Letter: Consider S. Tahoe council incumbents’ records before voting
To the community,
The City Council election is less than a month away. Who will get the gold ring on the city’s merry-go-round? There are two incumbents on the ballot. Hal Cole and Bruce Grego. Cole has served on the council 16 years. He poses as one who has done no harm in serving. No harm, no foul.
But his record says otherwise. Repeatedly he has supported redevelopment (RD) schemes that have put the city in a hole financially. In 1995, he voted to take all the TOT money in RD area one and use it to service the RD debt. TOT is a general tax dollar. Over the years $40 million have been taken from the general fund to service RD debt. The RD long-term debt is $200 million. No wonder the streets are crumbling and that there’s no city hall.
Bill Crawford
Cole voted for the city’s parking garage, a loser from day one. And he was the cheerleader for the convention center deal. His name is on the contract.
Cole, in 2000, voted for and pushed hard for Measure S, which has been political chaos for 12 years. Also, he and others put pressure on the city attorney to rush the adoption of the first contract on Lakeview Commons, which ended in the city losing a lawsuit. Money was lost and the project was delayed a year. Cole has done great harm.
The incumbent, Bruce Grego, sacrificed his integrity on the alter of greed when he colluded with the city manager [at the time] and the assistant city attorney [at the time] to cut a $937.50 city check for Grego. Cole, to his credit, said Grego should return the money to the city. I wanted Grego censure, but couldn’t get the vote to do so.
Don’t forget to vote.
Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe
PS: T.E. Lawrence wrote, “Old and wise means tired and disappointed.” Amen.
Vote Sass and Conner! That’s who were marked on the ballot I sent off last Saturday. It’s time for a council that lives in the here and now and leads towards the future!
Crawford likes to point fingers, but he was on the council when Randy Lane and his backers brought their Hole to this town. How is it Randy is not held to account for what he and his lawyers did to this community? Look into the files and you’ll see he misled everyone, Crawford too I am sure. Crawford has a habit of throwing stones without first seeing through his own looking glass. Cole has selflessly dedicated himself to this city and not once has he acted in a manner embarrassing to our town, I can’t say the same for Crawford not in the slightest. While I regrettably agree with Crawford regarding Grego its because he’s focused on the interests of himself and his friends, just like Swanson, and there’s no place in our council for that.
I remember Crawford’s antics on council destroying our town as if it was just yesterday, why in fact it was just the last election. Bill, what did you do to improve our town, or bring us jobs. Your constant complaining didn’t help our small business owners.
I don’t expect our council member to make no mistakes, I do expect them to admit those mistakes and make it easier to run our businesses in town. Cole’s been pushing the City to get our tahoe valley plan done and finally we may be getting one. Tj maxx coming to our part of town is going to bring people to our businesses and pick up the Y, which we need if we are going to survive. This council has finally started improving our roads, which Crawford didn’t do once when on council and instead focused on calling people names and making us look like fools. We’re finally getting something done and Cole’s been pushing the city to do something along with Fortier and the RPU, looks like we just might pull out of this thing.
Voting for council isn’t personal, don’t vote for your friend who you think will vote for your pet project, (Grego’s funded by those who want him to vote no on loop road), vote for those who can work together to keep fixing our roads, bring in jobs and new businesses, and are dedicated to the town. Cole and Conner could do it, Cole and Sass if Sass will work with others. We need to keep investing in this town and fix it up.
Only funded Bruce Grego AFTER his vote and clarity with the loop road.. Do NOT need members with with strong financial backing from Nevada interests Park Cattle Co., South Shore Vision (former Gaming Alliance, etc.. We already have Claire and Angela, Sass would make the majority. Council members need to represent South Lake Tahoe residents first – we pay the taxes! Our community is not named “Tahoe South”.
MCKeen, since when did you become a resident? You live in the county.
Second, Grego now supports a loop road as witnessed in the last vote to send a letter to the TTD asking that they consider three new routes. All you seem to care about is that the loop road not go through your property. You publicly supported the loop road as long as it went through through the vacant city owned lot west of your commercial real estate.
As this paper said about Grego, “And we can’t re-elect the other incumbent – a man who seems so incredibly out of touch with the residents of South Lake Tahoe. The depth of Bruce Grego is questionable. Nothing substantive comes out of his mouth.” Couple that with Bill’s comments above and the picture is clear about who should not be voted in.
Frank, Bill had ONE vote and it was never for the hole, check your facts! lou pierini not lew.
Dry, Mr. McKeen pays taxes that go to the city, business that pay taxes and is concerned about SLT’s future. Nevada interest don’t pay taxes to SLT and has never had ANY land taken from them for the public good!
Frank get your facts straight. The city’s roads are in terrible condition, Very little improvement at the same time the county has made significant improvements on a lot of there roads. We voted 1965 to make this a city to have better streets, snow removal and fire protection. Now they also want to out source fire protection. Our city leaders have totally lost focus on why the City of South Lake Tahoe was founded in the first place.
Mr. Pierini:
Bill Crawford didn’t have a vote on the hole as he wasn’t on the City Council when that was passed. He could have voiced his objection at the Council meeting when that City Council approved the Chateau Project but he didn’t stay around at the meeting for the 1:00 p.m. time certain discussion. He departed the meeting after the public communications portion in the morning after insisting that the City place boulders on the roadside in the Keys to prevent auto and boat trailer parking.
If Bill Crawford wasn’t such a cynical curmudgeon maybe I could actually take something he says seriously. It just seems to me that now, as when he served on the City Council, it’s always been the same old criticizing coupled with a failure to offer any positive suggestions for improvements.
I like quotes too Bill. Please select from any of the following:
“A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.” – Sidney J. Harris
“The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and never fails to see a bad one. He is a human owl, vigilant in darkness, and blind to light, moussing for vermin, and never seeing noble game.” – Henry Ward Beecher
“A cynic is just a man who found out when he was about ten that there wasn’t any Santa Claus, and he’s still upset.” – James Gould Cozzens
As an aside, being old and wise doesn’t mean that one needs to be tired and disappointed.
Well said 4-Mer. Crawford’s entire contribution to the city was to close down trailer parking on Venice and take the Keys Marina away from locals. The marina gave locals a great deal on a season pass and Crawford successfully killed it. Great job Bill! Would hate to see people out having fun.
Okay, I need to ask is what Bill said true? Amazing the article is about the candidates, but seems more focus here is on the writer and responders. Personally, I don’t care what Bill did whenever, I want to know the facts about the incumbents. That’s all.
Frank ,Frank who? Hal has had 16 years guiding the city through a series of complex maneuvers. Then by slight movements as a leader every four years. Giving him the ability to continue with slight movements for the remaining three years.
Similar too a dresser in prepartion for Dressage
It’s time for NEW people to be on the council. New people, new ideas, new direction. The reruns have had their chance, even a old classic movie loses it’s charm if played too often.
Dry-clean – you need to use your real name, hiding behind false identities gives you’re statements no merit. Come “clean”! Thank you.
Doesn’t the first amendment also guarantee the right to anonymous free speech?
Not when you yell fire when there is no fire.
So is it okay to yell fire if you use you own name?
Miss the point.
Lou I doubt that he missed the point ! No doubt Frank is a staunch member of or somehow connected to the Republican Central Committee.
Read Frank’s folly again note the use of the buzz words, Randy,Lawyers,selflessly dedicated,destroying our town,small business owners,pushing the city,bring people,pick up the Y, this council ,improving our roads,on council,focused,finally,Coles pushing,do something, (after 16 years)include the last para!! OMG Bills bad Hal saves