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(Photos: Kirkner)

To say the atmosphere at last week’s Bishop City Council Candidates Forum was less charged than recent candidate forums throughout Mono County would be an understatement.

The Forum, hosted by the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, was held on the evening of Oct. 25 and was a mellow event.

There are five candidates running for three available seats on the Council. Three of these candidates, Susan Cullen, Laura Smith and David Stottlemyre are incumbents, while the remaining two, Patricia Gardner and Keith Glidewell, are challengers.

According to a representative from Bishop City Hall, the process is simple — the top three vote getters will win the three available seats.

Due to an illness, Cullen had to cancel at the last minute and was unable to attend the forum. Her responses to the three main questions of the evening, which had been distributed to the candidates prior to the forum, were read aloud.

The evening began with each candidate introducing himself or herself in opening statements. The theme of the statements seemed to be how long each candidate had lived in Bishop and who their families were. Challenger Keith Glidewell did go outside of the box, however, when he explained that until now he had simply been an “armchair politician.” Inspired by Ron Paul, Glidewell decided to get involved.

Bishop City Council incumbents Laura Smith and David Stottlemyre. The third incumbent, Susan Cullen did not attend due to illness.

“Whether you support Ron Paul or not, he always stated his opinion no matter what,” Glidewell said. “His honesty ignited a spark in me.”

The pre-distributed questions related to business and tourism. Following are the questions and answers from the candidates (summarized for space).

1. Many people that own businesses within the City of Bishop, reside outside of the city limits and cannot vote for City Council representation. What could be done by City Council to let these business owners know that they have a “voice”?

Stottlemyre: Those who do not live within the city limits do have a voice and they should get involved and share their voice. There are always opportunities. You can always come to the Council meetings and voice your concerns.

Gardner:The voting area limits won’t live outside the limits can always join commissions and groups to make their voices heard.

Smith: “Are you kidding?” Our businesses are one of, or the biggest revenue makers. When I am walking around town I always ask business owners how business is going. All are heard, whether they live in the city limits or not. When I started “Coffee with the Mayor” it was a great way to talk to people and get their comments. We should also shop local to show support.

Glidewell: Council meetings are open, so people should come and voice their concerns there. Buying local is the most practical way to show support of local businesses. I’ve also found while campaigning that people like it when you ask them about their thoughts and concerns.

Cullen: We always welcome input from those outside the City.

2. What can the Bishop Chamber/Bishop Business Community do better or differently to increase communications and strengthen the relationship between the business community and City leaders?

Gardner: We need to have a “how can we make this happen” attitude. We need to get together and work toward a common goal. Bring us your plans and we will listen.

Cullen: The Chamber has done a good job of improving a community challenge. They get everyone together several times a year, so those interested should attend meetings.

Glidewell: The mutual attendance of everyone at meetings together would help. Use the Chamber mixers as a sounding board. People don’t realize the realities of running a business here, so it would be good to have a sounding board to discuss this.

Smith: The business community should feel welcome to contact us directly. People should come to the study session segments of our [Council’s] meetings where the issues are really hammered out. The relationship with the Chamber is good, but we can always improve. Perhaps they could report to us once a month.

Stottlemyre: Again, get involved. Become a Chamber member. The relationship should be reciprocal and make the City better as a whole.

3. The City of Bishop budgets for tourism development after all essential programs have been funded, despite the fact that a significant portion of the City’s revenues are generated from the TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax). How might the City increase the annual investment in tourism development?

Gardner: Essential programs should be funded first.

Smith: We need to fund the Visitor Center at a level that could increase tourism, and we need to make and keep the Chamber a high priority. We’re only a tankful away to millions of people and we need to capitalize on that.

Stottlemyre: Our budget is not as sexy as it has been in the past and we have to do more with less, but the City has invested in the Visitors Center for a number of years. We need to be able to track our investments.

Cullen: We have tight budgets, but we should develop an incentive program. If they bring in a new event and track the TOT that is generated, we could give back 1% of the TOT brought in.

Glidewell: The City has a plethora of priorities, so perhaps business people themselves should take more risk. After all, they are better at choosing their advertising … who knows business better than a businessperson?

Following the prepared questions, the Forum was opened up to the audience. Two questions were elicited. The first was directed at Smith. The audience member asked if the City could charge a resort fee to help improve the budget. Smith answered that she wasn’t sure about a resort fee, but she did believe the TOT could be raised.

The final question came from a young man in the audience. He directed his question to Glidewell and asked how he would involve recent high school graduates in the community?

Glidewell said the Council does currently hold some of its meetings on the High School Campus. He said he would try to inspire young people to run for office and take a leadership role in the community.

Stottlemyre added that the Council on Campus program started this year was created to get students involved in local government.

In sync with this week’s Presidential Debate, local communities held Town Hall-style candidate’s forums where members of the public were allowed to ask questions of candidates via a moderator.

The first forum was held on Thursday, Oct. 11 in Mammoth Lakes. The Mammoth Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, which featured the two candidates for Mono County District 4 Supervisor, Bob Peters and Tim Fesko, as well as the Mammoth Unified School District Board candidates John Stavlo and Shana Stapp. The third candidate for the MUSD Board, Luis Villanueva, was unable to attend the forum.

The 90-minute forum was broken into two, 45-minute segments. The first was devoted to Peters and Fesko.

The District 4 race spilled over into the November election after neither Peters nor Fesko secured 50 percent plus one of the vote in June. The candidates have met in several public forums over the past few months, but last Thursday they aired their difference once again.

Fesko said he belives that the Board should not have such a “hands off” approach, citing his broad background and experience as good assets to the County to use in more ways than simply setting policy.

He used an example of a recent Board meeting he attended where the Board was considering purchasing two boilers for the old hospital building in Bridgeport at the tune of $125,000. Fesko suggested cheaper ways to get the job done to both staff and the BOS but was brushed off as not understanding the process.

Fesko, however, said that if a Board member has an idea on how to save the County money, he or she should voice it.

“Yes, the Board is responsible for setting policy and direction but you have to know how to get from A to B,” he elaborated.

Peters on the other hand stuck to the theory that the BOS should decide policy, “not how a rain gutter is constructed.

“Too many people are looking at the acorns, not the trees,” Peters said.

In closing statements Fesko pointed out that he has gone through county processes as a customer and therefore knows where there are strengths and weaknesses in the system.

“It’s important to have someone with passion,” he said. “I hear what people say and act on it.”

Peters closed by saying that he would support whatever the County has to do to grow its economy, whether it be support of an airline subsidy, expansion of fish enhancement, or simply protecting our biggest asset, the environment.

The forum then swung to the MUSD Board candidates.

Stapp and Stavlo discussed everything from what type of cuts they would make to balance the budget (Stavlo said teacher’s salaries, Stapp wasn’t sure how she would do it, but didn’t want to cut salaries), to what they felt was a Board member’s role in the day-to-day operations of the district (both stated “very little”).

There are two seats available on the MUSD School Board and three candidates. Stay tuned for Geisel’s interviews with each candidate one-on-one.

ESUSD Board

On Tuesday, Oct. 16, an Eastern Sierra Unified School District Board Candidates Forum, sponsored by the teacher’s union, competed with the second Presidential Debate. The crowd in the Lee Vining Elementary School gym was small, but their questions packed a punch and revealed much about the four candidates vying for two seats. Here’s a breakdown of what we heard.

Pam Haas-Duhart brings teaching experience to the table. She was an educator for 22 years and has taught in the Mono County area.

She felt that true decisions regarding budget cuts could not be made until after the election in November because of the measures on the ballot that would ultimately affect schools.

If elected, she promised to be at every school in the District at least once a month. She admitted this could be tough in the winter.

Haas-Duhart was asked if she was a California taxpayer since she has Nevada license plates on her vehicle. She said that she does pay California taxes.

“I am married to a Nevada resident, and he pays his taxes, too” she said. Her husband is a ranch hand in Smith Valley. She travels back and forth between Mono County and Nevada not only to see her husband but also to teach in Nevada at a California Charter School.

Arya Degenhardt brings youth to the table. She is currently the Communications Director for the Mono Lake Committee and stressed two main points throughout the evening:

1. Communication is critical between Board members and the community.

2. Schools are the heart of the communities in the Eastern Sierra Unified School District.

Her solutions for budget cuts included collaborating further with the Mono County Office of Education and raising revenue in new ways.

“Unique communities need unique solutions,” she said.

When it came time to discuss the district’s level of trust with the current superintendent, Don Clark, all of the other candidates wholeheartedly stated that the community did not trust Clark [because of the budget crisis that occurred within ESUSD in 2010], but Degenhardt danced around the issue.

“You always hear the bad things, so yes, I’ve heard there is a lack of trust, but time does heal and there is an earnest effort to rebuild trust,” she said.

John Peters, son of Bob Peters the District 4 candidate for Mono County Supervisor already mentioned, operates the Bridgeport Inn with his father and lives in Walker.

With his oscillating preacher’s voice, Peters demanded attention as he gave his answers.

In regard to budget cuts, he felt that budget management was in fact the real issue for the District at this time.

“The budget was reduced after the initial crisis [2010] and is now seeing growth in the reserve,” he said. “Tightening it is not the issue right now, rebuilding is the issue.”

Peters believes that while kids need to be exposed to influences and cultures outside of the Eastern Sierra, they also need to be given the opportunity to experience what is in their own backyard.

“We need to emphasize learning,” he said.

Jimmy Little has four kids currently going through the ESUSD at different levels.

“I have a vested interest and will be living with the decisions made [within ESUSD] for at least the next decade,” he said.

He owns the Virginia Creek Settlement and got involved in District politics during the budget crisis of 2010.

He felt that the Board should work together to be more welcoming to the community, pointing out that Board meetings at this time have a negative atmosphere.

Little also stressed that kids in the ESUSD need to be prepared for the culture shock of the bigger world and stressed that there can be no cookie cutter approach in schools, as each student is unique.

Little strongly believed that the superintendent should pay close attention to the Board’s guidance.

“If the Superintendent doesn’t like the Board giving guidance then he shouldn’t work here,” Little said. He also added that in order for the community to have faith in the superintendent it needed to have faith in the Board.

Items the candidates agreed on

-The Edna Beaman Gym should be built

-Sports are an important part of education and should not be cut

-Teacher’s salaries were not known to any of them so they could not really comment on whether or not the pay was high enough

Closing statements that stuck

Little: “If I’m going to open my mouth, I’m going to step up.”

Peters: “We need to provide transparency to the taxpayers, even those without kids.”

Degenhardt: “Running is my way of saying I’m committed to our kids.”

Haas-Duhart: “Vote for me. If not I’m going to cry a lot.”

On Monday evening, the entire cast of candidates running for seats on the Mono County Board of Supervisors gathered in Suite Z in Mammoth for a Candidates Forum hosted by the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber President Brent Truax moderated the event and the public was encouraged to submit questions for the candidates.

Several hot button items, such as air service subsidy and the Bodie Hills WSA were raised. Questions also revolved around Mammoth’s current financial challenges (i.e. the MLLA settlement).

Candidates Fesko, Peters and Stump agreed that Mammoth is the economic engine of the County, and the Board should help the Town.

“A healthy Mammoth is a healthy County,” Fesko said.

Hazard and Bauer did not disagree but claimed that the Town needed to take the first steps toward solving its problems. The two current supervisors also pointed to consolidation of services as a top solution for the financial issues.

A fresh question asked on Monday evening was whether or not the candidates, if elected, would be willing to sit down and discuss the current property tax distribution agreement with the Town.

According to County Finance Director Brian Muir, the Town proper receives 4-5% of property taxes collected, but he added, if you look at the Town as a whole and what entities such as the school district, the water district and the fire district are receiving, the Town actually receives 42-43%.

Candidate responses:

Tim Alpers: I’d be hard pressed to change it, but I wouldn’t close my mind to a discussion. We should look at combination of services first.

Jan Huggans: I’d be willing to discuss it. It may be necessary to sit down [and have the discussion] depending on what happens.

Tim Fesko: The short answer is yes. We have to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.

Bob Peters: You can’t just say yes. We can’t talk about the property tax split on its own. We have to look at the County services provided to the Town as well.

Fred Stump: For a mutual benefit, yes I would have the discussion.

Hap Hazard: Reality check – I would sit down for the discussion but there is no obligation on the County’s part to give any property tax back to the Town. That was decided with the Town’s incorporation. The Town has the flexibility to do other things like raise sales tax.

Vikki Bauer: I’d be willing to talk about it, but we’re asking the wrong question. We need to figure out how to grow the entire pie because it’s shrinking for both of us [Town and County].

See more about the candidates in upcoming issues of The Sheet and don’t forget to vote on June 5.

So I was up in Bridgeport on Tuesday evening for the District 4 candidates’ forum.

In a nutshell, Peters has the gravitas, Fesko has the fire and Huggans just seemed a bit overshadowed.

While I admired Huggans’ long family history in the area, that should not entirely comprise one’s opening statement.

She was also challenged with the following question which I swear I did not plant. It went something like, “If you can’t handle the Bridgeport Public Utility District (the subject of an ongoing embezzlement investigation. Huggans is the Chair of the three-member PUD Board), how do you expect to handle the responsibilities of the Mono County Board of Supervisors?”

Huggans responded by saying, “In my community service, I’ve always given 100%.”

In my mind, effort in and of itself isn’t enough at the Supervisor level.

As for Peters, he appears to be the most middle-of-the -road candidate, but sometimes that can hurt you in North County.

While Huggans and Fesko were unequivocally against County participation in the commercial airline subsidy program at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport to guarantee summer air service (much to the approval of a Bridgeport audience), Peters first said he was in favor of subsidizing “some small portion.”

When pressed, he acknowledged that the current County subsidy of $85,000 a year is about all he is comfortable with.

Fellow partners Mammoth Mountain and the Town of Mammoth Lakes were hoping to split the subsidy evenly this year, which would cost the County approximately $215,000.

So while Peters talked about the tourist economy and the importance of marketing, he retreated into his political shell on the air subsidy issue. Further, he suggested that “business interests in Mammoth Lakes have the capacity to subsidize more.”

Fesko’s strength is that he’s opinionated. His weakness is that he’s opinionated. Hard and fast beliefs – “government should not bail out private industry” – are wonderfully pithy, but are not always compatible with the art of governing.

The Sheet was also surprised to learn that Fesko is apparently embroiled in a civil lawsuit with his brother, Greg Fesko. While Tim says this is a “private family matter,” and that he’s matured over the past few years, we do plan to ask a few more questions about it.

One guy who’s glad he’s not running in District 4 is incumbent District 2 Supervisor Hap Hazard. If there’s one thing all three candidates could agree on, it was that they were, to quote Fesko, “disgusted” when Hazard referred to Cougar Gold representatives as a bunch of snake oil salesmen.

Triple M staying

Assistant Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez (“Triple M”) has withdrawn her name from consideration for the City Manager’s post in Yakima, Washington. Instead, she has signed a one-year contract to remain with the Town. If you’ve ever visited Yakima, Washington, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Money for schools … or pensions? 

According to an April 22 report in the Wall Street Journal, Governor Jerry Brown is trying to sell voters in November’s general election on his $6 billion tax hike package, a combination of a quarter-cent sales tax hike that would be paid by all California consumers and a series of income tax increases on people earning more than $250,000 annually, saying it will go to schools. And it will, but perhaps not where you might want it to go.

State law requires that half of all general fund tax revenues go to education, which under other circumstance might mean schools are in for a $3 billion to $5 billion windfall if the initiative passes. But critics, including some educators, insist the new revenues won’t go to arts education, sports programs or bus services, but only to backfill the insolvent teachers pension fund, not for actual education.

Schools, it seems, would have to use the money to cover their pension bills, or alternatively, to pay teachers more to offset the higher contributions that teachers may be asked to make to their retirements.

  –WSJ/Sacramento Bee

All three candidates for District 2 Inyo County Supervisor were represented in one form or another Thursday, speaking before a full room at the Bishop Chamber Luncheon at Whiskey Creek.

Incumbent Susan Cash was unable to attend, but sent prepared comments read by a surrogate, Public Lands Access Advocates member Dick Noles. Cash emphasized her 20 years as a Bishop resident, and pointed to her success in work with the Forest Service on the area’s Travel Management Plan, and the passage of AB 628, a significant Inyo County off-highway vehicle recreation bill to add to the area’s trails system. “I wasn’t sure how, but I knew we could change state law, and we did,” Cash wrote. She also talked about her involvement with Digital 395, part of a “group that put together the plan.” Goals for the future included pursuing more FAA grants for Bishop Airport improvements. Cash also said that Inyo County ranks number 2 out of 58 counties in “net asset value per capita,” making it one of the most fiscally stable counties in the state.

Challenger Russ Aldridge, a Director with the Owens Valley Contractors Association and owner of his own plumbing and heating business, also talked about plans for the Bishop Airport, but his ideas were much loftier, focusing on getting runways repaired and bringing in an airline to “open new avenues for tourism.” He also mentioned ideas for enticing business to come to the county, instead seeing it leave for Nevada or Arizona, proposing a mix of tax breaks and permit considerations for starting up business and putting up new buildings. Aldridge was also animated when speaking of the “water wars” between Bishop and the Owens Valley and the LA Department of Water and Power. “This needs to be dealt with and have a nail put in this coffin once and for all,” Aldridge said.

He also said a proposed new County building at the Hwy 6 and U.S. 395 junction was a bad idea, instead preferring to spend such money sprucing up existing buildings and working on Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Challenger Jeff Griffiths, a current Bishop City Councilman, also mentioned Digital 395, and talked about the future beyond just the importance of the infrastructure portion of it. “It’s what we do with it that’s important … creating 21st century jobs, technology jobs, high-paying jobs,” Griffiths said. He went on to say that collaborating with the private sector, the business community public and private organizations, can accomplish a lot without having the City used as a sole source of funding during economically difficult times. He cited the entirely private sector funded Bishop Dog Park project as an example.

He lamented the partisan bickering that he thinks characterizes Sacramento and Washington, D.C., but said, “That doesn’t have to be us,” instead advocating a community-government partnership and working together for common good.

In the race for District 2 Supervisor, incumbent Hap Hazard now has competition from Long Valley Fire Chief Fred Stump. The Chief told The Sheet on Thursday of his decision to mount a challenge to the current seatholder.

In District 3 news, June Lake local Patty Heinrich had been mulling a run at the seat currently held by Vikki Bauer, but opted instead to throw her support behind challenger Tim Alpers.

Town Council candidates make final pitches

So here it is. Days to go. London bookmakers won’t even post odds on the Mammoth Council election because it’s just too uncertain.

Despite massive election fatigue, The Sheet decided to interview all eight candidates this week to elicit their final, best arguments as to why they should win your vote.

Without further ado …

John Eastman

“I fixed [the] Steve Searles situation. I fixed the MLPD (Mammoth Lakes Police Dept. And if reelected, I’ll fix the budget,” said incumbent Councilmember John Eastman this week. Eastman has been a Town Councilmember for 22 years.

In regard to management changes made at the MLPD, Eastman said “I’m the one person on Council who drove that ship. I had zero support a year ago from Staff and fellow Councilmembers. Things that transpired have proven me right. Give Laurel and Hardy enough time to make fools of themselves and they will.”

In regard to the Steve Searles saga, Eastman recalls attending the first wildlife subcommittee meeting following Searles’s dismissal by MLPD Chief Randy Schienle.

“There were seven people in that room saying they were committed to ensuring Steve would never be rehired again. So I got up and told them I would do everything in my power to make sure that it did happen …

I’m kinda quiet, but when something comes up, I’m not afraid to express my point of view.

We don’t need Councilmembers with specific skills so much as Councilmembers who have the confidence and resolve to fix things. We need those who have the inner strength to make the appropriate decisions to move the community forward.”

Tony Barrett

“There’s policy. And then there’s reality,” says Barrett. “I’m committed to viable solutions.”

By viable solutions, Barrett, who currently sits on the Mammoth Lakes Planning Commission, would point to the recent approval of the Old Mammoth Place project as well as recent Planning Commission approval of a Development Agreement with the Chadmar Group for Snowcreek VIII.

“Our former DIF (Development Impact Fee) policy was ill-conceived. We asked developers for a whole basketful of infrastructure. It wasn’t realistic. That thinking has been revised since. We need to target what we really want.

Sheet: Do you think if we’d had a different policy in place, there would’ve been a different outcome [when the recession hit)?

Barrett: Yes. I don’t think local construction would have collapsed entirely with better policy ... the point is, we need to retain our community. Think of the people who’ve left and the families that have been fractured by this recession.

Sheet: You’ve been a little disappointed by the Advocates for Mammoth advertisement, which ran in the paper last week. Why?

Barrett: I don’t expect their support, but ... don’t tie my name to a list of items that I never participated in. The Intrawest D.A., the Hot Creek [Airport] D.A., redevelopment … I wasn’t on Council when those decisions were made.

Sheet: If elected, what’s the first thing you’d do?

Barrett: The only way to get anything done is to get our house in order first and resolve Town Manager/Staff/Restructuring issues. I disagree with the piecemeal approach of attrition and furloughs, which has been pursued up to this point.

Sharon Clark

Don’t let appearances fool you. She may be a little old lady, but Sharon Clark’s sharp and feisty and has got a big personality.

She also may need a new pair of shoes.

Clark says she’s walked into about 90% of Town businesses during her campaign. “Boy, did I get an earful!” she said. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of any community. I did not know the depth and breadth of their issues.”

Clark gave the above answer in part to address a question regarding her dedication to the local business community. As a retiree, The Sheet asked, perhaps the health of the business community might not be as vital of a concern to her.

Clark scoffed at the notion. “I worked for 50 years. I’ve earned my retirement. I’ve run a small business. I understand their struggles.” Sheet: Last week, you were on the short end of a Planning Commission vote (Clark has served as a Mammoth Lakes Planning Commissioner since 2008) to approve the Snowcreek Development Agreement. What happened?

Clark: My position (to make the developer’s financial contribution subject to a cost-of-living adjustment) was clear from the beginning and Commissioners Tenney and Deinken agreed with me. Then they flip-flopped. You’d have to ask them.

Sheet: You are perceived as the Advocates for Mammoth candidate. Is that perception correct?

Clark: I think the Advocates realize what past Councils have done over the past decade and I think they’re looking for new faces. But I am an independent candidate. I’m not, nor have I ever been, a member of their organization.

Sheet: Why Sharon Clark versus another candidate?

Clark: My concern is that Town Council ignores people. My strength is in hearing what people say … when we didn’t follow through with our General Plan, I think people lost interest and felt betrayed. We have a plan. Why aren’t we sticking with it?

Rick Wood

This era of political divisiveness is somewhat dismaying to former two-term Councilmember Rick Wood, who says, “There are too many hard-line positions and not enough middle ground.”

For his part, Wood would like to claim the “logical center.”

“It’s about what’s best for the community. It’s not about winners and losers,” he said.

The biggest issues facing Council, in his mind, are leadership and management. Town Manager Rob Clark, in his mind, “has great capacity, but I don’t think he’s been led well.”

Sheet: What do you think about the recent Planning Commission approval of the Development Agreement with Chadmar for Snowcreek?

Wood: You can’t measure a deal without knowing the context, but from the outside, it looked like Chuck Lande got a great deal … even though we’re going through tough times, I don’t see the pressure to … warrant those concessions.

There’s no question [outgoing Mayor] McCarroll and [Councilmember] Sugimura are driving the push to ‘accomplish something.’

… There’s bad leadership as well as good. You can’t cede authority to Staff.

Sheet: Is it better to have experience negotiating a flawed D.A. than to have no experience at all?

Wood: Negotiating experience in general will help one grasp the implocations of a document.

… I am amused by the rush of Town Council candidates to write letters to the editor clarifying, explaining, correcting or changing their positions.

I have changed none of mine.  When you vote on June 8, choose candidates who will make principled decisions not for the benefit of a particular constituency, but for the community as a whole.

That is good leadership.  We are one community who can find common values. Vote for those who will.

Dawn Vereuck

“Day one, I would address the budget. I would address that there have been no changes or adjustments in other areas of the budget despite the end of the employee furlough program.

The single dumbest thing the current Council’s done is begin the furloughs, which postponed the difficult task of assessing our staffing needs. And ending the furloughs, which will cost a fortune … and still doesn’t address the issue!”

Vereuck, a Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Board member for seven years and President for three, says that experience has helped her get to know the various segments of the local business community. It’s also reinforced a lack of confidence in Town government, which she’d like to change.

“What can government do for business? How can we incentivize development by lowering or eliminating fees? We’ve lost so many amazing tradespeople. I’m sick and tired of people leaving because it’s too expensive to do business here.

I just don’t accept that everything has to go in the toilet every 8 to 10 years.”

Sheet: What about concerns that we’re mortgaging too much of our future to incentivize development which probably won’t even happen anytime soon?

Vereuck: You can’t lose what you don’t have.

Sheet: Do you have an opinion on the Snowcreek D.A.?

Vereuck: I’d have to look at it more closely.

Sheet: What about Old Mammoth Place?

Vereuck: I’m okay with the height and density.

Kirk Stapp

Stapp, a longtime Councilmember who was defeated in a 2008 reelection bid, is running for Council again because he’s a little worried that the current decision-makers are giving away the store.

“When I was on Council, [Mammoth Mountain CEO] Rusty Gregory would always lecture that we had to lower fees during recessionary times and raise fees coming out of these periods.

With the Snowcreek Development Agreement, we negotiated at recession levels and locked in fees at recession levels.”

And Stapp can’t blame Town Staff for the acquiescence.

“Staff carries out what Council wants.” He says Mayor McCarroll’s desire to appease faraway capital markets is driving Community Development’s agenda.

“I’m fighting the Snowcreek D.A. because I’ve been down that road before.”

Stapp outlined the five-pronged plan every developer is now seemingly destined to follow:

1. Submit a crappy plan. The biggest p.o.s. you can think of.

2. Then come back with a new plan filled with goodies you would have had to provide anyway to sell your product. Call them community benefits.

3. Cite the reluctance of capital markets and get the Mayor on board.

4. Get project approval without paying any fees.

5. Build and bolt.

Matthew Lehman

Lehman says if he’s elected, he’d really like to tackle the T.O.T. and illegal rentals issue.

“Not only do we need to create income via marketing efforts, but we’ve got to watch our receivables,” he said. “It’s not just about getting ‘em here. We’ve got to collect on it … They’ve been preaching that we’re in good budgetary shape, but they’re wrong. Just because Mammoth Mountain did a good job marketing last year doesn’t mean the recession is over.”

Sheet: Thoughts on CB/IZ

Lehman: I support it, but we do need to tighten it up. That COLA issue [regarding the Snowcreek D.A.] raised the red flag a little bit.

Sheet: What did Mammoth Rocks show the community?

Lehman: It illustrated my ability to work with other people and get things done.

Sheet: Do you have potential conflicts which may hinder what issues you could participate in?

Lehman: I’m business partners with John Vereuck on one project, the Lee Apartments property on Tavern Rd. which we lease to the Mountain. I also live at Fireside which would likely disqualify me from voting on projects in the surrounding area.

Allen Blumer

Blumer says he’s all about “NO ADS! No littering lawns and windows and business fronts (and newspapers). This is definitely a shoestring candidacy, if and when you can actually catch me wearing shoes!”

Blumer planks:

1. Bring On the FUN! Amenities and concerts and pass Measure U to pay for ‘em. Blumer advocates building a 3,500-seat covered amphitheatre, finishing the ice rink and expanding the skatepark.

2. Maintain Village in the Trees and keep all future buildings under three stories in height.

3. Find tenants for the many empty houses, condos and businesses before we jump into any new construction.

He also wants a wildlife sanctuary, but The Sheet has pointed out to him that he may need a partner with scientific and/or business credentials to make that happen.

Measure M? MMMMMMM! Now get out and vote.

Sheriff’s candidates hear it from the troops

On Friday, May 14, I received a call from a member of the Mono County Sheriff’s Dept. informing me of a candidates’ forum that would take place the following Monday. The forum was going to be sponsored by the officers’ associations of the Mammoth Lakes Police, Mono County Sheriff’s Dept. and California Highway Patrol, and I was told I should attend because morale within the Sheriff’s Dept. was “incredibly low.”

So when I got to the forum, I expected fireworks. What I got? A bag of snaps.

In regard to the morale issue, current Sheriff Rick Scholl took it head-on. “There’s poor morale in every single organization on Earth … a lot of deputies have outstanding morale. Some may be very disappointed at going to work every day.”

Scholl acknowledged that if you’re a young officer looking for “action,” Mono County may not be the ideal fit for you.

In his younger days, Scholl said that when he got antsy about not being active enough, he moved away to a place where he could do ‘cop stuff.’

“I made more arrests in my first 30 days than I made in 4.5 years in Mono County.”

Scholl said the County’s geography also poses a challenge. It’s not like Mammoth with its confined four square miles, which affords ample opportunity for police officers to interact and build camaraderie.

Scholl said efforts are made to bring deputies together via organized fishing trips, training, barbecues, et. al., but ultimately, a deputy needs to “look within” to find his/her motivation.

Challenger Doug Northington said that there is “obviously a morale problem” and it’s “more than one or two guys.” Northington said some of it could be attributed to a lack of activity, and some to what is perceived as a “good old boy” culture that lands Scholl’s favorites better assignments.

“If you treat people equally and well, a lot of the morale problems go away,” Northington opined.

Scholl fiercely denied the charge of cronyism. “Bring forward some examples,” he said. Scholl said decisions were made in his department based upon a whole slew of quantifiable parameters.

Other charges were also dubious. One person questioned Scholl’s residency status within the County, as if renting a home somehow doesn’t make him a local. Northington levied another charge which implied that Scholl is out of touch and using tactics from the 70s (as opposed to the tactics from the 80s when Northington started).

Editor’s note: It’s like saying Three’s Company became more cutting edge when Norman Fell was replaced by Don Knotts as the landlord. Northington is not that much younger.

Scholl’s strongest argument came when he polled the seven deputies in the room as to how many had been on a training assignment in the previous six months. Six raised their hands. One can assume that Barney Fife/Mr. Roper was not their training officer.

The Sheriff’s candidate profiles promised for this week will appear next week.

Larry and his charts

This is why I could never run for office.

If you think it’s difficult enough sitting through one candidates’ forum, try sitting through six over the course of 10 days.

And at each one, trying to pretend you care about every person you meet and every issue that’s raised.

That’s exactly what your Mono County candidates for Judge and Sheriff have had to endure since last week, with forums at Walker, Bridgeport, the Bridgeport Indian Colony, June Lake, Lee Vining and Mammoth Lakes.

The Mammoth forum, held Tuesday evening in Suite Z and moderated effectively and efficiently by Jack Copeland, was somewhat unique in that it gave voters the chance to weigh the merits of District 1 Supervisor candidates Bill Sauser and Larry Johnston.

Now I’m used to seeing Sauser at Mammoth Lakes Tourism and Recreation Commission meetings, a commission he now chairs (he has been a member of the Parks and Recreation and now Tourism and Recreation commissions for the past 13 years). In that realm, Sauser has developed a comfort zone. He knows the issues. He’s opinionated. He’s smart. He’s funny. He’s a big man with a big voice. If you had to come up with a campaign slogan for Mr. Sauser, it might be “Common sense for the common man.”

But the formal setting of the candidates’ forum appeared to prove somewhat unsettling for Sauser. He’s used to the freewheeling nature of commission meetings. And he’s used to having absolute command of his material. As Sauser acknowledged in his closing statement, “Maybe I don’t know the County issues as well as I should, but that gives me a fresh set of eyes [to look at things].”

Sauser has been a Mammoth resident for 52 of his 58 years and is a longtime Chairman of the Southern Mono Historical Society. Perennially active in civic affairs, he says, “This is a next step for me.”

Sauser is opposed by Larry Johnston, who has, quite simply, demonstrated an unparalleled work ethic and dedication to his campaign. He has, by far, outworked any other candidate for office in Mono County. I’ve seen Johnston spend entire weekends at Vons standing behind a card table handing out literature and talking up voters. He’s been a regular at Town and County meetings of every description and I even saw him last week in the audience at the candidates’ forum in Walker.

Johnston, who has worked in the County planning department for the past decade, is more of a technocrat, and I don’t say this derogatorily. The running joke at the forum were the many charts that Johnston had brought along to illustrate various points. He had command of his material. And unlike most technocrats, Johnston has actually walked the neighborhoods and knocked on the doors.

The most interesting exchange between the candidates came about when Johnston suggested free building permits to “green” projects for the next year as an economic stimulus. He also suggested giving free building permits for single family home construction.

Johnston feels it is important to give some support to the local construction trade and views unemployment as the number one issue for the district.

Sauser replied that the lull in construction isn’t just about building fees. It’s also tied to the difficulty people are having in obtaining loans.

In addition, Sauser said our focus should be more on sustainable industry (tourism) as opposed to a cyclical industry like construction.

Judges

In the Judges’ race, the most interesting moment came about when Copeland asked a question about judicial discretion stemming from a recent local case involving a sex offender where the District Attorney had asked for a maximum sentence, which Judge Forstenzer did not grant.

Mark Magit strongly defended Forstenzer’s decision.

“It is important that the judiciary is independent of the executive [District Attorney]. I would [as a D.A.] never have gone to the Judge or the press about a decision that went against me … a Judge has to have the courage to stand up to an ill-conceived will of the people who don’t have all the facts.”

Therese Hankel scored points by talking about how she is truly the only independent candidate, because her advertisements are not loaded with endorsements. She questions how independent a judge can be if a campaign supporter comes before him/her in court.

She is also the only candidate who’s actually worked within the judiciary, having prior experience clerking for a judge.

She also told a great story about bragging to her elementary school classmates about her father climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Her teacher promptly sent her to the principal’s office for lying.

Hankel returned to school the next day with one of her father’s summit photos.

Lesson: Never judge unless you’ve heard both sides and have all the facts.

Randy Gephart emphasized his experience – he’s 10 years older and 10 years more experienced than his fellow candidates.

In regard to endorsements, he said these are the people who best know his temperament and how he’d perform as a judge and are therefore key people to speak to in order to gain a measure of the man.

In his closing statement, Gephart trumpeted his endorsement from District Attorney George Booth. “Some of my biggest supporters are in the D.A.’s office … and I’ve been opposing them for 22 years.”

Magit was officially endorsed this week by recently retired Judge Ed Forstenzer.

Sheriff

As opposed to the last candidate forum I attended, where no questions were directed at Sheriff Rick Scholl and challenger Doug Northington, Copeland drew them out at this forum.

The biggest difference between the candidates, it appeared, was their approach.

Scholl trumpets “community-oriented policing.” He says “traffic enforcement is not a primary function of the Mono County Sheriff’s Dept.”

“I want my guys off 395 and in the communities,” he said in a follow-up interview Wednesday.

Northington dismisses Scholl’s philosophy as nothing more than community-oriented public relations.

As he said at the forum, he advocates traffic stops as a law enforcement tool. Stop people for lawful violations, and then pursue evidentiary stuff if it presents itself, he said.

He opined that people should feel a little more nervous when they see a Sheriff’s Dept. vehicle behind them.

“Fear of police is the wrong thing to do,” says Scholl. “We’re here to help. I don’t want the public’s blood pressure racing every time they see a Sheriff’s Deputy.”

In an interview with Sheet journalist Andy Geisel, which will appear in its entirety next week, Northington did clarify the above comment.

“The power of the law is in the enforcement of it. In order to be motivated to follow the law, you have to have a certain fear of what happens if you break it,” he explained. “You should know they are there. It can make you feel more secure, but if you’re stepping over the line, it should remind you that they’re doing a job.” Each contact, he said, is an educational opportunity … for the deputy as well as the citizen.

One thing both candidates could agree on is that inmates shouldn’t be coddled and should be used as a labor force for various public works as needed.

You know you’re burnt out on Mammoth politics when you’d rather cover a candidates’ forum in Walker versus attending a Mammoth Lakes Town Council meeting closer to home.

That’s just what happened Wednesday. This was the first real forum for County candidates so I wanted to get a firsthand look.

And the funny thing is, I think Geisel and I got home at just about the same time.

So this is what I learned.

District 4 Supervisor candidate Renn Nolan is bored by retirement and has repainted every room in her house. Is boredom a qualification for office? I don’t know, but by the time Renn actually got around to actual county issues, her opening three minutes had expired and she had to sit down. The one issue she did mention was water, and since my wife’s constantly harping on me to hydrate, I got up and drank some.

Candidate Bobby Tems is also apparently bored by retirement (he retired in October). He didn’t have command of the issues or even of county geography. He did, however, bear an uncanny resemblance to Will Ferrell in Ron Burgundy: Anchorman.

I see District 4 as a two-horse race. On the one hand you have Tim Hansen, a classic, grizzled, smart, tough old buzzard who’s been active in local environmental debates and stepped forward to defend Tom Crowe during the debate with State Parks over Crowe’s boat tours.

And then you’ve got Tim Fesko, owner of the Meadowcliff Resort, who was extremely well-versed on every issue and has served on the Antelope Valley Regional Planning Advisory Committee (RPAC) for a decade.

Hansen, a staunch fishing supporter, said that fishing is the number one element of the north County economy. “If we don’t have fishing, we don’t have nothing,” he said. And he’s outraged at the Center for Biological Diversity for disrupting this year’s opener by “using little animals to get their way.”

Fesko reiterated the need for more spending on marketing. “Tourism doesn’t get a big enough slice of the County’s budget. We need to double the marketing budget,” he said.

In the Sheriff’s race, well … in the 90 minutes I sat through, no one asked a question of either Sheriff Rick Scholl or challenger Doug Northington, indicating to me that people are quite satisfied with the job Scholl has done in his first term. As I tweeted from the meeting, “No one cares about the Sheriff’s race. Same faces from four years ago. Scholl won. Isn’t this settled?”

As for the three-way battle for Superior Court Judge, I’d give round one to Mark Magit. No knock on fellow candidates Randy Gephart and Therese Hankel, but Magit just seemed a little better prepared. His opening statement was perfectly timed to fit within the three minutes allotted (indicating he’d actually rehearsed it) and although I can’t prove it, it appeared he must have asked Dick Padgett to lob him a softball question.

The question regarded each candidate’s experience in interfacing and working with law enforcement.

This allowed Magit to highlight his experience working as an Assistant District Attorney.

Turns out that Magit worked a case with Padgett while Padgett was a warden with the California Dept. of Fish and Game. That’s why I thought it may have been a set-up.

The County candidates square off in a forum sponsored by the Mammoth Lakes Chamber this Tuesday. That forum begins at 5 p.m. in Suite Z in the Minaret Mall.

Hospital restructures

In a press release issued late Thursday, Southern Mono Healthcare District CEO Gary Boyd outlined recent restructuring, which has resulted in staff reductions at Mammoth Hospital. According to Boyd: “We have had to make some very difficult decisions, and determined a reduction in staff costs could not be avoided. Although we made staffing reductions last summer by way of voluntary separations, we need to make additional adjustments to respond to our volume reductions and our foreseeable continued economic environment. At this time, in order to address these concerns, Mammoth Hospital is implementing an organizational restructuring plan, which includes reducing the management team by nine positions and eliminating a total of 14 positions in the organization.

In the current economic climate, we must address cost reductions to remain a viable organization. Mammoth Hospital will continue to review and evaluate cost saving measures on a regular basis to provide quality medical care on a cost efficient basis to our community.

This year our inpatient volume is 15 percent lower as compared to last year, and we have seen reductions in our ancillary services. The reduction in volume is not unique to Mammoth Hospital, as we have watched many hospitals across the country face the same issues due to the current economic conditions and reductions in reimbursements from third-party payors, such as insurance, MediCare and MediCal. Mammoth Hospital is achieving its financial goals this year. One such item is cash reserves. We have about 91 days in cash reserves today compared to about 45 days this time last year. Our goal is 120 days.

We are making these changes now in anticipation of a continuation of decreased reimbursement next year and to stay on target to meet our financial goals in the next fiscal year.

All of the individuals affected by this restructuring have been good staff members and their many years of combined service to the hospital are very much appreciated by us and the community.”

Disorienting signage

Not so happy trails

I took a short vacation in the Bay Area last week and stayed in Mill Valley for a few days.

I learned that there was a hiking trail that led from town center to the ocean, and I thought that would be cool, so I tried it.

Too bad the signage was terrible. The message was simple: Yes, we advertise our trails, but we’d really rather take credit for them without you actually walking through our neighborhoods.

The “Dipsea steps,” which take one through a Mill Valley residential neighborhood to Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods on the other side of the hill were marked by one 2” by 12” weather-beaten sign which must have been 35 years old. You have to walk past a sign telling you “Not a Through Street” to reach the public trail.

And that’s it. There are three or four street intersections on the way up the steps. At each intersection, there was no sign telling you to go right or left. I would usually wait for a local jogger and follow them.

I’m not sure what the female joggers thought about that. It tended to pick up their pace.

Bottom line. I assume MLTPA can do better on the signage, and that we can do better for our guests.

And from Geisel’s desk …

Digital 395 still has powder

It’s been a while since we last heard from Praxis executive Michael Ort on the status of the Digital 395 broadband infrastructure project. Earlier this year, the $100 plus million project was turned down for $85 million in grant money from President Barack Obama’s American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, but mostly on a technicality and was asked by Capitol Hill insiders to reapply. Ort turned in a second application in late March.

Good news doesn’t travel fast in government, but Ort said Wednesday afternoon that on May 3 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger submitted recommendations for Broadband project funding, and Digital 395 was one of three infrastructure projects listed among the final nine that were “highly recommended.”

In addition, State Senators Padilla and Dutton (respectively Chair and Co-Chair of the Utilities, Communications and Energy Committee) recently sent a letter to the bipartisan California Congressional Caucus supporting broadband initiatives. In the letter, D395 was listed as the sole example. It’s also reportedly gaining support among federal legislators on both sides of the aisle, who are pushing it in the corridors of power, all the way up to and including the Oval Office.

“Don’t give up on us, Eastern Sierra; we’ve still got fresh powder,” Ort told The Sheet.