ ” Warren said. “It was important to her that I followed through with that.”

After college – and a brief stint as a Wall Street investment broker – Warren returned to his hometown and Del Paso Heights with the idea that he needed to be an example for other young men and women in the area.

“When I was growing up here, things were so different,” Warren said. “There were parks to go to, and people picnicked together and the people in the community felt like they knew each other.”

Times have changed, Warren said, and in 1996 he saw a need to bring his development company, New Faze Development, to Del Paso Heights.

“I have a lot invested in this community – personally and financially,” Warren said. “I brought my offices here because I wanted to do something visible that would be a symbol of the possibilities for our youth.”

Warren’s company developed a number of housing sub divisions in Del Paso Heights, including single-family homes for people in the $18,000-to-$20,000 income range, and Del Paso Nuevo, a housing development of 77 single-family homes and two parks.

New Faze Development was also the developer and construction contractor for the Sacramento Urban League building, a prominent building in the Del Paso Heights community that is built on land Warren donated to the project.

Giving back to the community has been Warren’s mantra for many years, and those around him say his contributions have had a positive impact on the community.

Randy Orzalli, a retired educational administrator, worked with Warren on the founding board of Grant Community Charter Schools (now Gateway Charter Schools) in the early 1990s.

Orzalli described Warren as a man of “very high integrity” and “deep commitment to the community” Friday.

“(Warren) is from the community and is anxious to give back,” Orzalli said. “He has done a lot for himself and could be anywhere he wants to be, and he chose to come back (to Del Paso Heights).”

It is that sense of belonging to – and a responsibility for – the community that would make Warren a good candidate for City Council, Orzalli said.

“He is accessible, and always clear about his mission,” Orzalli said. “With (Warren) it was always, ‘How does this benefit the kids in our community?’ ”

Orzalli said that the nearly 4,000 students in the now-successful Gateway Charter Schools is a result of collaborative efforts by him, Warren and the founding board at Grant Community Charter Schools.

Although Warren has not made a formal decision to run for City Council, he said he is “taking it very seriously,” and reaching out to business and community leaders in the district for support.

“A City Councilperson can have an effect (on the district),” Warren said, “but it requires collaboration, prioritization, and having enough support to move on those priorities so you can move on those issues.”

If he runs for the District 2 council seat, Warren said he wants to focus on three very important issues: jobs and employment opportunities, public safety, and improving schools and education opportunities.

“Del Paso Heights looks better today that than it used to and I’m glad to be a part of that,” Warren said, “But we need more. We need a grocery store. We don’t really have any retail to speak of. We need jobs in the worst way.”

If Warren decides to run for office, he will have until March 9 to file the necessary paperwork, according to Alice Jarboe, Assistant Registrar of Voters for Sacramento county.

“This isn’t personal – it isn’t about me,” Warren said of his potential candidacy. “There are real people who have real needs and real issues, and that’s what I’d like the campaign to be about.”

Sandy Sheedy currently holds the council seat for District 2 – a seat she has held since 2000. Sheedy ran unopposed for re-election in 2008.

“If and when I make a formal decision,” Warren added, “my campaign will be about making this community reach its potential. It will be about giving people a sense that we can do these things!”

Jarboe said the primary election is June 5. If there is no clear winner in any of the races for City Council seats, then the top two candidates for those unresolved seats will have a runoff election at the general election on Nov. 6.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.