City Council candidates answer the questions: Aimi Xistra

South Lake Tahoe City Council candidates were recently given the opportunity to answer some questions to be published on South Tahoe Now. Candidate Aimi Xistra said hers was never sent and she found it in her "drafts." We are publishing her answers.

Name: Aimi Xistra, Director of Development, Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe. She has been living in South Lake Tahoe for almost 30 years - since 1997. The beautiful mountains and lake, lots of snow, opportunity, and fun community brought her to Tahoe.

Why are you running for City Council and what are your qualifications?

I’m running to be a voice for local businesses, the workforce, and youth. Elected officials should serve all people, however, recently I’ve seen divisive rhetoric sweep through our public discourse. I believe we can respect our environment, while still prioritizing community services. I care about ensuring a functional council that can work collaboratively towards solutions.

I come to the table with experience in community relations, cross-functional collaboration and budget management. I’m open-minded and recognize we don’t all think the same way, compromise is important. I’m passionate about DEI and increasing accessibility.

I currently sit on the Arts, Culture and Tourism Committee, the Bijou Area Community Advisory Group, the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Tahoe Chamber (I recently removed myself so there’s not a conflict of interest), the Embarc Advisory Board, the Multicultural Celebration Committee and the Leadership Lake Tahoe Taskforce.

I’m employed full-time at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe as Development Director. In this capacity, I raise funds for Tahoe youth. I run and manage fundraising events like Tahoe Brewfest and the Golf Classic at Edgewood. My passion project for this year has been fundraising for the new, all-inclusive community playground project that will live on the Angel of Tahoe/Al Tahoe school grounds.

Are you for or against Measure N, and why? Against. Vote No on N.

I believe housing is an issue that needs to be evaluated in South Lake. Measure N does not offer any real solutions to this crisis and risks exacerbating it with poorly written policy. It doesn’t provide an exception to someone who needs to leave to care for family elsewhere. Also, if a homeowner chooses to rent their home, they still need to prove that it is occupied 183 days a year or more by the renter; a lease agreement doesn’t suffice.

We need our City and agencies to come together to find real housing solutions. As a member of the City Council, I will work to do just that. I will work diligently behind the scenes with our staff experts to help push a pro-housing policy that will actually help the members of our community.

What is your stance on the Tourist Occupancy Tax, would you like to see it raised, or remain the same, and why?

I don’t believe raising the TOT is a topic that should be revisited without inviting the lodging properties to be involved in these conversations.

What is the role of government in creating affordable housing? Do you think the City of South Lake Tahoe has done its fair share, and why?

The City of South Lake Tahoe has done an incredible amount to promote housing. However, we need the various agencies in the basin, as well as the county housing teams, to support their efforts. No one is connecting those dots and there is not enough pressure coming from the public to make the policy changes we need.

That’s partly due to decades of inertia and partly due to the distraction that Measure N has created this past year. I will work hard to support our City’s ongoing efforts to create a pro-housing policy through public awareness and behind-the-scenes work that pushes our agencies to adopt modern and common-sense policy measures.

What would you do to bring higher-paying jobs and new business to the community?

With the rental rates/taxes, etc. I don’t think the ROI for business is high enough to encourage other businesses to relocate here. We could focus on the “Hole in the Ground” as that project started in 2008 and is still unfinished. The decision was made to close those businesses and use eminent domain to take over the property. The promise was that the project was going to create a hotel and convention center, creating jobs and more space for conferences. If we could move that project forward, and collect the TOT tax from the hotel, this would not only increase our City’s budget but would also create more businesses and jobs.

Are you a team player? How do you work to bring consensus on an issue? Give some examples.

Yes, I am a team player. My entire professional career is based on collaborating with other businesses and entities in our community and beyond to benefit our Tahoe youth. I work on events and projects to drive programs and experiences. Collaboration and compromise are important to the success of a well-organized group. Understanding that if everyone thought the same our existence would be boring. But working together towards a goal and seeing that through to success is an amazing experience.

As the co-chair of the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Commission for the City of South Lake Tahoe I’m often working towards consensus for art projects and decision making to establish RFPs. Our group works together to discuss murals and set expectations for artists concerning future projects. Being able to speak up and relay artistic criticism in a professional manner is difficult, but that’s what makes us leaders.

What is your plan to ensure you are speaking for, and voting for the constituents?

I am currently hosting meet-and-greet Q&A’s at local Tahoe establishments that endorse me like MacDuffs Pub, Freebird Ski Run, Tahoe Bagel Co., and others. I plan to continue these once in office so that I can create a space for everyone in our community to feel safe approaching me and asking questions/offering feedback.

I don’t shy away from hard conversations and I always listen and remain open-minded to ideas. Recently, we’ve seen some ignore our constituents and their questions. I’m running because I want to represent all of Tahoe.

How many City Council meetings have you attended? What would you do to bring more of the public to the table and get them to attend and involved?

I attend as many as I can in person, and on Zoom.

I’d make the conversation more accessible. More often than not we see gate-keeping in politics. When candidates or public officials act like they know better than everyone else or attack anyone who disagrees with them, it’s a big turn-off to most community members and results in disengagement. I create spaces where we can all feel safe and welcome to join the conversation. I’d break down the issues as best I can in how I understand them, but would always welcome feedback from the public if they offer a different perspective.

I’d work, as I have throughout my career, to make the conversation as inclusive as possible.

The budget was just passed for the coming year. What do you think of it?

I believe the current City Council has done a great job in not only budget development and management, but also developing our Strategic Plan. Our city budget always hosts a 25% contingency in case of an emergency, and we haven’t used it to date, not even during the Caldor Fire. I attended the State of the City presentation by Mayor Bass and felt that funds were being distributed properly.

The City’s Public Works and Development Services are doing a great job leveraging small amounts of money received from the general fund to garner grants. An example would be the new Sugar Pine Village. While each unit cost $860K to build, which is in alignment with other regional affordable housing projects, the City only spent $2.4M for the project which cost $200M. These entities did a great job leveraging the $2.4M they were allotted by the City Council to fund a huge project by securing grants and partnerships. This example is how the City Council can do a great job spending the City’s money.

What is the most pressing issue facing the South Lake Tahoe City Council and the City?

The largest issue facing the current city council is the lack of collaboration. There seems to be a lot of wasted hours disagreeing instead of spending time on creating solutions. One of my greatest attributes is being open-minded, and able to listen to and comprehend the opinions of others. I’m not always right, no one is, and I’m not too proud to admit when my idea isn’t the best. We need a city council that can work towards the greater good and focus on what will benefit our community in the future.

According to surveys conducted by the City, our community’s largest concern is Fire Safety. I believe sustaining and improving our core infrastructure is a top priority. Then the environment, affordable workforce housing, sustainable tourism as well as a commitment to our residents that we will continue to expand outdoor recreation, bike paths, and parks and develop our Mid-Town Plan.

Provide a statement of why people should vote for you.

I’ve been a member of this community for nearly 30 years. I met my husband here and we raised our kids here, who are now students at STHS. I’ve worked all kinds of jobs in that time, from bartender to newspaper assistant editor, and found my passion in non-profit fundraising that focuses on Tahoe youth. I’ve dedicated the past decade to fundraising for causes important to me; first, at Heavenly Ski and Snowboard Foundation to provide winter sports opportunities to youth and more recently at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe for our community's essential afterschool, school breaks and summer programs.

I care deeply about South Lake Tahoe and the future. I’m a voice for our youth and local businesses. I support maintaining and improving our core infrastructure, sustainable tourism, and the preservation of our environment, and know how much Fire Safety is important to our community. I support our defensible space efforts, the Mid-Town Area Plan, and the expansion of our bike trails through our Greenbelt Initiative. I would like to increase our micro transit efforts and improve transportation, roads, and snow removal. I understand the need to build more affordable housing projects for our workforce and support projects like the Sugar Pine Village.

I want to create solutions. I believe in listening to our community. I believe in listening to experts. I believe in working together to advance real solutions that our community needs. I’m committed to our City.