Letters to the Editor

Amity means Calamity 

Dear Editor: 

At town meetings, we are beginning to hear more and more references to the term “customers” and less and less of the term “residents.” Like other small, rural communities in California, Mammoth Lakes faces issues pertaining to a tourist-based economy that involves striking a yin-yang balance between competing economic forces and cultural opportunities that include quality of life for its residents. Unfortunately, the only qualifications, experience and abilities our elected officials (who wield all the power) require, is that they receive the most votes. Two of them now sitting before us in the power-positions ran unopposed thus needing 0 votes. You wonder if those dilapidated buildings ie., Main & Minaret and the other many eyesores in town are invisible to those “customers” and the town councilmen who want to attract and cater to them?

It is becoming clear that the culture of rolling out the red carpet to those “customers” can now be likened to that of a Disneyland. Only in our “amusement park,” administrators and policemen are being fired, community pools are in danger of being closed, quality infrastructure in general, is becoming compromised, and our much-loved amenities of art and culture in this pleasantly arts-savvy town are being almost completely ignored via the obliteration/transformation of what is called “Measure U.” Visionaries in other tourist-based small towns in California  recognize the balance that must be found between growth and development and the art and cultural values and other necessities of its residents, are doing their duty and wisely rising to the occasion.

Although the rigid business code and war cry of “More-lift-tickets-must-be-sold!” will probably always be the prominent catch-all phrase in Mammoth Lakes, it is doubtful the residents of this idyllic mountain community want to experience anything like the town of Amity in the classic film “Jaws” where the town leaders callously did their business-as-usual thing, while maintaining their personal quality of life, as the marauding shark in the bay (or 800-lb. gorilla, if you prefer) was ignored, wreaking havoc on the lives of its good citizens. Meanwhile the “Springtime in Paris” dance recital last weekend sold out, the recent play “August: Osage County” played to packed houses, and the plethora of our town’s world-renowned art, music and cultural events are just warming up.

Dennis Kostecki
Mammoth Lakes

 

The following letter was sent to Mammoth Lakes Town Council and forwarded to The Sheet for publication.

Banana Republic

Dear Council Members,

I spoke at the council meeting this week against the TBID. I am certainly no public speaker, as was evident. And I am certainly no lawyer, as was also evident. However, my dad practiced law for several counties and cities in the Bay Area and was the town attorney for multiple towns for many decades.  He was well known in municipal law circles state-wide, and was retained many times by Mono and other rural counties for his unique expertise–in taxation, among other things. He was a champion of good government, good law, and good outcomes for the people, business, as well as the public sector. I was fortunate to witness a fair amount of his work in public forums, council meetings, hearings, and trials, and in doing so, I came to trust the U.S. legal and political process.

That may be one reason I am so deeply shaken by what I have witnessed in the past few days in Mammoth regarding the TBID. I have a lot of objections to it, some of which I mentioned last night. Some I did not. I would like to address the most distressing fundamental flaw of the TBID structure with you here, and I will most likely write and speak with you all again about several other flaws later.

Here is the one central sticky point I can’t seem to make sense of. Can any of you help me with this, since it is clear you all already support the TBID? How can the following be okay with you?

1) A small handful of Mammoth businesses essentially has created a new tax that most of us businesses in Mammoth will have to pay, or be punished under the law if we refuse.

2) That same small handful of businesses got to choose their own tax rates as well as the tax rates paid by all of the other businesses, and they chose which businesses would face the tax, when it would begin, and how it would be managed.

3) Each year from here on out, that same small handful of businesses gets how not just theirs but everyone’s else’s TBID taxes are spent.

5) And perhaps most shocking snd troubling of all: 80% of the required businesses it takes to impose and manage this new perpetual taxing and spending juggernaut that the rest of us will be run by…. is just ONE huge business! That’s right. 80% of the power needed to do all of this to all of us is in the hands of just ONE business. (Do you know how weird that sounds to anyone that doesn’t live in Mammoth?!)

Interestingly,  the lawmakers that came up with the BID law itself were very concerned about one company having 90% or 100% control over everyone else in a town, but apparently they weren’t the least bit concerned about one company having…80% control! And a few other large businesses having the other 20%. You have to admit that would be hilarious if it weren’t sort of sickening.

It simply boggles my mind that this can happen in the USA. This is what defines a 3rd world banana republic, where individuals and small businesses effectively pay taxes to the large corporations. But in the USA?It makes my stomach hurt. Yes, I know the mountain has always had outsized influence on how TOML taxes and spends. But this is different. This effectively sets MMSA as its own taxing authority. It cuts out the “middle man”, as in WE THE PEOPLE. It is ingenious. But it is wickedly corrupt.

Surely you must acknowledge that at best this structure smells foul….. and at worst it IS terribly, terribly foul.

Please consider the long term legacy of this very cynical and destructive way of running this town. I beseech you not to just rubber stamp what surely must be a violation of the very pledge of allegiance you recite at each meeting–as well as the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment to the US Constitution.

Please don’t let this be done in your name and on your watch. Dig deep and be courageous, and have some vision about where this will lead. It may seem benign to you now, but this is a deeply flawed proposal with scary implications. How can any reasonable open-minded person read 1-5 above and disagree that TBID is deeply flawed?

Again, if any of you has reconciled 1-5 with our deepest held democratic values in your own mind, please explain it to me and relieve me of my anguish.

Derek Johnson
Mammoth Lakes

 

The new “IT” thing

Dear Editor:

Short term solutions to “IT” problems (see The Sheet’s front page story titled “IDIOTS?” Vol. 11, No. 19) probably won’t work because of the long startup time. It takes time for people to make a thorough analysis and understand the problems with the clarity it takes to make decisions that will last long term. Kneejerk disions fall apart and obstruct real, lasting solutions.

Information systems just don’t happen, they are developed slowly over time to match the needs of the people who use it. And at the same time those needs are changed by the system they use. There are feedback loops that develop that can’t be anticipated.

In short, one cannot just go ask someone else to give them what they need. They have to first find out what they need. And from reading this article, it sure sounds like the Town Manager doesn’t really know what they need.

Ken Warner
Mammoth Lakes 

 

Editor’s note: Given that we’re running shoert of space here, I will condense the two letters from the MHS Class of 2013 here as best I can.

Dear Roxanne, Robbie & Alvin Tani:

The 2013 Senior Class of Mammoth High School wishes to express our gratitude for the involvement of Shogun Restaurant, and company, in our Spring Senior Dinner. With Roxanne and Robbie Tani and Alvin Tani’s support our class has been able to raise money for our annual spring trip and also for our commencement ceremony.

The noteworthy name recognition of Shogun Restaurant within the Mammoth Lakes community and the community itself are why we were able to increase our funds. The community has continued to show its support for Mammoth High School by regularly attending senior dinners and also through the various fundraisers students take part in during the year. Without faithful members of the community, our goal of visiting southern California could have ended with disappointment.

Then …

Dear Editor: 

A humongous thank you to Nancy Mahannah of Mono County Health Department for organizing our Senior Activities during STAR testing. Nancy yearly organizes this symposium for the entire senior class at Mammoth High School. The idea behind the symposium is to help the kids at the end of the school year prepare for the next steps after high school.

Among the presenters … On Tuesday, Eric Leach from Jiu-Jitsu at Snowcreek Athletic Club and two of his students, Lucas and Patty Hensley helped instruct in basic self-defense.

Also on Tuesday students heard from local pediatrician, Dr. Kristin Wilson, about reproductive health, Deb Stewart from Mono County Mental Health on the perils of substance abuse, and Urgent Care First Aide presented by Kevin McBride & John Almeida of the Mono County Paramedics.

On Wednesday, Randi and Chad, from Wild Iris, thoroughly covered information regarding healthy relationships, and Christine from Mono County Mental Health provide a variety of information on stress, depression, and anxiety.

On Thursday, a panel of speakers came and discussed cautionary tales about their pathways in life that led them down the road of alcoholism.

Next, the kids moved and shaked in Zumba with Megan Czechzin, then chilled out with Liz Fleming in a yoga class.

Finally, the day ended with Officer Hernandez of Mono County Sheriff’s Department, who taught defensive driving.

Thanks to all for their participation and support.

 Sincerely,

Senior Advisor, Erin LeFrancois

Senior class officers, 

David Harms, Alejandra Lemus, Bailey Rowan and Clare Stapp