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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.”

Will Mammoth businesses pledge air service fraternity?

Mammoth Lakes Tourism Director John Urdi updated the Mammoth Lakes Airport Commission on Tuesday regarding the state of air service. Still looking for ways to cover the $150,000 air service subsidy he maintains is a significant drain on MLT’s marketing ability, Urdi outlined some new ideas for revenue generation, including a possible “Tourism” Business Improvement District.

One of three new ideas is setting up a “pledge” program, not unlike the subsidy guarantees approved by Mono County and others. Essentially, businesses could “pledge” various amounts of support, and if air service covers its obligations, the pledge would be rolled over into next season’s guarantees.

A variation on that is a “pledge/benefit” program, which would be the same, but come with tickets, passes or other perks that could be used to attract customers. That, however, would come with more administration to facilitate the benefits part.

The third concept, a tourism-skewed BID, would be enacted by a simple majority of businesses that would make up a proposed BID, including lodging establishments, restaurants and tourism-related segments of the retail community. The “TBID” would likely seek to implement a 1% surcharge rate, amounting to about $1 on every $100. Urdi acknowledged the challenge is getting the lodging partners to add the surcharge to what he said are significant amounts of Transient Occupancy Tax percentages they already pay.

Also talked about in more detail is the idea of expanding parts of the BID outside Mammoth’s town limits. “We are thinking about going countywide with at least lodging,” Urdi suggested. He pitched a sliding scale of percentages, in which Mammoth would be at 1%, but outlying areas would be in for less and less the further away they are from town. Walker and Coleville, for example, would drop to about .25%. Any increase in the percentage would mean the BID would have to be reissued in whole, and Urdi is sticking with 1%, which he thinks should suffice for a very long time.

“We would need the blessing of the Mono County Board of Supervisors,” he added. Any proposed form of BID, however, might need more than that. With the 2010 passage of Prop 26, if the surcharge is considered a “tax,” “fee” or other sort of levy, it could require 2/3 of Mono voters approval. Under the state’s previous rules, many fees, levies, charges and tax revenue allocations could be enacted by a simple majority vote.

Prop 26 was passed to prevent higher state and local taxes from being labeled as “fees” so they could be passed with a simple majority instead of the two-thirds required by law. In some cases it would also prevent local taxes from being enacted without a public vote.

Urdi said the BID Steering Committee, which is currently being organized is probably going to be fairly large and inclusive. “We want 85% buy in, not just 50% plus one,” he said. Urdi expects talks will start in November, but nothing to be brought forward for implementation before March 2013. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is expected to be represented on the Steering Committee, and a force in whether the BID goes forward, Urdi said beyond that it wouldn’t have any bigger seat at the table than anyone else. Can the Town raid the BID funds? Urdi says no, since the BID would be administered through the Eastern Sierra Air Alliance, and wouldn’t be part of a line item in the Town’s budget.

Business Improvement District to fund air service still being mulled

The concept of creating a Business Improvement District to help sustain air service subsidies isn’t a new one. This paper reported on the idea when Mammoth’s Airport Commission previously batted it around in December 2011. “ESAA [Eastern Sierra Air Alliance] hopes to bring the local business and homeowner community into the air subsidy mix. It will ask the community to support air service along with Mammoth Mountain [Ski Area], [Town of Mammoth Lakes] and Mono County. The idea has been thrown around in the past but has never been organized,” we wrote.

Given the Town’s rock-and-a-hard place financial situation, Mammoth Lakes Tourism Director John Urdi has revived the idea, though it’s still just an idea at this point. If a BID is ever formed, it would encompass a defined section of the town’s lodging and businesses community, adding a surcharge (i.e. 0.5% or some other amount) on a variety of transactions, including food and retail, that would be put toward air service, and ideally end Urdi’s need to scrounge for subsidy funding from a cash-strapped Town and a tight-fisted Mono County.

After weeks of lobbying for commitments, he was happy to get $85,000 of a $100,000 ask from the county’s Board of Supervisors, but is admittedly exhausted at the energy and time poured into the effort. “After it was over, I thought, ‘I really hope I never have to go through that again,” he recollected.

Don’t look for a charge of that kind appearing on receipts anytime soon, though. At the moment, Urdi said MLT’s legal representation has sent a draft proposal to the MLT Board of Directors for input and comments. One topic is whether a BID should have a steering committee formed to help organize it, one that would include representation from MMSA, and the lodging and business communities, which would be directly affected by implementation of a BID.

A clear BID benefit is what could be a sustained commitment to air service, derived from the roughly $1.2 million the BID might be capable of generating annually. Any remainder would likely be applied to marketing, though it might also be put aside for “rainy day” applications in the case of low snow years or other economic slow times. “We need sustainability, but also consistency in the funding structure, which we’ve never really had when it comes to air service,” Urdi pointed out.

On the other hand, what if any impact it would have on businesses is also a consideration. Creating a BID takes a simple majority of businesses that collectively generate at least 50 plus one percent of the community’s revenue. Obnviously, the bigger the businesses on board, the faster one gets to that figure. Once enough support has been mustered to create one, however, typically BIDs do not afford dissenting businesses a way to opt out. Any surcharge adopted would be mandatory across the board within the BID’s borders.

Currently, Urdi said there is no fixed surcharge rate and no particular delineation of boundaries, or even what types of businesses would be involved. “Our take on it right now is, ‘Don’t speculate on what it’s going to look like until we know what it’s going to look like,’” he advised the public. “It’s still in discovery mode, and there are lots of questions, lots of ideas to go through, including many we haven’t even though of yet.” He stressed that the business community and related stakeholder also haven’t yet had their say.

Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce President Brent Truax said he thinks the business community would be “cautions when it comes to looking at any type of BID proposal.” Truax added that a lot depends on the mediation [and MLLA settlement agreement] and how the result will play into a BID and impact the business community.

“Parts of the business community already contribute a lot of tax revenue, and if we are to consider a BID, we would want to make sure it’s equitable for everyone,” he said, pointing out that Mammoth is already one of the heaviest taxed municipalties in the state. Truax also expressed concerns as to how BID surcharges might affect visitors, and whether it would be the best idea to use a BID to make up for revenue that could be found elsewhere.

Urdi is expected to mention the BID during a presentation to the Airport Commission on Sept. 25, though he’s uncertain whether or not he’ll have new or updated information.

Rudder won’t bid
By Lunch 

In response to the story on page six regarding a proposed Business Improvement District (BID) to help subsidize commercial air service, I called Mall magnate Paul Rudder and asked him what he thought about the idea.

“That’s a terrific idea, Ted,” he said. “I’m sure the entire local business community will be very supportive.”

There was a pause on the line. I know Paul well enough so as to listen for the other shoe.

Drop.

I paraphrase the following, because Paul got a little amped up and started speaking more quickly. It went something like this. Ted, who in their right mind in this town would vote to tax themselves again, knowing that there is absolutely no guarantee, and in fact ample case history to suggest the money won’t be spent on what the Town promises it’s supposed to be used for. Any further tax increase proposed by this town is D.O.A.

A business owner along Old Mammoth Road who wished not to be identified said, and again I paraphrase: Why would I be in favor of taxing myself to support air service when 90% of that business will go to the Mountain and the Village? I’d rather spend my money trying to animate Old Mammoth Road … the ski and snowboard industry has been contracting for the past decade. One of the biggest ski and snowboard markets around is Southern California. Let’s allocate our resources marketing to/shoring up our base rather than wasting money chasing the elusive customers every other resort is chasing.

Jan Huggans one of the three candidates for District 4 Mono County Supervisor

If you do nothing else on June 5, get out and vote. The race for Mono County Supervisor has the potential to change the majority of the current Board and with it the future path of the County.

This week, we profile the candidates in Mono County’s District 4, the only County district with three candidates, and the only district with no incumbent in the race. It’s also the district with the biggest geographical diversity. Its constituency is made up of the Antelope Valley, Bridgeport and a portion of Mammoth.

Ladies first … 

Jan Huggans, 69, may be the candidate with the longest history in District 4, but what does Huggans stand for besides constitutional knowledge of the Bridgeport area?

“I care for the county,” Huggans said. “Bridgeport is struggling and it’s hard for me to see that. We need to do something. We can’t wait for something to happen.”

While common sense is one of Huggans’ strengths, she admits that public speaking is one of her weaknesses. Stricken with Bell’s palsy in 1994, which affected the left side of her face, Huggans doesn’t smile much either, which could be off-putting to those approaching her.

But she’s not letting any of this keep her down. When asked if she felt overshadowed by her opponents, Huggans claimed she felt “confident not overshadowed in my thinking.”

“I just want to help and I work hard,” she added.

Huggans has served on the Mono County Planning Commission and currently serves on the Bridgeport Public Utilities District as its Chair, which recently wrapped up an embezzlement investigation. If elected, she would step down as the PUD Chair.

“Both [Planning and PUD] have important issues,” Huggans said. “It’s important to serve if you can.”

Huggans is the only District 4 candidate that has not jumped on the Internet, social media bandwagon.

“Between the candidates’ nights and letters [she’s sent out], people know me,” Huggans explained of that decision.

On the issues, Huggans is against using tax money to subsidize the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport.

“I don’t have anyone subsidizing me,” she said from her view as a small business owner. “The air service people need to find a way to make it profitable.”

The biggest issue she sees for Mono County right now is the economy.

“I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet,” she said. “At this point people are running out of their savings.” She pointed to a quieter than usual fishing opener in Bridgeport as proof of the continued down economy. “I’ve never seen it like this.”

Huggans believes there are going to be less people taking trips, and therefore there will be stiffer competition to get visitors to tourist-based areas such as Mono County.

“We need to spend as much if not more on tourism,” Huggans said. “Promotion of Mono County is critical.”

Through her campaigning in Mammoth, Huggans has found that the newest addition to District 4 has the same economic issues she sees in the North County. People in both areas are just trying to hang on.

In closing, Huggans said, “I know what is right and what is wrong and I

have strong convictions. I don’t have a silver tongue, but I get the job done.”

If you have any last minute questions for Huggans, contact her at huggansjw@schat.net.

Age before beauty … 

Bob Peters

At 72, Bob Peters is the oldest District 4 candidate in the running, and in his mind, the wisest and most experienced, having already served a short term as a Mono County Supervisor in 2010. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Peters to the District 4 seat following the passing of Bill Reid.

Prior to 2010, Peters ran against Reid for the seat in 2006 following the passing of then District 4 supervisor, John Cecil.

This year marks the first opportunity Peters has had to run again for the seat.

“In order to get the 2010 appointment, I had to agree not to run in the election that year,” Peters explained. But his brief time in office gave him anj opportunity to build a track record, he said.

Peters also feels that the economy is the biggest issue for Mono County right now. He sees Digital 395 as one of the answers to the problem.

“It will take a few years to get going, but once it does, it will help start up businesses in communities. People will be able to move here. It will create opportunity for young people.”

Peters added that in order to attract more young people to the area, schools need to be up to par, which means finding a way to restore property values and in turn property tax revenue.

“We need to get rid of pipe dreams and focus on what we can really do,” he said. “Government shouldn’t make life more difficult for everything. We need to make sure investors aren’t hammered with high fees. We need to be welcoming.”

Peters also believes that the County needs to work on employee morale.

“You can’t favor one group over another,” he said. “Employees and geography make up the County.”

In regard to polarization among his District 4 constituencies, the only issue Peters currently sees is the potential bankruptcy in the Town of Mammoth.

“The impacts to the Town and County could be uniting or divisive,” he said. Ultimately, however, Peters felt that the whole county needed to “focus on selling togetherness, without singing Kumbaya.”

Peters has been accused of using people’s names in his campaign literature in a way that made it look as though these people were supporting him when in fact, they plan to vote for another candidate.

“I never used a name and claimed they supported me if they did not,” Peters rebutted. “I put a flyer together listing the things I have worked on and the people who helped me with my successes. I was giving credit to the people who helped.” He claimed it was a misunderstanding and he apologized privately to the two people who were affected.

As for other accusations that he has taken credit for projects he should not, Peters simply stated that his accusers are “wrong.” To learn more about Peters or find out how to contact him, visit www.bobpeters.org.

Last but not least … 

Tim Fesko

Tim Fesko believes that government is around to serve the people and wants to steer Mono County back in that direction. At 52, Fesko is the youngest candidate, and in his mind, the most passionate.

“I want to fix things,” he said. “I get that from my mother.”

And one thing he thinks needs fixing is employee morale at the County.

“Right now there is an appearance of favoring one group over another [at-will vs. union employees],” he said. “It makes morale bad, which leads to bad service.”

Fesko believes the door is always open for change and that government should listen to all ideas in order to find the best notions.

“We need to get supervisors to think outside the box,” he said.

Fesko claimed that if elected, he wouldn’t be afraid to say no if necessary. “You’re not going to make everyone happy all the time. I never pander to anyone and I don’t have to be on the winning side of a vote.”

He has already promised some constituents that he won’t become a “good old boy” if elected.

“I will come to the table prepared, but will always keep an open mind,” Fesko said.

He believes that in order to deal with polarizing issues among his constituents, people must be educated.

“You may not be able to change someone’s mind, but you can help them understand where you’re coming from,” he said. “We have more similarities than differences.”

Fesko is in favor of reducing county fees to stimulate the economy as well as taking the supervisors’ salaries back to the 2008 level, two items that current District 1 Supervisor Larry Johnston has previously brought to the dais without success.

In order to push these items through, Fesko claimed he would bring all the facts to the table.

“It goes back to being prepared,” he said.

Fesko, who’s main tagline while campaigning has been transparency and accountability in government, has also been on the receiving end of some campaign smears in the last month, including a public discussion of a lawsuit he is currently involved in with his brother. However, he doesn’t believe that issues such as this should sway voters for or against him.

“If you’ve been in enough contracts, someone is going to get upset,” he said. “It’s the same with the Mammoth lawsuit … are people going to stop liking Mammoth because of it? These issues are just trying to get the people and myself unfocused from County issues.”

Besides, Fesko concluded, “This isn’t about me, but about the County. The next Board will set the tone for the next 20 years and the future of Mono County.”

One of Fesko’s main promises is not just listening to, but actually hearing the public.

“You can literally kick me in the butt if I’m not hearing you,” he said.

Learn more about Fesko and how to contact him at www.fesko4supervisor.com.

The Sheet will run capsules on all the Mono County Supervisor races as well as look at Inyo County’s District 2 contest in next week’s edition

You know you’re in Mono County when … a candidate wears a collared “In-N-Out” shirt to a candidate’s forum.

I attended last Friday’s forum at the Paradise Fire Station pitting two-term incumbent Hap Hazard versus challenger Fred Stump, the Long Valley Fire Chief. Among those in attendance were Mono County CAO Jim Arkens, County Finance Director Brian Muir and District 1 Supervisor Larry Johnston.

Both candidates are 30+ year County residents and both have wives named Patti.

In a meandering introduction, Hazard’s main point was that with the byzantine nature of government and the fiscal uncertainty at the state level, you need someone with experience (i.e. the incumbent).

Stump said we need better government and less internecine bickering amongst Supervisors. A strategic plan developed by staff with as little political interference as possible will lead to better project prioritization and resource allocation for the county as a whole.

“Better planning is worth a try,” Stump said in a follow-up interview on Tuesday. “The current system [of governance] … can’t be sustained.” The promise of fewer resources will only lead to more bickering, he added.

In his own follow-up interview on Tuesday, Hazard said the County already has a capital improvement plan. He thinks this is less about planning and more about politics.

As Hazard said, when Johnston took office, he immediately wanted $750,000 to put into the airport access road. Other supervisors balked at the prospect of the airport road superseding other projects in their respective districts which had been patiently waiting their turn for years.

Point being, I suppose, is that “strategery” of the plan is in the eye of the beholder.

Stump said he would prioritize based upon three principal factors: ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliance, critical maintenance and energy efficiency. His background as a Fire Chief appears to have inculcated a driving philosophy of reducing exposure to risk.

Airport 

In regard to Mammoth Yosemite Airport, both candidates were lukewarm, at best, to the concept of subsidizing commercial air service.

Hazard said he supports air service, but not a subsidy. “This [Alaska Airlines] isn’t a failed company in need of a bailout,” he said.

Hazard also believes that Mammoth Mountain negotiated a bad contract. 62% is too high a number (for a seat guarantee), said Hazard. Other communities negotiate contracts with guaranteed load factors in the 50 to 55% range.

“I’d rather just put the money directly into our tourism budget,” he said.

Stump said the County’s got to put money into the airport access road, and that expenditure should be counted toward its support of the airport.

As to the subsidy, Stump wants to know whether or not air service creates a floor for property values. “Is there data to support this?” he asked.

Fees 

One area in which Hazard and Stump appeared to have differences were in regard to County fees.

As Hazard explained, if you give a tax break to small business, for example, the larger tax base ultimately absorbs the hit.

He said when the County froze fees at the onset of the recession, it led to a $250,000 shortfall within six months which had to be backfilled by the General Fund.

Stump said the most recent draft report by the Sierra Business Council [SBC] shows that for Inyo and Mono counties over the past three years, median income is down, sole proprietor income is down, and yet … governmental fees are up. He pointed to one case in Crowley where a man wished to convert his garage into a residence – an improvement which would yield the County far more property tax revenue in the long term – but the planning fees may dissuade the man from moving forward. As Stump says, you can’t let the up-front fees kill an otherwise long-term gain.

D395

Stump acknowledged at the Friday forum that he can’t touch Hazard on the Digital 395 issue, and it’s D395 which promises salvation for Eastern Sierra residents. As the SBC’s Steve Frisch told Stump, “D395 is the largest infrastructure project [undertaken in the Eastern Sierra] since the L.A. Aqueduct.”

Random extras: When Stump graduated from UC Davis with a degree in political science, he took one of those tests which is supposed to determine what sort of career field you would have an aptitude for. Conclusion: Stump would make an excellent general manager of a dude ranch. He went into firefighting instead.

Hazard was the one wearing the In-N-Out shirt.

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

District 3 Mono County Supervisor and 2012 incumbent, Vikki Bauer faced off against challenger Tim Alpers on Tuesday night at a candidates forum in Lee Vining. Due to last year’s redistricting of Mono County, Lee Vining is now part of District 3.

The following is a summary of highlights of the candidates’ answers to some of the questions asked throughout the evening.

What will be the biggest challenge to Mono County be in the next five years?

Alpers: Balancing projects and financial stability; improving the human environment and business.

Bauer: Pension reform; keeping Mono County solvent is the first order of business otherwise we can’t provide services. Pension reforms could lead to bankruptcies. We need to get county pay in line.

Thoughts on term limits for supervisors.

Bauer: There’s a sweet spot; 12 years is good, but 16 is too long [Bauer has currently served 8 consecutive years as a supervisor]. Voters showing up [at the polls] are the best solution.

Alpers: I’m a term limits guy. I impose limits on myself. You go into office with goals you want to accomplish, and it takes a lot of energy and work. The longer you’ve been in office the more slips through the cracks. I’ve been away and had time to recharge my batteries [Alpers served as a Mono County supervisor from 1983-1989 and again from 1993-1997].

How can you help small business development get going?

Alpers: The county needs to remember who it is working for. People are being harassed when they are trying to get a business going; we need to figure out how we can help. From serving in the past I know what works and what doesn’t.

Bauer: By having a personal touch. I have a personal relationship with the Planning Department (Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated that Bauer had a personal relationship with the Planning Commission, which was incorrect). [Bauer then gave an example of how she helped a man in June Lake open a taco truck business]. I helped him understand all the hoops. I couldn’t relieve the hoops but I could explain them. It took six months but it worked.

Would you support trying to get Hwy 158 designated as a state scenic byway in an effort to promote and encourage economic growth?

Bauer: I don’t see any reason not to, we have a large planning grant right now.

Alpers: I think we should look through the lens of making things better for small business and I would support any effort in that direction.

The current pay to Mono County supervisors and management, and the raises that the supervisors have received in the past three or four years outrages the public. What are your thoughts?

Alpers: We should index the employee with economic reality. Some things should be on your own dime. I recently went to D.C. on my own dime and spoke with the President for three minutes and now he wants to come to the Eastern Sierra.

Bauer: We [supervisors] receive a $740 car allowance, which is considered income so taxes are taken out. There’s a lot of travel as a supervisor and there are months that I go over that allowance. It ends up being a wash. In 2009 the supervisors took cost of living raises because employees received cost of living raises as well. Salaries are in line with 2008 and 2009. You have to honor the employees you have both union and management.

Mono County RPACs are the front lines in the county, how do you see your role with these groups?

Alpers: RPACs are where the rubber meets the road. I brought the first RPAC to Chalfant. Supervisors should be seen and not heard at RPAC meetings. We should bring information but then just listen. These groups are where you start building interest.

Bauer: I am the product of a RPAC in June Lake. As a supervisor I have been appointed to the Lee Vining RPAC when it was left without a supervisor on several occasions. I was able to step in and take care of you. I have played a part in RPACs all along.

The Bodie Hills are special and unique but have recently been threatened by gold mining. Will you support the permanent protection of the Bodie Hills?

Bauer: We have to make recreational opportunities economically viable. I supported the mining because Bridgeport needs viability. As a trade off I am working to get Bodie into the national monument program.

Alpers: The Bodie Hills are beautiful but we need to look at the bigger picture. We need a strategic plan. We need to polish our jewel and promote business. We need to get preservation and sustainability language into our policies so people coming in know what to expect.

Are you in favor of promoting something that would help businesses survive in winter?

Bauer: The RPAC plays with that all the time. Making practical use of ideas is the trick. The government needs to help move it along but not pay for it. It seems that in Lee Vining the best thing would be a permanent drought because I hear you’ve had your best winter ever. But the county counts on Mammoth so much and Mammoth needs snow.

Alpers: Government needs to provide an inviting environment. We need to get a whole variety of things. We need to be possibility thinkers. Think in bigger terms and don’t just hunker down in a hole for the winter.

The USDA is willing to loan money to my small business but the local bank won’t loan it. How can you help when there’s money out there but we can’t get it?

Bauer: Persistence is the answer. You have to prove that you can pay it back. You need to build your case with a tight business plan. Perhaps scale back to fit into constraints.

Alpers: This is a national problem, too. You have to show that you can sustain a day-to-day business. Paying attention to details separates the winners from the losers. Networking is a great key so talk to your peers. Ask yourself if you are willing to work hard enough to pay the money back.

Currently the supervisors have given up a lot of control of running the county to one person holding three positions [CAO Jim Arkens who is also the HR and Public Works Director]. One person running the county, whoever it is, isn’t good and affects the county’s checks and balances. Is this an issue for you?

Alpers: The supervisors ran the county when I was in office the first time because there was no CAO. The board is losing control of the team framework in the county. We need to go back to four board meetings per month. Team Mono County needs to be built and we need to watch bureaucratic growth.

Bauer: I’ve seen it both ways. Checks and balances cost money. Combining positions has kept us alive, fiscally. We won’t go back to what we were. We are in a new era of consolidation and we won’t ever be able to afford what we had before. Two people may be doing what three were doing. One person shouldn’t have three jobs, but I choose that versus not being able to put snowplows on the road.

During closing statements, Alpers made five promises to Lee Vining. “I will correspond promptly, hold office hours in Lee Vining, attend all RPACs, report RPAC results at the board level, and have at least two town hall meetings per year.”

He also stated that he would make all of his decisions in office based on three things: his personal philosophies, what his constituents want, and what the laws allow.

Bauer asked that the public review her record when making its decision for whom to vote.

“I am just hitting my stride and would like four more years,” she said. “I enjoy my work and am an active problem solver. I ask for your vote and your support.”

Since Lee Vining does not have a polling place, residents will receive their vote by mail ballots on May 10.

Regarding our story last week on Eastern Sierra Unified School District issuing pink slips, one of our readers submitted the following comment online: “It is my understanding that Mammoth Unified School District also has issued pink slips. Will that be the subject of a follow up article?” Turns out it will, at least here for now.

The Sheet asked MUSD Superintendent Rich Boccia to respond. “[MUSD] has noticed [some] employees regarding their employment status for the 2012-13 school year. These are confidential  human resources issues, which we are required to abide by legal mandate,” he said.

Meanwhile, Boccia will swear in new Board member John Stavlo on Tuesday, March 20, at 4 p.m. prior to a Board Self-Governance workshop discussion. And, the MUSD Board of Education will review the district’s mid-year budget during its regular meeting on Thursday, March 22, at 6 p.m. in the High School Library.

Bridgeport resident Jan Huggans has stated she is officially in the running for the District 4 Supervisor seat in Mono County. Huggans’ entry into the race now makes it three candidates who are vying for the seat, which will be vacated by current Supervisor Tim Hansen in January in the wake of being redistricted out of running.

Huggans will face off against previous District 4 candidate Tim Fesko, who ran in 2010, and previous Interim Supervisor Bob Peters, who was picked to fill the seat following the sudden death of late Supervisor Bill Reid.

Huggans, who has been out gathering signatures, said she planned to run in the last election, but primary timing and family matters got in the way. A life-long north county resident, her family has old roots. “My dad was from Bridgeport, and my grandmother was born in Bodie,” Huggans said. And it’s not her first run for the seat, either. She lost by only a handful of votes in 2004 to the late John Cecil, who won the election, but died just two years later. That led to Reid stepping in and taking over for him on the dais.

A rental property manager, she served on the Mono County Planning Commission for one term. At present she serves on the Bridgeport Public Utilities District Board, and is a member of the Bridgeport Regional Planning Advisory Committee, Bridgeport Ranchers Association and the Bi-State Sage Grouse Local Area Conservation Planning Group.

“As [District 4 Supervisor], I will bring my common sense and professionalism to the job, while remembering I’m there to serve you,” Huggans pledged. Is she ready for the competition? “Yes,” she responded. “I’m pretty optimistic, too. It’s an exciting time for Mono County, with the potential for three new people on the Board of Supervisors.” Seats in Districts 2 and 3 are also up for election this coming June.

The big candidate news this week comes from fishing entrepreneur Tim Alpers, who announced Thursday morning he’s challenging incumbent Vikki Bauer for District 3 Supervisor.

Alpers said in a press statement he recently retired from a 42-year career in Aquaculture to “pursue my passion for public service.” In a phone call with The Sheet, the well-known fish farmer and fishing industry activist, who has his own variety of trout named for him, said he had previously run for office in the ‘80s, and served as District 3 Supervisor in the mid-‘90s.

“I turned the administration of the [Conway Ranch] over to my partners, and I’m ready to get my old seat back,” Alpers told The Sheet. “District 3 is one of the most beautiful in all of California, but it’s also very complicated. There are lots of issues between the Town, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, which is in the district, and the County. We need to get our collective heads together between the town and the county and get past this ‘Cowboys versus Aliens’ mentality.”

Bauer announced her plan to seek re-election last week.

“It seems like I’ve finally found my way around in the thing called government,” she said. “It would be a shame to waste all that I have learned.”

In addition, Mono County District 2 Supervisor Hap Hazard has decided to throw his hat in once again as well.

Hazard said he wasn’t initially sure he was inclined to run, but decided there’s just “too many important issues facing the county to not stay involved.” -Geisel