Letters to the Editor 2.24.2018
Not a smoker, butt…
Dear Editor:
Not a smoker, butt; is it true that the County hired a consultant to make a recommendation on tax rates for the different Cannabis categories? Then the Town hired the same consultant to make the same recommendations? Could this be?
Say it isn’t so, Dan.
Why not ask the County for a copy of the report? Why not ask the County what they are charging and stay consistent with them? Why is so much time being spent on this when there are examples in our back yard? Can we please just all get along and work together?
On another note, I hope there is some discussion on the airport that has the flights coming into Mammoth and, if necessary, Bishop as a backup airport. I believe that Mammoth’s guests would accept that. Then Bishop could develop air service on their own that would benefit the Owens Valley and have a tenant such as Mammoth that would help cover costs to use Bishop as a backup. And with our enplanements, does it really make sense to spend (even matching/grant money) the money to increase the size of the Mammoth Airport? Maybe the FAA can see the sensibility of moving some of that money to the Bishop airport in an effort to help Bishop make improvements, which would give Mammoth a backup airport and improve both? In the future, we can go back for needed money for Mammoth if we get the increases that better marketing would provide.
Maybe too simple, but with a new subcommittee formed to explore this, I hope the dialogue is better than it was for a new County office location.
Tom Cage
Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Voices
Dear Editor:
In response to Paul Oster’s article “Quiz Questions for Candidates” published on February 17, 2018, the founders of Mammoth Voices would like to share some points learned at the fall educational series (June 2018…Are we Ready?) and at its twice-monthly lunches.
With regard to Town Finances and Debt, as Rob Patterson, Town Finance Director, explains, during the last few years the Town has improved its bond rating from “junk” status to an “A” due to the funding of reserve accounts. Perhaps a better question for candidates would be whether the candidate supports the current policies for funding reserves or has other suggestions for improving the Town’s financial viability.
With regard to Town Council pay, the Town of Mammoth Lakes is a General Law City and the State of California dictates what Council Members can be paid based on population, as was discussed during the fall series. Perhaps a better question would be: How could the Council member’s job be streamlined to better focus on legally-mandated tasks?
With regard to the Multi-Use Facility (MUF), since there is a high probability that the construction budget for the MUF will come before the new Council, perhaps the candidates could be asked what guidelines should be used in evaluating the construction budget and operational budgets for this facility. Is there a dollar cap after which the project is no longer feasible?
With regard to the Mammoth Unified School District (MUSD) Bond, Mammoth Voices has had two presentations on the Capital Improvement Plan for our schools. This Plan was completed with input from professionals and community stakeholders in numerous open forums. We would hope every candidate and citizen, before voicing an opinion, would review the Plan and understand why MUSD is asking for this bond initiative. Our recreational activities and capital projects are funded by a voter-approved initiative, Measure R, which increased sales tax by ½ percent for these types of projects. Also, Council Members and County Supervisors have no jurisdiction over School Districts.
Kathleen Taylor, Nicole Godoy, and Madeleine “Mickey” Brown
Mammoth Lakes
The “pretend” airport
Dear Editor:
Mammoth-Yosemite airport has failed us so many times that we call it a pretend airport. For dependable air service we drive to Reno or LAX. We live in the Eastern Sierra because it is full of treasures we should be sharing with the world. We have Death Valley and Yosemite, Mt. Whitney and Mono Lake, world-class climbing in Bishop and world-class skiing in Mammoth, hiking, biking and fishing to die for. What we do not have in the Eastern Sierra is real, reliable regional air service. It’s time to move full speed ahead with the JPA…Joint Powers Authority. We need a regional Eastern Sierra airport yesterday. We need a JPA to make it happen now!
Sharon Clark
Mammoth Lakes
