Op/Ed: Let’s send a message

Dear voters,

I’m hoping you will send a message by voting for me to work for you on the South Tahoe Public Utility District Board. I’ve been a local 40 years, through droughts, storms, power outages and great sunny powder ski days.

At 21, I opened Happy Steak Restaurant and owned it for 16 years. I was CEO of the California based South Lake Tahoe Chamber for 12 years and I taught Business and Personnel at LTCC. I have a BA in business administration and I’m a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management. I’m a past STPUD Board member.

I worked hard to keep rates low, treat the employees with respect, balance the budget and build the infrastructure needed to keep drinking water clean and available for fighting fires. I stood firm against special interests then and I’m doing it again now. My vote is not for sale. I left the Board for 7 years giving me time to reflect on doing the job even better. Tami and I have raised Ryan, Miles, Allyssa and Chris here and now as adoptive parents, 7 year old Riley. We’ve been involved in every aspect of making life better for families, including education, community improvement, coaching sports, music, and youth groups. We love our town.

This is your Utility District and your money. You elect five people to serve you, not to rule over you. Besides needing to protect our town from fire by having upgraded water pipes there are two other issues that need tackling. One issue that has upset the homeowners is the State mandate to install water meters on every home. I will support the fairest way to set rates for water use. The second thing recently that has the ratepayers upset is the timing of a rate increase and then a raise for most of the District employees. My reputation and past record prove that I will work hard to reach the right balance of rates without throwing the employees under the bus. Both goals can be accomplished by a fair common sense businesslike approach to solving problems together. I will listen to you.

When we get elected as Board members we don’t become overnight geniuses. We are just a group of 5 people who should listen to everyone and gather all the information we can and then cast our vote as you would if you had been there with us. Your vote for me will send a message that you want fair, independent leaders who will listen to you. I’ll honor your vote with hard work. Please call or e-mail with any ideas or questions. (530) 545-3563 duane_wallace@hotmail.com

Duane Wallace