[6] Before being elected as mayor, Garcia served as town administrator in Blandford, Massachusetts and as a fire commissioner, and school committee member in Holyoke.

[9] Among early key priorities, Garcia has pushed for improved management practices, citing during his campaign his prior experience as a town administrator.

Testifying before the Commonwealth's municipal finance oversight board, Garcia stated he intended to draft a longterm capital plan for the city, seeking to strengthen internal controls, and work toward eliminating structural deficits to make it less reliant on bonding.

[10] In 2024, Garcia announced he was working to expand the city's payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program with Holyoke's nonprofit property owners, to address shortfalls in taxes to provide city services.

[11] Garcia has served as a member of the board of directors on the Holyoke Community College Foundation, as well as the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, since 2018.