SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – For the past two weeks, we have been sharing the South Lake Tahoe City Council candidate’s answers to questions. All 13 candidates were asked the same questions, but only 11 candidates responded. We never heard from Doug Williams or Veronica Morales. Now it is the City Clerk candidate’s chance to respond to their own set of questions. The only one we heard from was Michelle Davis, and no response was received from her opponent, Brandi Bannister.
The election is on November 3, 2026.
Name: Michelle Elaine Davis
Occupation and how long: Assistant City Clerk for the City of South Lake Tahoe (3 years)
Education: I graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Chico with a double major in Sociology and Criminal Justice
What qualifications do you have to be the City Clerk? Do you have any certifications? I have served as the Assistant City Clerk for the City of South Lake Tahoe for the past three years. In this role, I have gained extensive firsthand experience with the responsibilities, procedures, and daily operations of the City Clerk’s Office.
I have responded to hundreds of Public Records Act requests, attended and supported City Council meetings, and prepared official meeting minutes. I have also filed required documentation for local elections, served as Clerk to the Planning Commission, and supported the preparation and maintenance of City records. As a commissioned Notary Public, I regularly notarize documents on behalf of the City.
I have earned the Certified Municipal Clerk designation through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. This professional credential reflects municipal clerk experience, continuing education, specialized training, and professional development. I have also served as Acting City Clerk on multiple occasions during the City Clerk’s absence.
These qualifications and experiences have given me a strong understanding of the City Clerk’s responsibilities and have prepared me to step into the role with the knowledge, training, and practical experience needed to serve the City Council, staff, and community effectively.
In your words, what are the duties of a City Clerk? The City Clerk serves as a liaison between the City Council, City staff, and the community. The Clerk’s role is grounded in transparency, accessibility, accuracy, and public trust. Residents should be able to rely on the City Clerk’s Office for clear information and dependable access to public records.
Core responsibilities include preparing and publishing City Council agendas, maintaining accurate records of Council actions, meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and other official City documents, and ensuring records are retained, organized, and accessible in accordance with applicable laws and policies. The City Clerk must also respond to Public Records Act requests in a timely and lawful manner, helping the public access government information while protecting confidential or exempt records.
In addition, the City Clerk oversees required Fair Political Practices Commission filings, supports compliance with open-meeting laws such as the Brown Act, and serves as the City’s local elections official. Ultimately, the City Clerk helps ensure that the public can remain informed, participate in local government, and have confidence in the integrity of the City’s official processes and records.
What would you bring to the office that is unique to you? I would bring continuity, local commitment, and firsthand knowledge of the City Clerk’s Office. Having served as Assistant City Clerk for the past three years, I am already familiar with the office’s procedures, records systems, meeting cycles, filing requirements, and recurring deadlines. This experience would allow me to step into the City Clerk role with minimal disruption and maintain consistent, reliable service to the City Council, staff, commissions, and the public.
I am committed to serving the South Lake Tahoe community and understand the importance of an effective, accessible, and responsive City Clerk’s Office. The Clerk’s Office is often one of the public’s primary points of contact with local government. I would continue to ensure that residents have timely access to agendas, public records, election information, and other City documents while receiving respectful and professional assistance.
I would also bring established working relationships with City staff, Council members, commissioners, community members, and outside agencies. I would bring reliability, organization, discretion, and a commitment to maintaining public trust in the City’s official processes and records.
Due to the legal documents you must handle, city funds, and elections, will you pass a background check? Yes. I have previously completed two background checks, one when I began employment with the City of South Lake Tahoe and another as part of becoming a commissioned Notary Public. I am confident that I will meet the background-check requirements associated with serving as City Clerk.
What are your communication skills, since you will be serving as a clear, neutral bridge between the public, city staff, and the city council? I understand that the City Clerk must communicate information clearly, accurately, and professionally while remaining neutral and ensuring all parties have appropriate access to public processes and information.
I have established positive working relationships with City staff, Council members, and members of the public by being responsive, approachable, respectful, and dependable. I listen carefully to questions and concerns, explain procedures in plain language, and follow through on requests. I strive to ensure residents feel heard and receive helpful guidance, whether that means answering their question directly or connecting them with the appropriate City department or resource.
My written communication skills are also important to the role. I prepare and review minutes, correspondence, public notices, and other official documents with attention to clarity, accuracy, and consistency. I recognize that these documents serve both the City Council and the public, so they must be understandable, complete, and impartial.
As City Clerk, I would serve as a clear and neutral bridge by treating every interaction with professionalism, maintaining confidentiality where required, and helping ensure that Council, staff, and the public can participate in City government with trust and confidence.
What is your experience handling legal documents and recording minutes? Where was this experience gained? My experience handling legal and official documents has been gained through my work in the City Clerk’s Office, where I regularly work with City Council agendas, resolutions, ordinances, contracts, election filings, Public Records Act requests, official correspondence, and records requiring careful handling, accurate retention, and adherence to established procedures.
As a commissioned Notary Public, I notarize documents for the City. This responsibility requires careful identity verification, proper completion of required documentation, and attention to the integrity of official records.
I have prepared official meeting minutes for City Council meetings, accurately documenting motions, votes, direction provided, and actions taken. In addition, I serve as Secretary for the Lake Tahoe Historical Society, where I prepare meeting minutes and support documentation of the Society’s business and decisions.
Together, these experiences have strengthened my ability to handle sensitive and time-sensitive documents professionally and to create clear, accurate, and reliable meeting records.
What is your degree of knowledge and confidence in understanding local ordinances, state public records laws, and open-meeting laws (such as the Brown Act)? I have a high degree of knowledge and confidence in my understanding of local ordinances, California public records laws, and open-meeting requirements, including the Brown Act. Over the past three years as Assistant City Clerk, I have applied these laws and regulations routinely as part of my daily responsibilities.
I regularly process and respond to Public Records Act requests, reviewing responsive records for appropriate disclosure and applicable exemptions. I also prepare and publish City Council agendas and support compliance with Brown Act noticing, agenda-posting, and transparency requirements.
In addition, I work extensively with City ordinances, resolutions, policies, and other official records. When the City Council adopts an ordinance, I update the City Code to accurately reflect the Council’s action and help ensure the City’s codified laws remain current, accessible, and reliable.
Because these legal requirements can be complex and evolve over time, I am comfortable researching applicable provisions, consulting legal counsel and authoritative resources when appropriate, and ensuring City Clerk functions are performed accurately and in compliance with state and local requirements.
Explain a time when you had to act quickly with a tight deadline in a stressful situation. I have worked for the City during two City Councilmember vacancies, both of which required prompt action, close attention to deadlines, and a clear public process. These situations involved significant public interest and required the City Clerk’s Office to quickly prepare notices, coordinate the application process, organize materials, and support the Council’s consideration of the appointments.
My role included helping prepare and publish vacancy notices, process applications, and ensure information was made available to the public in an organized and timely manner. Throughout each process, it was important to treat every applicant fairly, follow established procedures consistently, and maintain a complete and accurate record.
Working through these vacancies strengthened my ability to stay organized and responsive under pressure while supporting a transparent process for the Council and the community.
Please add anything you’d like and tell the public why they should vote for you: I would ask voters to support me because I bring experience, responsiveness, consistency, and a strong commitment to public trust. The City Clerk plays an important role in ensuring that City government operates openly, accurately, and professionally. Residents should be able to rely on the Clerk’s Office for timely and impartial information, accessible public records, well-organized meetings, and careful management of the City’s official documents.
Through my service in the City Clerk’s Office, I have developed a thorough understanding of the processes that support transparent local government. I am prepared to provide continuity in the office, maintain dependable service to the City Council, staff, and public, and carry out the responsibilities of City Clerk with integrity, discretion, and attention to detail.
I believe responsiveness is essential to public service. Residents deserve to feel heard and receive clear, helpful information when they contact their local government. I will be accessible, follow through on questions and requests, and ensure people are connected with the appropriate City department or resource when needed.
I am committed to South Lake Tahoe and to serving every resident fairly and respectfully. I believe trust is earned through consistent actions, including being prepared, following established procedures, responding to the public, communicating clearly, protecting the integrity of official records, and treating every interaction with professionalism. If elected, I will work every day to ensure the City Clerk’s Office remains a reliable, neutral, responsive, and accessible resource for our community.