Meet Tony Dastra
Civic-minded. Experienced. Ready to serve.
Tony Dastra is a public servant and neighborhood advocate running for Mayor of Lancaster with a clear goal: to build a more transparent, accountable, and people-powered city government.
✅ What Tony Brings:
Municipal Experience: Works in Lancaster Township’s Public Works Department across GIS mapping, stormwater, traffic, and grants. He is also responsible for the Township Communications channels.
Policy Impact: Helped draft Lancaster’s City Charter and Comprehensive Plan as part of the Home Rule Study and Planning Commissions.
Environmental Action: Arranged the region’s first single-use plastic regulations.
Community Access: Livestreamed public meetings and set a new standard for Lancaster governments in the push for more transparent local government.
Visionary Ideas: Proposes innovative solutions like civilian aid programs and a municipal stable token to cut transaction fees.
Tony believes we must run government like a government—not like a business—and that power belongs with the people.
🎯 He’s Running because Lancaster deserves a mayor who:
Knows how municipal government works
Listens before leading
Works for every neighborhood
Why Hire Tony Dastra for Mayor?
Because Lancaster deserves a mayor who already does the work—and does it with heart.
Tony Dastra didn’t wait for a title to serve. As a township staffer, neighborhood leader, planning commissioner, and government reformer; Tony has built his career around public service that listens, learns, and leads. He knows what it's like to work service jobs, and still show up to community meetings with a plan in hand. With (almost) three degrees from Arizona State University—Urban Planning, Political Science, and Geographic Information Science (in progress)—Tony understands Lancaster from the street level and the systems level. He’s helped draft the City charter, City comprehensive plan, write ordinance, and bring people together across differences to make real change happen.
Tony doesn’t claim to be a corporate executive, but he knows how to keep public systems moving. As a municipal staffer, he’s managed communications, written grants, created public-facing presentations, performed stormwater inspections, made maps for residents, and helped maintain interdepartmental workflows—all without the luxury of a team or big budget; imagine when he has one.
In addition to all his experience in municipal government, the unsung items like his minor in business, certificate in civic education, and minor in organizational leadership show he has the foundation to responsibly manage a city’s operations. What sets him apart is the heart behind the work: a belief that city government isn’t just about running efficiently—it’s about running with care.
Because at the end of the day, Tony believes in bikes over traffic, people over politics—and joy over despair.