Page 2: Shhhh

Mammoth Town Offices were closed Thursday for the afternoon.

When I called Wednesday to ask why the Town Offices would be closed, the person who answered, a contractor, began to tell me the reason, but then stopped and asked who was calling.

I told her it was The Sheet.

She then chattered for a few moments off-line with a colleague. She then got back on and told me the offices would be closed for an “Employee Function.”

What type of employee function? I asked.

She refused to answer.

Now you have to understand, when I called the Town Offices, I knew the answer. They were holding an employee party, a barbecue at Whitmore Pool from 2-6 p.m. (yes, they were holding a barbecue during work hours at taxpayer expense).

Employees worked ‘til noon and then took off. Their regular lunch is from 12-1 p.m. and they probably figured, why not just ditch the afternoon?

Now I don’t particularly care about whether the Town employees take off a little time for some friendship and bonding. The morale, given all the layoffs and defections, is lousy, and Town Manager MMMartinez makes Leonid Brezhnev look like a charismatic leader. Maybe a trip to Whitmore Pool is exactly what’s in order. But two observations: 1.) Don’t lie about it. Your credibility is at a low ebb. Don’t make it worse. 2.)  Is it a coincidence that the party’s being held while MMMartinez is on vacation?

… While Johnny Goetz gets the hero’s sendoff, the departure of Public Works Director Ray Jarvis has gone largely unrecognized.

When I spoke to Jarvis about it, he said he was largely torn about leaving, but one factor ultimately swayed his decision: schools.

Jarvis said South Tahoe has recently invested approximately $67 million into its high school, and that when he toured the school, he was blown away, as was his daughter, an aspiring singer with an interest in the performance arts.

On a related note, the Town recently made a job offer to a candidate interested in the opening for its Economic Development Director position. The candidate apparently declined the offer based in some measure upon concern regarding the local schools.