SLT Council Candidate Stacey Ballard

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 have been published in the order received. Today is our final candidate.

Today's candidate is Stacey Ballard

Profession: Artist/Author

How many years in SLT: I have lived in Tahoe on and off since 1997, over 16 in total.

1, Explain why you are running for City Council and what your qualifications are. I am an artist, business owner, and published author. I worked at Grass Roots in retail for almost 10 years. I volunteered and taught art with the BATS Program as well as our Boys and Girls Club for underprivileged youth. Finally, I spent over three years on the South Y Community Plan Team in an effort to help redirect community funds to develop the local’s end of town. Please see my why in the last question.

2. There has been talk about making South Lake Tahoe a Charter City. Are you for or against this, and why? There are 121 charter cities in California, I do not know enough about the pros and cons of what these cities gain as a result of being a charter city. I am open to the idea but would need to do more research before giving my opinion.

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? Too many to count. I worked for 3 years on the community plan team that interacted with the City Council. I have brought a petition to the city council, and have spoken in front of the city multiple times, in the past. I have been on most zoom City Council calls in the last 2-3 months, along with being on calls with the LTVA, the Chambers and other local agencies.

4. Are you for or against the US50 Revitalization Project, known as the Loop Road, and why? I am against the Loop road for many reasons, number one being the displacement of the families that live in the area meant to be torn down. Two, in funnels all the traffic to the Stateline Casino’s bypassing all the businesses in South Shore.

5. What are your thoughts on the 56 Acre Parcel and what should be included? I think there are great ideas within the plan, but things like moving the city center need to wait until there is more money in the budget.

6. Being on the 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. I love working with others to get the job done. We each have our own past experiences that influence our thinking. We always have more in common than we do different, there are many ways to negotiate and find common ground.

7. What is your top priority and why? Quality of life for our local community with an emphasis on our low-income residents

Many tourist destinations around the world have figured out how to balance tourism, with local quality of life and environmental sustainability. We don't have to reinvent the wheel when places like Hawaii, Bhutan, and Amsterdam, already implement a system called Smart Tourism. If tourism doesn’t work for locals, it doesn’t work.

Police oversight and a Cahoots type program (Our STACS Program). I have been organizing with our local BLM group #IRunwithMaude almost daily for the last three months, meeting with local officials, police, and community members to activate for a more inclusive and just South Lake Tahoe. We have the opportunity to be a leader in social justice for both our locals and visitors. One of my top priorities will be to establish and implement a Cahoots-like program, to address the often-neglected mental health issues our town faces. Additionally, given past incidents in our town and across the country, I believe we need a Police Oversight Committee that has the power to review cases and make recommendations for termination or charges.

Better Resources for Mental Health & Addiction Services

As someone that lives with depression, anxiety disorder, and PTSD, mental health is very important to me. I have taught art to Veterans in Livermore, CA’s VA hospital and I know many other people who suffer not only from the disease but from the stigma it brings. The same thing can be said for addiction, it is a disease like any other (cancer, diabetes, or heart disease) where people don’t always do what’s best to take care of themselves. We need to educate our community and make access easy to find for our locals and visitors. As a member of our local Alanon Group, I know how important their support has been to me.

Supporting Local businesses

I was in the retail business for 30 years working for small local businesses here in Tahoe. I have seen them hurt by a bad winter or big business coming in and pushing them out. We need to protect our local and small businesses - they are the lifeblood of our community.

There are lots of programs utilized by tourist communities similar to South Lake Tahoe that we can initiate here to address these concerns. As a member of our City Council, I would work to find ways to implement programs like these: Adopt a Business Diversity Ordinance-policies that restrict the proliferation of “formula businesses” stores and restaurants that have standardized services, décor, methods of operation, and other features that make them virtually identical to businesses elsewhere.

A citywide Adaptive Reuse Program is designed to encourage local entrepreneurs to start businesses in older spaces, specifically those that are vacant. Administered jointly by the city’s Planning and Development Department, Office of Customer Advocacy, and Community and Economic Development Department, this program supports local property owners, and small businesses, through mechanisms that include guidance and regulatory relief, such as permit-fee waiver incentives and faster-permitting timelines, for eligible projects.

Give Preference to Local Businesses in Purchasing-having procurement policies designed to give preference to businesses that meet certain characteristics, such as those that are owned by veterans, pay certain wages, use environmentally sustainable practices, or manufacture within the state.

8. What do you see yourself accomplishing as one of five council members in your first six months? There is a lot already in the works so I will get to know all the upcoming projects and agendas. I will focus on bringing my priorities and solutions into the council members and getting them on the agenda, also join sub-committees that need my help.

9. South Lake Tahoe is very polarized right now. As a councilperson, what would you do to create a more cohesive and respectful community? Listen, educate myself, and come back with solutions that are balanced.

10. Anything else you’d like to add? What you might not know about me is that I’ve had multiple surgeries at Barton, spending months in the hospital at a time, and had to be flown out of our local airport to save my life when I was dying of organ failure. I have lived most of my life with chronic illness and I went through my toughest years while living in Tahoe. I experienced what it felt like to have the community rally around me and offer steadfast support. That’s what got me through each day. Tahoe is now facing one of its toughest moments; we’re seeing an excess of trash, traffic, and over-tourism. I have a deep love for this town, it was there for me in one of the most difficult times of my life, and now I am ready and able to give back. I am running to help other locals, like myself, attain the quality of life we all deserve. I volunteered and taught art with the BATS Program as well as our Boys and Girls Club for underprivileged youth. I spent over three years on the South Y Community Plan Team in an effort to help redirect community funds to develop the local’s end of town.

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