Meet the Candidate: Austin Sass says experience is key to serving community

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, current Councilman Austin Sass shares his thoughts in his quest for another term on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

1. With recent changes in Senior Management at the City, is there anything you would have done differently, knowing what you know now? Please explain. First, while I cannot discuss what was voted on, or how I or the rest of council voted in closed session, my preference still, is that the entire process would have been made public with regard to the changes. Saying anything else specific to what happened would be in violation of the Brown Act and a non-disparaging agreement the city entered into.

Yes, there are things I personally wish would have been done differently, but I am part of city council and as such I do not get to solely control how things unfold. Going forward, I am hopeful that the to-be-hired City Manager will be stellar and that coupled with a new City Attorney, the city will have a successful management team.

2. Do you feel there is some mistrust in local government? Why do you feel this way? Does this need to be changed and how do you suggest that change is made? All the polling research indicates a mistrust for government at all levels. Congress’s approval rate is 16% according to the latest Gallup poll. It’s hard to gauge exactly what the local approval rates are because we have no polling research. Some people who follow local government think things are terrible, while others cite all the positive things going on in town and see the glass as half full.

There will always be people on both sides of the fence because all it takes is one issue, going good or bad, to influence their overall opinion. Take away the recent DA investigation instigated due to one council member’s comments, the recent separation with our prior City Manager and things are pretty good. Look what we have accomplished together over the past 4 years. It’s hard to argue that the town looks a lot better with the new fields, Champions Plaza, the Bijou Bike Park, and new and redeveloped commercial properties. Sure people have different and very polarizing views on VHRs, cannabis, roads, etc. but that is not unnatural. People will always have different opinions on how government spends money and raises revenues.

The best way for change to be made is for the city to be transparent and put the information out there. I feel everyone who has issues should be open minded and get informed. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Ask for a meeting with a councilperson and get the facts. The days of relying on the media to do thorough investigative reporting are over. Their staffs and budgets are limited due to reduced advertising revenues. Social media is not the place for honest and factual information either. People need to do their own research, ask their own questions.

3. Many people say there is money hidden in the City budget that can be spent on roads. What is your budget experience and where will you find money for roads? There is no long term roads funding hidden in the budget. Our needs are to perform work on 129 miles of our streets at an estimated cost of $130 million. This does not include gutters, curbs or sidewalks. Our Public Works team has told us that entering into multi-year rehabilitation and paving agreements yields a 20% savings versus doing streets as revenues exceed expectations. Additionally long range planning helps us coordinate efforts with the utilities and apply for grants which usually carry a local match. Paying 20% more to do a street or two when there is an excess million or so available makes no economic sense. We need a long term funding source to guarantee we can enter into multi-year road work agreements.

The recently defeated sales tax increase was a good plan that guaranteed that the revenues raised could only be spent on the intended purpose; our streets. The bulk of the revenues would have come from tourists with a minimal contribution by locals. It was a good plan and in fact was supported by over 56% of the voters. I would support reworking the ballot measure and taking it to the voters again.

Our past councils have not funded street rehabilitation annually since the city was formed. That’s one reason they are in such terrible shape. It’s easy to campaign on lets fix our streets, but the real question is where we will get the $3 million Public Works has said we need annually.

4. Do you think you must trust your fellow councilmembers? If yes, what will you do to keep trust levels in tact? If no, please explain why.
I can’t say you must trust them because I can’t control their thoughts and actions and if they violate my trust I really can’t do much about it except keep my antennae up in the future. They are elected by the people and only the voters can decide if they are untrustworthy enough to do something about it if they run for a second term.

I try to keep my trust levels intact by being direct, honest, and candid. People know where I stand. I work very hard to prepare for council meetings so that I can talk from an intelligent and well prepared vantage point. I am also someone who always listens to both sides of an issue both before a meeting and during a meeting so that I understand where differing points of view are coming from. I believe in smart and legal compromise versus going to battle like we are with the VHR issue.

5. Tell us why you should be elected. My motivation to serve the city is a passion for my home, South Lake Tahoe. I feel strongly that we need a diversity of individuals on council and I think there is a need for someone who understands and has experience in the largest segments of our economy being tourism and recreation. I also think we need several members on council with experience (see qualifications below) in working and managing large organizations and budgets.
I have the time and desire to give my all to the city. Many years ago I asked a former Mayor how much time was required to serve on council. He told me “council is as little, or as much as you want it to be”. Today, and after serving for four years, I find this statement weak. Either give it your all or don’t run. My experience has taught me that this position is 20-25 hours per week and I personally want council members with the time and desire to serve our city. Who wants a teammate not committed to making the city the best it can be? You can be assured that I am committed and passionate about our future.

6. What qualifications do you have to win a seat on City Council? There is no substitute for experience. I have four years as a councilman, three years on the TRPA Governing Board, 4 years on The Tahoe Transportation District, 4 years on the Recreation JPA, and 20 years’ experience working in and managing multi-million dollar budgets and organizations. In addition, I have worked in the local ski, hospitality, gaming and dining industries and have a deep understanding of our number one industry; tourism. I also am an avid skier, hiker, mountain and road biker and golfer with a very good understanding of our second most important industry, which is recreation.

I am a realist and always look at both sides of an issue before making a decision. To steal a quote from Bill Crawford, “I do not go along, to get along” but I always strive for compromise and solutions when an issue splits our city. I always put locals first and try to make decisions that are best not for one group, but for the general welfare of our entire community.

I own no businesses or real estate beyond my home and thus have no conflicts of interest. I will never need to recuse myself from the important issues be it VHRs, cannabis, housing, streets, or redevelopment.

7. If elected, what would you like to see in the City over the next four years?
• Completion of the new rec and swim center
• A long term streets funding plan
• An affordable, workforce, and senior housing program
• Redevelopment of run down and blighted SRO and strip mall properties
• A completed bike path connecting Van Sickle Park to the Y
• A transportation system funding plan in place
• More Olympic champions
• Increased confidence and trust in local government
• A harmonious VHR program
• A final solution to the AIS issue in Tahoe Keys and along our shoreline
• Reduction in traffic issues
• A problem –free cannabis program with abundant city revenues
• Enough snow to make winters successful and no smoke during the summer so visitors come and locals can recreate problem free
• An affordable tree thinning program for locals
• A continuing spirit of entrepreneurship bringing new jobs and local families to our community

8. Does the City need an economic and/or housing development department? Why? Yes, we do need a housing department or at least a program manager to start. Every service industry business is looking for help. Additionally, the hospital, college and school system all cite housing is the major impediment to getting employees hired. Housing is affecting our economy and the quality of life for people who want to live and work here. I hope we are never Vail or Aspen where locals live 40 miles away and commute daily.

A housing program manager can seek out grants and collaborative efforts with private developers. Coupled with my efforts on the TRPA board to get for more density for increased height and granny units, I think we could make good strides forward.

9. What should be done with VHRs? If they stay, do you support a cap and occupancy cap? Do you think VHRs fit residential zoning? Should some rules of VHRs go to full-time residents too, including bear box and no parking on dirt requirements. Council, the pro-VHR community, and the Anti-VHR community should have arrived at a compromise that would have kept this very divisive issue off of the ballot. I urged council to arrive at a better ordinance to prevent a ballot measure and I brokered a meeting with the ballot proponents and the real estate community to arrive at a compromise. Unfortunately, they could not find common ground and I fear the next few months will be very ugly and fraught with confrontation and anger.

A starting point for a compromise could have been a cap number in the non-tourist core areas lower than the current 1,400 (the cap would draw down via natural attrition) and some minimum distance between current VHRs and new VHRs that would have addressed the clustering issue locals have to deal with. The current enforcement is yielding difference making results but our code enforcement team must continue to be vigilant, transparent, and strive to earn local’s trust and confidence.

If we were starting from scratch I would support zoning that allowed VHRs in certain areas and not in others. Unfortunately, that ship sailed back in the early 2000s when the TRPA did not require TAUs for VHRs and the city and county did not realize what was coming in the form of many motels staying run down and technology making it easier to market and rent a VHR online.

Bear boxes and paving dirt driveways are expensive. Ideally, yes everyone should have them both in place. Unfortunately, like removing trees crowning over homes, these items are expensive and I can’t see forcing locals who can’t afford the expense to do so.

10. Do you favor a strong mayor city? Why? A strong mayor council puts the mayor at the head giving the city leadership that is very visible; and there are certain benefits to that. This structure places the mayor in a position where he or she is directly accountable to voters and can implement the majority viewpoint faster. This means that they can quickly react to citizen concerns because it is the mayor’s office that is responsible for duties such as operations, administration, and budgets. Having a single voice in office places the mayor in a position to articulate a vision and act on it. This structure makes it easier for the voters to understand who is in charge. One could argue that a strong Mayor would be more nimble in their actions because they could address an operational issue for example by just mandating it get taken care of.

On the flip side, the mayor would in effect assume the responsibilities of the City Manager. The benefit of the City Manager is that ideally they are not political and only carry out the policies set by a majority of the City Council. Not having a strong mayor also safeguards against an elected Mayor going rogue and doing their own thing.

As I have heard very little commentary on this from locals, I have not thoroughly researched the pros and cons or spoken with other cities. I do not have a strong opinion on the subject.

For a look at the previous candidate replies:

Wendy David - http://southtahoenow.com/story/09/29/2018/meet-candidate-wendy-david-seeks-second-term-south-lake-ta...

Patrick Jarrett - http://southtahoenow.com/story/09/30/2018/meet-candidate-patrick-jarrett-would-see-south-lake-tahoe-...

On Tuesday, look for replies from Devin Middlebrook.