SLT City Council candidate JoAnn Conner

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

JoAnn Conner, 67, Small Business Owner, 35 years in SLT.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

My interest is to serve my community. I have no personal agenda and I am beholden to no one entity or group. I am committed to listen to and serve the members of this community to the best of my ability.

I currently serve as City Council representative to the League of California Cities, currently serve as City Council representative to the Lodging Association, currently serve as the City Council subcommittee representative for the Senior Center and the Tahoe Coalition for the homeless.

I have served on the Airport Master Plan Committee, served on Recreation JPA, served on Solid Waste JPA, served on the Fields subcommittee from the City Council, represented the City Council on the Bicycle Coalition.

I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Lake Tahoe Cancer League, regularly attend the Tahoe Area Coordinating Council for the Disabled, am a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, have done fundraising for the Lake Tahoe Humane Society and Christmas Cheer, am a member of the Tahoe Art League, member of Friends of the Library, help the League to Save Lake Tahoe at the beach clean up on July 5th every year, and am a life time member of the Lake Tahoe Historical Society. I am a past President of the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, past Board Member of Tahoe Douglas Rotary, past Neighborhood Chairperson for Girl Scouts, past Co-packmaster for Boy Scout Pack #594. I am also an active member of the South Tahoe Action Team, created to train citizens to help in the event of an emergency situation in our community.

Concerning the proposed Hwy 50 Revitalization Project, what is your stance and why?

This has been a controversial subject for nearly forty years. The citizens have taken steps to show their elected officials they want a say in the final decision. The voters should decide this issue.

Do you believe there is a low income and affordable housing issue in SLT, and why? If you believe there is, what do you see your role as a council member to address it?

Absolutely. Rents and home prices are high and availability is low. We are losing our younger generation, our professionals, and our workforce because it is difficult to find a place to live. There are resources available from both state and private entities that would allow us to pursue more affordable housing here, and I am already working on those options. The Council could reduce fees and incentivize builders (as we did recently) to provide more housing options. I have discussions going with surrounding entities to work as a team to reduce fees and I believe we can do more to work with our large employers to build workforce housing.

It is unrealistic to expect people to commute long distances to work for a low wage. Commuting also increases the greenhouse emissions we are trying to reduce. When a family moves off the hill and then commutes to work here, they take their wages with them. They don’t put their children in our schools, so we lose teachers. They don’t take their children to our doctors or dentists, buy their groceries, clothing, sports equipment, or household goods here. They don’t patronize our restaurants. That affects the public services we can provide. We must work harder to bring more housing

Do you believe the Council should work as a team and collaborate to come to a solution as to what is best for the community? Explain your answer.

We serve at the pleasure and the direction of the citizens. We are not elected to do the work the Council or staff wants, we are elected to do what the citizens want. We have a diverse community and no one Council Member can understand or help everyone. That is why it is important that we have differing points of view on the Council. It is our job to do the most good for the majority, while helping and protecting the minority whenever possible. I believe the Council should listen to what the citizens want, then work as a team to fulfill the wishes of their bosses, the citizens.

A hot topic in the town are Vacation Home Rentals. The current Council and staff held public meetings on the subject and have come up with a new set of codes trying to address concerns. Do you think VHRs are a vital need to tourism in the community? What do you propose the next step should be since both sides of the issue are still concerned about the current direction?

First and foremost, we need to have better enforcement of the entire ordinance. The Citizens, the Board of Realtors, and the VHR management companies and owners have repeatedly stated this is what they want, yet I continue to hear residents have called and no one responds, or they come the next day. This causes discontent on every level. The next step is to place a moratorium on the building of mini motels in residential zones, and to pay attention to the saturation levels in neighborhoods. We are not listening to the residents, and we are “changing the character of the neighborhoods.” The current trend is a recipe for disaster. There has to be some common sense and consideration applied or the residents will insist on the enforcement of residential zoning laws, which they have every right to do. If that happens, there will be a domino effect that will have negative effects to this community.

What 3 achievable goals would you champion in the next 4 years?

• Take advantage of state and private funding to build more affordable and work force housing.
• Prioritize the budget to actually include regular, annual line item financing to repair and replace our roads .
• Bring our ADA and Sustainabilty plans into compliance with updates and goals set for achievement of same.

What areas of South Lake Tahoe do you think present an opportunity for revitalization? What do you view as your role?

Every area could stand some upgrades, but primary would be the Y area, which has not experienced much attention in decades. My role as a member of the Council would be to incentivize business owners by reducing fees to build green and add housing to their projects. There is money available for renovating some of the old motels and turning them into housing units. That would help, especially if it is in conjunction with the new bike paths as a transportation component.

In 300 words or less, why should voters vote for you?

I have experience and connections to get some key changes made to better benefit our citizens. I reach out to the underrepresented and I understand the challenges that small business owners face. I lobby for fees to stay low for seniors, veterans, small businesses and families. It is our job to serve our citizens and provide the best public safety services possible. Those should be our priorities, but when a citizen calls with a problem, we should respond and do our best to help them feel heard. I am out in the community often, and I hear you, South Lake Tahoe and Meyers. There is so much that still needs to be done, and I have passed the learning curve and still moving forward. Please vote to reelect Conner for Council 2016.