To the community,

I have been a resident of the city of South Lake Tahoe for 35 years. During that time I have raised my family here, worked for the city, owned and operated a small business, and currently I assist my husband who is a self-employed painting contractor with his recordkeeping.

I am running for City Council with the conviction, passion, and goal of making our community the best it can be. I worked for the city for 18 years and retired six months ago. Of those 18 years, I had 16 years experience in working with the city’s budget, grants, bonds, contracts, etc. I recognize the issues that face this community from the inside out. I know the budget and where to look for savings. I am aware of what grants the city currently has and possible sources of future grant funding. Being that said, I am also conscious of the difficulties that the minimum wage earners, small business owners and self-employed business owners face while they try to survive during these difficult economic times.

This campaign should not be run on the “if the city had 3 billion dollars, this is what I would do” statement, nor should it be a bash TRPA game. It should focus on the “real” issues that are important to our community (the budget deficit, the disappearing community, the transparency and lack of trust in the leadership of our community, growing the economy, – just to name a few) and what we can realistically do to address these issues. My endorsers/supporters are the small business owners, the clerks at the grocery store, the waiters and waitresses, the unemployed persons, my neighbors and friends. These people know who I am and what I represent – and that is integrity, honesty, intelligence, common sense, and what should be greatly beneficial, is the direct experience and knowledge of how this city should/could operate.

The community has asked for change. I offer that change. I am not a “polished” politician; I am just me — a resident of the community that I love. If you are truly ready for a change, please vote for me on Nov. 2. I can and will be the voice of all the people of our community and the voice of reason.

Adrian Gooch, South Lake Tahoe