I wrote to the Bonanza on this very subject several years ago. Bedroom Community or Tourist Mecca

I also served on the Diamond Peak Master Plan Steering Committee.  Although I felt my views were the views of the majority of residents and owners I knew, the plan was never submitted to the homeowners for their opinions/approval.  Instead a committee selected by the general manager and fed mountains of propaganda by staff, including flawed financial data, developed a plan that is now in the early stages of implementation.

I’m very concerned about the future direction of our community, especially since my daughter and grandchildren also live right here in the Tahoe Basin.

Most of us moved here because we found an idyllic small town in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are a little off the beaten path from Silicon Valley and Sacramento, yet only a stone’s throw from the growing “Biggest Little City”.

But as IVGID focuses more and more on tourist dollars and less and less on our residents and property owners, that quiet small town atmosphere will irrevocably change.  We’ve all seen our once peaceful beaches, uncrowded golf courses and ski hill gradually transformed into chaotic venues often overrun by tourists.  Was this what you had in mind when you moved/bought property here?

And if the public doesn’t make their voices heard, it will get much worse.  Last year the IVGID Board approved a $16.4 million dollar plan for summer operations including an alpine coaster, and canopy tour (zipline mega-park)  at Diamond Peak without giving the public accurate financials or surveying the property owners.  Master plans are underway for our beaches, recreation facilities, administration buildings and golf courses, together with a branding (marketing) program designed to bring in even more tourists–and at the expense of local property owners.  New bonds are on the horizon, so the Rec Fee will not go down even when more of our existing bonds are repaid.

Our local businesses depend to a great extent on tourist dollars, but they also depend on us, the residents and property owners, to support them through the good times and the bad.  We have to achieve a balance.

I will work with the Board, the residents and all IVGID property owners (not just the ones who live here) but I need your help, (your voice as well as your vote if you’re a resident) to restore that balance.  Unlike many of the IVGID candidates, I’ve studied IVGID’s history, operations, finances and administration for a number of years.  My background in the public sector, private industry and local business make me uniquely qualified to be your Trustee.  I’m ready to work with the entire community for positive change, not irreversible actions that will destroy the special qualities that drew us here in the first place.