South Lake Tahoe city attorney resigns
By Kathryn Reed
Jacqueline Mittelstadt is moving on — this time by choice.
She gave notice Wednesday. Her exact last day still needs to be negotiated, but it will be a matter of weeks.
Jacqueline Mittelstadt
Mittelstadt came on as South Lake Tahoe’s city attorney in June. Three months later on a split decision the City Council began the process to fire her for reasons that remain murky and were not fully aired in open session.
Two months down the road, in early November, the council reversed course and decided to keep Mittelstadt as assistant city attorney and bumped Patrick Enright into the city attorney’s seat.
What direction the council will take now is unknown. This had been the first time two city attorneys were on staff. Mittelstadt said there is more than enough work to keep two attorneys busy.
Enright was not available for comment. Mayor Kathay Lovell and Mayor Pro Tem Hal Cole were not aware of Mittelstadt’s impending departure until Lake Tahoe News called.
“The city seems more divisive then I’ve ever seen it. It comes from the top down,” Cole said. “There is a morale problem in the City Council and I see that trickling down into the whole organization. It seems like personality becomes more important than policy.”
Mittelstadt sat down with Lake Tahoe News on Wednesday to talk about her brief stint here. She said many have encouraged her to stay until after the election in November when three seats are up on the council. But she isn’t willing to take that gamble.
Asked what she would do if she were mayor or city manager for the day, Mittelstadt said, “I would invite disagreement, open dialog, be forthright in what I say. My actions would be consistent with my words. Above all, I have the philosophy of doing the right thing, what is in the best interest of the community.”
She simply said, “I don’t fit into the culture here.”
Mittelstadt says there’s nothing she would have done differently that could have avoided the brouhaha last fall.
“I followed the direction the City Council gave to me and that’s what city code required me to do,” Mittelstadt said.
Financial issues about the use of out outside counsel, whether contracts were in place, whether bids for this work were sought, and how City Manager Dave Jinkens could hire outside counsel without the city attorney or council knowing all came to light upon investigations by Mittelstadt and Enright.
Life for Mittelstadt unraveled from there. Like Cole said, personalities seemed to become more dominant than policy.
She says there is a need for outside counsel because of their specialties. But she also said the city was in the habit of paying $30 per email from an attorney.
Mittelstadt has a number of job offers on the table. She won’t say if it’s public or private practice she is looking at or where.
She leaves with a heavy heart, having made friends, joined Soroptimist, and having fallen in love with the beauty of Lake Tahoe.
Something smells fishy. Like he said, from the top on down.
Put a stop to this petty nonsense, interfering personalities, bickering, inefficiency, duplication…dissolve the city and turn over to the county.
It’s becoming the norm to push out, run out smart professional intellectuals. Like the fiasco at Fallen leaf, a few families want to control the town. Its at the County as well. its been at the TRPA for many year. it’s in the entire basin. We did the same to the Do-it yourself center because a few of my friends were afraid of competition. Our community has run off the new vendors in fallen leaf. We don’t help new businesses who come in.
If we want our community to change, we should seek out people like Mittelstadt who unknowingly challenge our ways. We should be want a new city manager who end what Cole calls bad morale. We should elect people who might have new ideas to City county and STPUD. Instead we’ll probably keep doing the same old thing.
Kae, please get Mr. Cole to talk in “plain speak” what the hell he is referring to. If he can’t verbalize the problem for us and take steps to solve the problem he should resign or get a life coach. No wonder why gov’t approval across the country is in the 20% range.
Disolve the city government, fire everyone & merge back with the county-the lesser of 2 evils
Sorry to see her go after the entire ugly affair; something seems amiss. I echo Georgie, what the heck is Cole talking about? If the problem is from the top down who is he referring to? Himself, Geggo, Lovell, Birdwell, Crawford..all of them?
I just hope Middelstadt speaks about what she found in the Cities Finance Dept after she leaves.
Cole, What the heck are you saying? Sounds like you are saying what we are all saying-DISSOLVE THE CITY NOW.
Notice who hasn’t left yet? Jinkens!!! Councilman Cole-HE’S THE PROBLEM!! Unless you’re saying he’s doing your bidding?
Jinkens is not coming back so why doesn’t he just leave NOW?!
And after reading the latest Mtn. News, I’m convinced that if we’re not going to dissolve the City (while that would be the first choice) we then need a Strong Mayor system!! While that wouldn’t make life perfect, as pointed out in the most recent issue, a Strong Mayor gives you a counter-balance to the Council! And with all the b.s./behind closed doors stuff this Council has pulled (such as with the City Attorney), it BADLY needs a counter-balance!!
I wish the other 5 ignorant members that bank on their best interest of the community would move aside let some common folk take over get something positive done without Moses (Cole, Lovell) trying to open the lake to a better world on the other side of self Greed .The only thing they opened up is Coles hole to bankrupt Heaven.
She simply said, “I don’t fit into the culture here.â€
I complete understand you true meaning of the word: the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits.
That’s something that’s hard to find here.
Where ever you end up it has to be better than working for a ‘Anarchy”……..Absence of any form of political authority.
Political disorder and confusion.
Absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose.
Personalities seemed to become more dominant than policy,spoken like a true horse faced poker player.
Tired of complaining, seeing only problems, naysayers shouts that the sky is falling? More should do what Ski Run group sounds like they’re doing by working together and make a change. This is a great article about what can happen when negativity is replaced by working together. We need to get my group at the Y together to do the same thing. It’s time to rename the area and bring in some investment to improve the place.
https://www.laketahoenews.net/2010/03/ski-run-enthusiasts-on-the-run-to-make-it-the-place-to-be/
I believe its Birdwell who owns Blackbear Inn? If this is case he reads this online comment area. Maybe he can/will shed some light on WTH is going behind those closed chamber doors. Cole already spoke out-sort of, if you can understand sidestepping. I would love to hear from Lovell too. But she is probally on a gag order not to speak or write. What do you say SLT leadership?