SLT Council Candidate Douglas Williams

South Tahoe Now reached out to all nine candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council and provided the same list of questions to each one of them. Once a day their answers will be published in the order received.

Today's candidate is Douglas Williams

Profession: Hospitality

How many years in SLT: 10 years

1. Explain why you are running for City Council and what your qualifications are. I love living in South Lake Tahoe and we have some amazing people here. It is my belief that we can improve on our quality of living here. I will devote myself full time to make things happen. Housing, Roads and Fire Safety are my main concerns. I am Currently on the Board of Directors for Tahoe Home Connection and Christmas Cheer all Year. I am a member of the Planning Commission. My professional background is in insurance and real estate finance and sales.

2. There has been talk about making South Lake Tahoe a Charter City. Are you for or against this, and why? I am not for it. Having a strong mayor may not be best for our community as many times mayors have been elected by popularity versus having the proper skills needed to run our city. It is better to hire a professional who has the background to handle overseeing each department.

3. How many council meetings have you attended (Remotely and in person) and participated in? What changes, if any, would you bring to the table on how meetings are run? Ideas for more public participation? Through the years I have spoken to the city council over 20 times and attended many in person without speaking. I have watched many remotely. When we are allowed to reopen for in person council meetings, I believe we should continue using the zoom platform for those who are unable to attend in person.

4. Are you for or against the US50 Revitalization Project, known as the Loop Road, and why? I can see both sides of this issue. However, I feel that they will not receive funding for this project, as the state and federal governments have higher funding priorities than the Loop Road. I will not vote for the city to use eminent domain.

5. What are your thoughts on the 56 Acre Parcel and what should be included? I was on the Measure P campaign committee to raise the funding for a new recreation center. We can do some amazing things with that parcel. Of course, I’m excited about the new recreation center going in there. It will be great if it could be a place for the community to gather for events like concerts in the park, art fairs and community sporting events like soccer, basketball etc.

6. Being on council takes a lot of cooperation and collaboration. Do you consider yourself a team player? How do you work with others that may not have the same vision as you? Please explain how your election to the council will help get things done in South Lake Tahoe. The first consideration a council member must know is that it is all about the city and not the council member. If you put the needs of the entire city first, you cannot go wrong. We must treat other council members and citizens with respect at all times. Never let your emotions get the better of you. I would listen carefully to the other members and find the best solutions to issues.

7. What is your top priority and why? Fire safety is my top priority. It has been 13 years since the Angora Fire and yet we have never done a practice evacuation plan with our citizens. The rest of El Dorado county has numerous Fire Safety Councils, we don’t have one. They also have numerous certified fire wise communities. We have just created one, which was started by community members. The city fire department MUST take the lead on this life and death threat.

8. What do you see yourself accomplishing as one of five council members in your first six months? I would like to see a Fire Safe Council formed and operating and numerous Fire Wise communities certified.

I would also like to see a nonprofit take the lead on contacting unused second homes that can be rehabilitated and rented out to locals. The city currently has over 2 million dollars of federal housing funds that can be loaned out to make these homes habitable. After expenses half of the rental income can pay of the loan and the other half goes to the owner. This is a WIN/WIN/WIN for everyone.

0. South Lake Tahoe is very polarized right now. As a councilperson, what would you do to create a more cohesive and respectful community? We have become very polarized as a city. This can partially be blamed on social media. We need to come together more, face to face. The fire wise community program will go far to help. People working together in their local neighborhood towards a common goal of reducing fire fuel loads. Part of these events would include barbeques and potluck events, maybe even some music. Of course, all of this would be after the COVID danger has significantly decreased. I would love to see a community-wide event that would include food, carnival rides, games. Much like a county fair, but exclusively for people of the basin. If we get to know each other better, we will learn that we all love this town. Maybe we can then all pull together to improve our community.

10. Anything else you’d like to add? We need to go over the city budget and eliminate waste. Seven years ago, our budget was in the $28.5 million range. It is now about $40 million; surely, we can find some items that we could save on and dedicate those funds to our roads.

Our bus system needs to be revamped. We spend way too much for it with extraordinarily little to show for it. The Tart system on the North Shore does much more with about the same funding.

The small city of Gonzales, Ca has recently started a program of universal 4G Wi-Fi for every resident, and its free for their residents. We should explore this for our town. It cost the city about $180 per household for this service. We can get creative to finance this.

Previous candidate responses
Daniel P. Browne, Jr.
Keith Roberts
Leonard Carter
Scott Robbins
John Friedrich
Bruce Grego