Letter: Why Measure C makes sense

To the community,

As someone who drives on South Lake Tahoe’s deteriorating, embarrassing roads every day, I was sad to see Lake Tahoe News publish an editorial urging voters to maintain the status quo of dangerous potholes and crumbling streets.

The opposition to Measure C is so quick to point out the city’s history of not providing funding for our roads, but fails to examine why this is the case. We’ve elected city council after city council for over 50 years now, and you’re telling me that every one of them conspired to mismanage funding away from roads? There’s no political capital in not funding road repairs – a council that fixed our roads would be local heroes.

No, the reason for our ugly road problem is the budget itself. Take a look at its details and its intricacies, I have. Our city’s budget is online and available to anyone. The fact is, despite what the stated goals of South Lake Tahoe’s founders were, the budget was not constructed in a way that adequately funds road repairs, much less the reconstruction and renovation that our inferiorly paved roads need to properly serve our community.

Saying “vote no” because you think the city is irresponsible with its money is the short-sighted solution. Doing so ensures that the very council members you say are mismanaging funds continue to have the power to do so. The only recourse that California cities have available to ensure funds consistently go to roads and cannot be diverted for other purposes is to pass a measure like Measure C. Truckee did it. Placerville did it. Why can’t we?

Look at your options. Vote yes on Measure C to fix potholes, repair dangerous cracks and see our city thrive. Vote against it and watch our streets continue to wither away. Join me. Vote yes on C.

Kirt Willard, South Lake Tahoe