9 people want to fill 1 S. Tahoe council seat
Nine people have applied for the one South Lake Tahoe City Council seat.
The four council members will interview the candidates Tuesday starting at 9am.
City Clerk Suzie Alessi conducted a random drawing to determine the order of interviews. Applicants will be interviewed in the following order: Howard Bittner, Kathay Lovell, Joan Walthall, Brooke Laine, Bruce Grego, Austin Sass, Billy Crawford, Scott Valentine, and Kay Ogden.
At the start of the Jan. 29 9am meeting, the council will discuss the process in which interviews will be conducted. Interviewing could include a set of questions that all applicants will be asked; or the council may wish to hold more of a “free form” interview process; or any other type of process they agree on.
All applicants will be present in the council chambers, unless the council decides otherwise.
If the council cannot pick a fifth member to fill out the two-year term left on Claire Fortier’s term, the voters would decide June 4.
Any appointment other than Sass would be like throwing a dart a the local phone book at this point! Voters already spoke. and for some to insinuate that the vote would have been different had Fortier vacated her seat prior to the election is LUDICROUS!
Since only 2 of the 9 were on the ballot, any use of the results is meaningless when comparing the expanded candidates.
As a neutral observer, it strikes me that the outpouring of affection for Sass hereabouts tends to support the allegations that the special,and, for Tahoe,seemingly well organized interests are doing their darndest.
If they cannot appoint Mr. Sass, they need to move for a special election. Plain & simple.
Billy?
What do the candidates have to say about Harrah’s importing poverty by bringing in foreign families so they can staff their housekeeping staff and CA can pick up the costs of schooling and welfare. Pretty slick.
Left out that the above was reported in some detail in last Wednesday’s TDT under the lead in of an unexpected increase in LTUSD school enrollment.
Sorry.
To the ‘Neutral Observer’:
Austin Sass has “persevered” twice in trying to be of service to the community as direly-needed “new blood”, while the “same ‘ol, same ‘ol” seem to prevail from the same voters who turn out knowing how “neutral” (I.e., no show) the electorate is. . . Your comment about the “special interests” is disingenuous at best.
I personally am appallled at the lack of vision here now, so seeing the same folks run again and again after with no new ideas will be death (near) of what town we have left. . .it defies logic not to simply put the runner-up (Sass) in the shortened term, avoid the stampede of former incumbents. . . He is, after all, only one vote (give him a chance).
I keep seeing the comment “the voters have spoken” in reference as to why Sass should be voted by the council. If the voters had really spoken he would already be in office. Same with the complaints about the “old blood” and “good ole boys club” …the voters are the ones that elect them so obviously the majority of voters are happy with their service.
I’m glad to see so many people interested in this thankless position. It means they are all eager to do their best for the community. I know a few of them and know many would be a good choice.
Best wishes to all and may the best person for the job take the seat.
Obviously the large turn-out of applicants for this is due to the ease of possibly being able to serve an abbreviated term on the City Council but I can’t help but wonder how many of these individuals would be participating had they actually have needed to run an election campaign. This appears to be a real double edge sword: on the one hand it makes me ponder the genuine dedication of some of these applicants; but on the other it provides a real opportunity for “new blood” to put their toe in the political waters for slightly less than half a term and determine if they have the mettle to become involved in running our City government on a longer term.
Such a conundrum. This will be a very interesting City Council meeting.
Nine people running for one seat for a short term. Time for an election, and why wait till June?
The other day watching a council meeting there was just Conner, Cole and Davis present as Swanson was absent. A three person city council in a one horse town.
Someone here asked me awhile ago about my thoughts on dissolving the city and letting the county take it back. Not a good idea from my perspctive but I’m beginning to waver on that prospect a bit.
Nancy Kerry and JoAnn Conner put your work gloves on, your cowboy hats and dig in your heels and hold on tight to the rope, reign in this crazy horse called So. Lake Tahoe. I know you two can get this city in line as we lope along into a long and prosperous future.
Happy Trails, Old long Skiis
This whole situation was planned from the start. Claire knew her significant other,( Dr. P.), was relocating and that she was leaving as well. Total BS about wanting to complete a task before she resigned,( or should I say “Left like a thief in the night.”). The plan was to keep Sass out. Small town politics that would seem more in place in a Grisham novel about Mississippi. We need to triage the problems this town has. Start with the City Council, the SLTPD and move on to things like the airport and the Hole. We need people who are not engaged with special interest groups or just their own special interests (or own pocketbooks), and are willing to tell big business (Caesars, Vail et al) that we are NOT for sale like some downtown Reno hooker. We have the potential to be a fantastic place for families to raise their children. Let’s ELECT our leaders.
What questions would you like the Council to ask the candidates? How should responses be evaluated for suitability for the position? Do the perspectives of the council on key issues represent the perspectives of the voters? Does the Council need a veteran of the process or new thinking? Will the rationale for the choice made by the council be clearly explained in a transparent fashion?
Not sure how the Council is going to sort all that out. I agree with other comments here that unless the Council defers to the will of the voters by picking the candidate who was runner-up in the last election (Sass), then a special election is the solution.
Long Skiis:
Point of clarification: While there were only three Councilmembers present at the January 22nd meeting the City Attorney advised the Council and public that the passage of any Resolution, Ordinance, or expenditure of monies would require three yes votes by those Councilmembers present; a two to one vote would not allow a motion or action to pass. Thus on any action it made no difference that Councilmember Swanson was not present, she could have been there and voted no but if the other three voted yes the motion and action would have passed.
I agree that three Councilmembers looked like a sparse crowd but there are only four Councilmembers at this time when there should be five. If there was a full five person Council having one absent wouldn’t have looked as skimpy.
An election is the proper thing to do in this situation. It is absurd that the council feels they have the right to decide who fills Fortier’s seat. We the voters, and taxpayers, are the one’s who should make that choice.
For those who feel that someone who came in third should be appointed you are not logical. If we were voting on three people instead of two in the last election the outcome would have been way different and there is no way to know if Sass would have come in third.
Claire did a very selfish thing by not bowing out when she first became aware that she would be leaving Tahoe. She has done a huge disservice to the people of this town. I am so glad I know that I voted right when I did not vote for her!
Quite a lot of interesting comments and viewpoints. Hopefully, the council can make a good appointment in the best interests of the city and its residents.
Anyone wanting to review the applications of the individuals who applied to serve the remainder of this City Councilmember term can find that information at the following:
http://slt.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=6&event_id=107&meta_id=54400
And yes, Mr. Crawford filled in and signed his name in as “Billy” Crawford.
These council members were voted in to make decisions. If they can’t agree to appoint someone and instead decide to spend funds we do not have, than they are inept and can not work things out amongst each other. Not a good example to set.
For all who want an election, you elected these council members to lead our city. Let them do their job and appoint someone and support their decision to not have an election.
reza:
I completely agree with your remarks but unfortunately this community is so split that if this Council appoints it will be viewed as cronyism and there will be an outpouring of criticism. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, and I sure wouldn’t want to be in their shoes right now.
4-mer-usmc,
I wouldn’t want to be in the councils shoes either, they will be lambasted no matter what they do.I wouldn’t want that job even if it paid twice as much.
Step aside grey beards and give the ladies a shot at running things.
From One Old Geezer,Long Skiis.
Skiis and 4-mer
You guys are right. Now that the scam has been run, how can the newly elected members come out looking good? Do the right thing and let the people who chose them choose who else they want. Then enact legislation so this kind of trickery can’t happen again. They won’t since this was all choreographed like a Vegas show.
Reza
Maybe we don’t have money for the election BECAUSE they are inept.