Scott, obviously you care. I disagree that this is about age.

This is about an old boy network of which Laine, Davis and Cole are bonafide members. That is why you did not get serious consideration from the current council. This is about people like these three who owe way too many favors and are inept and such would never allow an intelligent newbie on. They branded you as too green, as in environmentally green, early in the process.

Most importantly its about the majority of voters who do not want change. Thus they are Ok with the old guard staying in positions of power. Ask yourself how the guy responsible for the “hole” in the ground gets re-elected twice after he screwed this up. The majority of the voters do not care about our local economy. They do not care about creating new jobs. They do not give a damn if the tourists come or not. They have their homes, retirement income or steady job with the city, county, STPUD, Barton, etc. They have their hiking trails, ski resorts, lake, sunsets and whatever they need already.

As to our business community, how many stepped up and voiced an opinion in the last election or at the appointment process. The answer, almost none. Did you see an opinion from Sprouts, Fresh Ketch, Powderhouse, Heavenly, Cantina, Nephele’s, Freshies, Meeks, Steamers, Chevy’s, safeway, Raleys, Evans, Grocery Outlet, Apres Wine, Rude Brothers, Nel’s, Tahoe Bowl, Embassy Suites, Motel 6, etc. The answer is NO! Ask yourself why not if they care and want change.

You state that this is the junkiest town you have ever lived in. If you run again, you will rue those words. People will interpret this to mean they are white trash living in junky homes. Who will vote for someone who is associated with comments like these?

Want to disprove this? Knock on doors and see how many young professionals live in the city limits. See how many are willing to support your change. I fear you will not see the numbers to support your dream.

Parting advice, start looking for another job in a town that cares. This one does not. I think you will be happier.

Scott, thanks for being such a clear voice for change. I read your words about our junky town in the MTN News and for the last few days driving around town I finally just admitted to myself that you are 100% right. Improvements have been made, but so much more to do. Do not regret speaking the truth, it resonates with many people.

Regarding the city council, I share many of your beliefs. Mostly though, I think they chose someone to fill the vacancy who they didn’t have to get ‘up to speed.’ Not that you do, but it makes it easier on them.

You, Tyler Cannon and Jason Drew need to take over.

You will have support and go ahead and disregard dryclean above, plenty of young professional people in the city AND county want our town to improve too.

Thanks for making an effort. The CC needs needs new blood and ideas.

As a property owner in the Ski Run area, I have also been following the sale of that lot and agree that if a Rite Aid goes in it will represent a wasted opportunity for the city. Maybe that sale will fall apart or the developer will wish to do something different but I think it was clear that the city had more leverage before it sold the lot than it will afterwards.

Scott,
Politics is a nasty game. You seem to have a real “nice guy trying to do the right thing” feel about you. Be really careful about what you say. Every word can be taken out of context and used against you. “Junky”. Meaning the look, the availability of social services, the lack of viable options for affordable gas and shopping for locals, the preponderance of drugs and crime in such a small community, the paucity of any faith in local officials to do the right things with honesty and integrity? What do you mean by “Junky”?

BTW, even though I don’t go to a lot of these meetings, one reasons I miss more during the winter months(summer time I can ride my bicycle)is that no go(oh yeah, it is really blue go) has unacceptable service to often.

You said it Scott. This is a young mans town run by a bunch of old timer’s with no vision and no desire to change it. Good luck to you. Until you get rid of the good ‘ol boy network this town will never change. And the same goes for the good ‘ol boy network running America! They’ve both helped to run our communities into third world status.

I expect that one of the reasons you don’t see a lot of existing businesses in town asking for a major redevelopment of the city is the expectation of high taxes to cover it. Eminent domain is costly, and would be required to make this the ‘Alpine Utopia’ of which you speak… The bad economy is also not helpful as reduced demand and increased competition from the Indian casinos makes increased spending not feasible… Imagination is needed, but it must be fiscally sound… Maybe start with the hole-in-the-ground?

Another Rite-Aid!!! If indeed that is true, that would make 8 chain drug stores. Do we really need another chain drug store?

I appreciate everyone caring enough to comment. This is great! Do you find it ironic that people say they want less government turn around and blame government on their city’s problems? There is a dumpy look to our town but is it the city’s job to fix it all? No. Look at the landlords/building owners in this town. They should update their buildings (like the nice job they did at the pawn shop/restaurant complex). New siding and a welcoming and spruced up entrance would do wonders. Good attitude and an over the top service does wonders too.

I was young in the town once. I became active at work which evolved into committees and PTAs, Pop Warner and service clubs and non-profits. To say this town is against the young is absolutely not true. I see the city wanting commission members, volunteer corps and more. Maybe the town doesn’t vote young because they don’t know you yet…serve and be noticed. It is hard to jump into being a part of this town at the top (no matter what your age is).

I want a spruced up town but I believe we need to start at the bottom up. Take pride in what you do, what you own, where you work, etc. I always look at life as being a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

I gotta agree with the dumpy comment. I moved here 6 years ago from a big city thinking I would find a community concerned with sustainable living and living in harmony with the beautiful surroundings. Instead I found a community with many areas that are run down, a mentality stuck in the past, and a large segment of the population that is fine with the status quo or simply doesn’t care because this is not their home. They’ll be here for a season or two and move on.

In addition you have a large segment of the business community that treats their employees as expendable due to the amount of new blood that continually comes through town. Now, I realize the seasonal nature of this town and that’s fine with me, but when you have one job during the summer, one in the winter, and have to reapply each season with no guarantee of getting your job back. Well…it gets disheartening and demoralizing after a while (i.e. loyalty from the employee to the employer but none in the other direction).

Add on to that unplanned neighborhoods, absentee landlords that don’t care, and a pervasive and permissive drug culture. Well you get what you see in front of you. I moved here single and fancy free and in some ways was willing to put up with all these things.

I’m now 33, have a young family and really see no future here for us. No business opportunity, no cohesive or clear vision for the future, and very little civic leadership. So it’s time to move on.

I wonder how many others have been in my situation and thought the same thing. I do love this place and want to see it prosper but it seems there are too many roadblocks.

Thanks Scott for writing this piece.

Nice comments. The reality is that the same old, same old will prevail because there are no jobs for 25-45 somethings unless you want seasonal work with no benefits. That’s why people like Dude (see above) can’t stay here. The reality is that despite all of the truths above, the people who vote do not want change. If they did, how do individuals like Cole and Davis get re-elected over and over? They more than perhaps anyone other than Lovell, Grego, Upton and the likes of Laine and her mother are why this town is dying. No vision, uneducated projects, and their belief that the physical existence of the lake and taking care of their small business friends are all that matters.

The voters may be stupid, but they are the voters. As Bruce Grego once said, “the voters are always right”. Too bad, but that’s the way the votes are counted.

I , too, agree with Scott’s sentiments about our crappy looking town in paradise, but let’s not get too carried away with the vilification of those in office. Anywhere there is power there is corruption and our city council is no different. However, these people are doing what they can, for little or no money and countless hours of time, and here we are, for better and worse. We are all human. We who care and want to see change have to begin the process by: 1. Paying attention 2. Getting involved and 3.Trying to keep it positive, its a big rock to push and we need many shoulders.
I am very optimistic about our future here and point to the wildly successful transformation of the Lakeview Commons as proof that things can happen, in our lifetimes! Look at the transformation of California’s financial picture lately, change can happen. I’m not sure how we do here either but I am looking forward to finding out.

End the nonsense, waste, duplicity, higher taxes, and stupid actions. Dissolve the city now. High tech companies are not going to move to South Lake Tahoe and listen to their employees gripe every time they have to shovel out their street mailboxes after the snowplows pass and thoughtlessly leave snow berms blocking them.

Scott, Thank you for a great piece.
I agree with many of your views, particularly “this is the dumpiest place I have ever lived, surrounded by the best place I have ever lived.” I am dismayed every time I drive down Highway 50 and see the likes of the Trout Creek Motel and why nothing has been done about this eyesore. It should be condemned. At the least, why are the sign ordinances not enforced?
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but can only suggest that some of the property owners/businesses should be given an incentive to fix up their properties. Kudos to a business like Blue Dog Pizza for taking an old building and fixing it up. They should be recognized and held up as an example of what can be done.
I would also suggest the Chamber not only have marketing seminars, but teach their members the importance of LANDSCAPING and a fresh coat of paint! It’s a small start, but can make a big difference.
You are certainly correct in your reasoning on why there are not more people at meetings. I work 8 to 5 and my schedule is NOT flexible, so cannot attend. There were over 100 people at the Al Tahoe neigborhood meeting last fall(to discuss Harrison Ave project) when it was held in the evening. So, there are people who are interested and involved when they have a chance. Please continue to stay involved and I hope to see you run for the council at the next time.

Ever since I’ve lived here people have complained about City Councilmembers that serve multiple terms still running SLT. How about reducing this circumstance to its lowest common denominator which is who keeps voting these same people into office? While people want to place all blame for this City’s maladies on the City Councilmembers alone there is a contingent of local residents and business owners/operators that support like-minded candidates and they vote them into office. I think that contingent constituency would love to see improvements in our town such as those at Lakeview Commons but they are unwilling to put out any of their own money for improvements and always want someone else to pay for everything. For example, when the City attempts to enforce the sign ordinance code on non-compliant businesses they get a litany of reasons from business owners/operators why they shouldn’t have to comply, and if those are the guys that voted a candidate into office that Councilmember may feel obligated to protect that constituent who is frequently referred to as one of the “good old boys”. As long as the people who think “this is good enough”, or “I’m not paying for anything” continue to control the election results this town will continue deteriorating. If you want real change and improvements then get involved and directly inform the City Council what it is you expect of them, and not via a blog on a website but via an email to them at the City’s website, and if they don’t start giving you what you want then get out and vote for it in November 2014. The alternative is acceptance that some local residents and business owners/operators with no sense of vision, pride, and the unwillingness to make any capital investment toward the improvement of their own asset and our community will continue to rule this town.

It is not only the City Council that is culpable for this situation; it is also some of the local residents and business owners/operators.

I just walked Raley’s (Crescent V) to MontBleu and back today, and noticed that it was so run down looking, huge potholes in the road and in driveways to the casinos, you really can’t look more than 2 feet without seeing some blight, so it just adds up, and makes the whole place look “Dumpy”. Streets full of inches of dirt (when was the last sanding after a snow storm?), beer bottles, trash can in front of CVS overflowing with drink containers and garbage. The buildings (casinos) around Stateline look right out of the 70’s or earlier, very minimal upgrade, and the interiors are kept barely on the edge of not being too rundown. How many times I have come in from the garage at Harvey’s and they have buckets set out to collect the leaking roof, the garage including stairwells is gross. Montbleu’s stairs from the box office to the casino floor are thread bear at the edges.

I understand big casino corporations that really have no ties to the community are going to stick to there bottom lines, make as much profit as possible, this includes investing as little as possible into the properties, so you keep your profit margin high, I totally understand that, but here’s the question… Even if we thought the Loop road might pour prosperity into the region, why would we think by the Casinos current actions with taking care of their properties, that anything would be different?

Embassy did look pretty good from the curb, but I did not go in ;)

I don’t know what the answer is, do we expect that if the city (taxpayers) invest in town improvements, that businesses will automatically also upgrade, or do we force them through Redevelopment? Do we need to do something really big, as mentioned earlier, and create a themed town similar to Leavenworth, WA? Where should we start? and also consider that many have been trying to make improvements to this town for decades, and it is a huge challenge, that is more often unsuccessful. Not to be negative, but we really need to know what we are up against ;) Are people willing to make sacrifices to improve the town, even if it’s not what they want? or will NAMBY’s perpetuate the downward spiral of this area?

Careaboutthecommunity: You’ve just pointed out many flaws. The only positive comment was about Embassy Suites which I believe just went through bankruptcy.
Don’t know how that mixes into them looking the best.
You state you don’t know what the answer is but offer some questions about where to start.

I’d suggest we start at 1965 when some people decided we needed a City Government. I’d like to see the original paperwork upon which the State authorized the city to form. What were the specific reasons the residents wanted this. I’m sure there were only a few. Now let’s compare those few charters to all the things the city is trying to do today.

Has the city taken on too much? Should the city cut back to serve the original reason it was formed? Would that simplify the role of the City Council and allow them to manage the city rather than becoming a “lets find revenue wherever we can” committee while still not being able to provide basic services like paving our streets?

Do we need a city fire department rather than private industry like Rural Metro
http://www.ruralmetro.com/
where each homeowner contracts for service rather than it going through the tax process? My personal experience with them was they charged 1/3 what I paid after the city took over providing the same service. That should reduce our property taxes which would give us more money to spend in our neighborhoods. My experience tells me that there are very few things which government does better and cheaper than industry. There are a few like defending against foreign agression but the list is short.

What other roles has the city taken on which it was not intended to do when it started? Ice rink, parking garage, paid street parking, airport, etc, etc.

Reduce and simplify their role and have residents accept their responsibility to make the place where they live one which they are proud of.
Don’t relinquish your personal responsiblity to some government entity which we continue to complain about. Make the city do only what it was intended for in the charter the residents gave it.
Take back your neighborhoods, become proud of what you personally can do, reduce your taxes and tell this entity everyone complains about you want them doing less not more.

I forgot, the other place that looked good was the gondola area, and the village area. the Ice rink was hopping, and many kids were hooked up in bungee harnesses leaping about over near the movie theater, so this was a pretty good pocket of a mostly clean, well cared for area.

Raley’s shopping center looked in pretty good shape too, except for the huge potholes you have to try to dodge from HWY 50 to turn into the center.

I would not hold my breath waiting for the Casinos to do anything to improve. Caesars owns Harvey’s and Harrahs and they are so leveraged we should be happy they haven’t just shut them down. Mont Blu’s parent company is in financial straights, the Horizon is just waiting to be torn down and the Lakeside is just a local bar with a couple of table games and a few slots. The city of SLT was formed at a time when growth was huge. Life was 24/7. Money flowed like water. Hotels and motels flourished. Bartender at one of the casinos was a hundred K job and most of it was in non reported tips. There were jobs for everyone who wanted one. The family base was huge. The high school won state championships in basketball. Those days are GONE! No more will we be suckling on the teats of the pre “gambling everywhere” casinos. New people with New Ideas are what’s needed now. Sprucing up the front yard is not going to bring the jobs that will be full time and have enough income potential to attract quality people who will take pride in their community. Having a home in a “nice” part of town, I can tell you how frustrating it is to be one of maybe three homes that have lights up for Christmas or lights on for trick or treaters. The rest are all vacation rentals or summer homes. Jobs. Family values. A sense of a real community not a place for drifters and graft artists. It all starts with jobs.

Laketoohigh, good point, quality jobs, that solves many things, and without them, you have nothing, but a deteriorating town, as no one can afford to settle down, buy a home, or raise a family on a minimum wage job with no, or very few benefits. I imagine it’s a great fun life for one that is young, fancy free, and wants to ski and party everyday, but that demographic is unable to grow a town and make it prosperous, except for a few corporate honchos that will reap the benefits of their labor.

This town can’t survive with 40 (I’m guessing here) people prospering, and the rest living at the poverty line, so how do we reinvent ourselves, or aid individuals to take risks and reinvent themselves (new businesses) to increase our amount of successful families living in this town?

I think quality jobs are a huge part of the answer.

Laketoohigh and Careaboutthecommunity:

I think you’re right on the money regarding jobs. While recreation is a component part of this town’s economic driver I believe that diversification is necessary to create jobs other than minimum wage that service tourists. We need more jobs that pay a decent wage so people can afford to live here, buy a home, raise a family, and so we can have a more permanent population and tax base. More minimum wage jobs won’t do that. So much business is conducted electronically it would make sense to try to attract call centers that service customers such as those for the insurance industries and computer industries, certain types of non-profit organizations, the types of businesses that don’t need to be in a financial hub area like San Francisco but can operate and conduct their business outside those venues. Another idea I really like is LTCC President Murillo’s of highly specialized programs that would be considered preeminent in their fields such as in Fire Science and the environment that would attract individuals seeking degrees considered prestigious along with the needed faculty to teach them, plus the think tanks that generally set up shop nearby such as what happened near Stanford. While these suggestions aren’t the entire answer to better jobs with better incomes they could be a start and one of the component parts of what supports this community economically. Having such great economic dependence on one revenue generator that provides mostly minimum wage jobs will not provide the answers and the volatility of a bad economy such as the recent recession has far too much economic impact as was amply demonstrated.

The question I ask is do we want to stand around wringing our hands hoping that the tourists will come and save us economically or do we want to take some control over our financial future?

4-mer-usmc,
As always you penned a well written and thoughtful comment. That’s one of the reasons I like LTN, people expressing themselves and their ideas in a way that opens my mind to other points of view.
I wish we had some other form of income for So. Shore instead of so much of it being related to tourism in one form or another. I don’t see anything on the horizon as an alternative but you do have several good suggestions 4-mer and I hope they pan out as it would be great not to rely entirely on the tourist dollars (sorry, meant to say “guest” dollars) to keep this town afloat.
This town needs good paying jobs! If you’ve lived here for even a short amount of time you know how expensive it is to get by here on So.Shore.
Fix the town, create jobs and adjust the wages so people can live and stay here! Old Long Skiis
‘

OldLongSkis,”Please don’t call my town dumpy and junky! Needs work? You bet, but hey, it’s a fixer upper and for a good price at that I might add”

$200K-$300K a good price with with maybe $200-$300 a month in land owner taxes in the city of South Lake Tahoe. Maybe if you are from a rough part of Marin it might seem cheap. Places down the road probably not a fixer upper maybe around $100K and $10-$100 a month in property taxes.

Old Long Skis:

My condolences on the loss of your dog—that’s really the pits. Dogs bring us a lot of joy but losing them is really the downside of that nice relationship. Wish I could offer up something to make you feel better but I know that’s not possible. Good luck to you, cohort geezer.

4-mer

A lot of people seem to be very negative about this city. Yes we have a lot of dumpy motels along highway 50 all of these do not cater to our guest rather to low income people who cant get regular rentals because of different reasons a good many of these people have dependency problems. If the city did something about this unlawful use it would force the owners to close or invest in their property to attract our visiting guest. As far as this town being dumpy we are improving. Highway 50 has been more than half way resurfaced, with sidewalks. Lights will be added next year. The rest from the y to trout creek is scheduled in next years building year. A great many of the older motels in the stateline and ski run area have been upgraded in the last 5 years and instead of rundown motels being the norm they are really the minority now. There is scheduled to be construction on retail stores with a 40 ft setback in the hole this building season. New big 5, TJ Maxx, Harrison Ave(construction this year) Lakeview commons, we have had and will have a lot of things going on to improve our dumpy town.
In the calendar year 2011 the number of visitor room rentals were up 6% over 2010 and 2012 was up 12%. Money that was doing nothing is now being put into upkeep of bike trails and ball parks this year.
I keep hearing people saying that we need a google or other high tech company up here. Where would we put them they would need a 5 to 10 acre site with 50 to 60% coverage and the ability to take down hundreds of trees. Have you tried to get a tree removal permit for 1 tree? We don’t have such a site that I know of.