Seven South Lake Tahoe City Council candidates vying for votes at forum Wednesday

The seven candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were at Wednesday nights Candidate Forum at Lake Tahoe Golf Course. The Tahoe Chamber and Tahoe Daily Tribune hosted the evening which had Rabbi Evon Yakar moderating the questions and answers.

About 100 people showed up to listen to panel who were given questions prepared by the chamber's new political committee as well as those asked by the audience. The questions were asked of different candidates so not everyone was asked the same one.

One of the first questions of the evening addressed the candidate's opinion of the demeanor of the current City Council and if it promotes or hinders success.

"I have seen infighting in front of the public," said candidate Matt Palacio, "and its better to take personal problems behind doors." He said the Council's role is to set the tone and that polite discourse is healthy but need to respect others.

Wendy David said, "we need respect for each other at every single moment we represent the city we love, and a high calling to represent them with integrity." Tom Davis added, "differences are okay as long as we repect everyone"

All agreed that the town needs improvement but that they were happy with what's happened so far. Wendy said the town is tired, faded and dated. "We look like an old town."

Bruce Grego said that one of the biggest barriers to a healthy quality of life in SLT are the land use restrictions. "We've had oppressive land use policies in the past. We need better jobs, flexible land use policies to encourage growth." He said he wasn't see the dramatic growth he felt the town should be seeing.

The future, teamwork and integrity seemed to be a common theme. "The Council doesn't have all the answers and the community doesn't have all the answers, but together we can find them," said Brooke Laine. "What's going on in this community is great and I fee it as I've never felt it before."

Austin Sass said he's been talking to the Latino population and sees that the most pressing issues for them are transportation, bike paths, quality of housing and its education. "We need a Latino voice and need to get them to City Council meetings and get them involved," he said.

Sass said that he wants to take the Tahoe Valley Area Plan back to the community even though they've been involved in several meetings about the project. He'd also like to see the tourists taxed to build it and not the locals.

"We need to finalize the adoption of the Tahoe Valley Area Plan," said Angela Swanson. "We've engaged the community to get them involved. We have to be the cheerleaders to get private partners to move forward."

"The Council's job is to lead policy and for too long they were behind the times. The Council has progressed to being that leader," added Swanson.

Another common thread was how to replace the lost income from the parking meters. "We need to increase tourism and increase our visitor level," said Tom Davis. He said he wants to see the 56 Acre Project become a reality and that it will be huge for the community. "We need a year round complex to accommodate and increase in sports activity."

The group of candidates were all asked one question the same: Would they vote to use eminent domain for infrastructural improvements in South Lake Tahoe. All said "yes" except for Grego's "no." All those in favor said they stressed the use only as a last resort and only if done responsibly and reasonably.

A South Tahoe Now Puzzle:

Match the quote with the candidate:

A. Wendy David
B. Tom Davis
C. Brooke Laine
D. Bruce Grego
E. Matt Palacio
F. Austin Sass
G. Angela Swanson

__ 1. Help us solve these problems, we're in this together.

__ 2. We need a town hall every month.

__ 3. Raising the TOT is not the answer.

__ 4. Don't need to raise taxes, we need to raise quality.

__ 5. We need to respect each other at every single moment.

__ 6. It's disappointing the public doesn't show up for
important issues.

__ 7. I prefer 3-2 votes because it means a healthy
discussion has taken place.

( Answers: 1 - C, 2 - F , 3 - E , 4 - B, 5 - A, 6 - D, 7 - G)