GALT, CA (MPG) - Galt Mayor Shawn Farmer has reached the digital airwaves.

Farmer launched a vodcast titled “Great American Little Town” five months ago, marking a new initiative to provide a platform for local voices and community updates. 

The decision to launch the vodcast, which airs about twice a month on Wednesday on YouTube, was driven by a desire to help bridge the gap in local media coverage in Galt, a town of 24,000 people where traditional news outlets are limited and residents often gravitate toward informal networks and social media, outside of the traditional newspaper.

Vodcasts run by civic leaders have become more popular in recent years; however, most have some level of connection or sponsorship with city government. 

Farmer emphasized that while the vodcast is not centered on his role as a city council member, he does believe his position adds an element of authority to the discussions. Farmer was elected to the Galt City Council in 2018.

“My idea was to do one when I got out of office,” Farmer said. “It just felt like it was weird because of a conflict of interest, but I am so active on Facebook now and people are always tagging me in things, so people are looking to me for information and to find out what is the skinny on things going on. So, I thought, ‘You know what? Maybe it is a good time now to use that fact that people do know me and know who I am to channel the podcast.’”

The vodcast is recorded at Farmer’s own coffee shop, the Coffee Shop Bakery, and is co-hosted by Planning Commissioner Dan Denier. To date, 10 episodes have been released, with most featuring interviews with local community members and leaders peppered with discussions that address issues impacting the town’s residents. 

The setup is minimalist, and like his coffee shop is run with the help of his family. Farmer’s daughter Kalyn Farmer monitors the audio levels and the live board to ensure the vodcast does not run into any technical issues. 

A typical episode runs for about an hour but can reach upwards of an hour and a half. Recent guests have included Sacramento Sheriff’s Sgt. Derrick Wells, Economic Development Director Amie Mendes and Galt Joint Union Elementary School District President Katherine Harper. 

Topics have ranged from the construction of the C Street improvement project and the success of the Liberty Ranch Basketball team to ongoing economic development and business growth in Galt. 

Farmer, however, does his best to steer clear of offering any opinion on items that might pop up on a city council agenda. Before every episode, Farmer reads a disclaimer that emphasizes that the vodcast is not affiliated with city government and does not reflect the views of the council.

“There might be some things that I cannot discuss openly because of my position,” Farmer said. “So, I knew I would have to navigate some topics, but the concept was to have a podcast to talk about things that are about Galt or affect Galt or somehow tie into Galt in some respect.”

He added he’s not interested in touching on any topic that might be politically polarizing, including topics of national importance. 

“I didn’t want to alienate a certain viewership and get into something that makes people think this is a conservative-minded podcast or this is a liberal podcast; the show didn’t want to be about that, the show was going to be about Galt,” Farmer added. 

Denier said he sees his role on the vodcast as almost a color commentator, helping to bring a level of humor to the discussion while ensuring that a variety of topics are covered in a balanced manner and to help steer the ship when conversations get off course. 

“Shawn and I are 100% honest with each other and that’s what kind of makes it work,” Denier said. “If there’s something that I don’t think we should touch on, I’ll let him know and vice versa.”

Denier, who served as the vodcast’s first guest before being tapped as the co-host, said he had no intentions of being a regular feature on the show. Farmer asked Denier to become co-host after noting the chemistry between the two following that first episode. 

“It’s one of those things where you get out of your comfort zone; you get out of your box,” Denier said. “Then you find out that you actually enjoy doing something.” 

Farmer said his co-host brings an additional perspective, interjecting his historical knowledge of Galt with the vodcast discussions.

As “Great American Little Town” continues to develop, Farmer and his co-host are focused on expanding its reach. 

He said some community businesses have offered to sponsor the vodcast, but he admitted that sponsorships create another set of concerns that he would have to explore before going down that path. 

He hopes one day to increase the number of episodes he does each week.

“I definitely want to see it grow,” Farmer said.