“What a mess. A total mess.” That’s what Mammoth Town Councilman Skip Harvey said of the situation in Mammoth after hearing the Assistant Town Manager explain a budget restructuring plan with $3 million more in proposed cuts and after hearing a dozen citizens make a plea to preserve funding of marketing. Harvey fell short of naming names but made it clear that the airport manager and a councilman made arrogance a town problem. He implied it has been a chronic problem. Harvey was the only one at the Council meeting who sharply addressed the awful $43 million debt owed to MLLA.
For weeks, Mammoth officials have said they would tell the public what was going on with a budget crisis and with the MLLA debt. At each meeting, they continued to fall short of talking about the status of the MLLA problem and what would happen if the town had to declare bankruptcy. Tuesday night’s special meeting was following the same path.
Assistant Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez did roll out the new budget restructuring plan which is based on the hope that employees will accept 10% pay cuts and police, 24%, saving a million a year. Martinez said tougher enforcement of TOT collection could raise $500,000 more. She said that better control of overtime would save another $500,000. Elimination of vacant or soon to be vacant positions would cut another million. $170,000 in funding for Mammoth Lakes Trails would go away next year. Contracts for the Mono County Animal Shelter and High Sierra Energy Foundation would go. Cuts for Tourism, Housing and Transit would follow.
Martinez told the Council and the public that the long-term forecast for the budget plan shows that $3.6 million in net funds would be generated and that after the five-year forecast period, some $550,000 in annua funds would be available. Martinez fell short of saying that the annual savings could go to MLLA as a payment.
13 people then stood up to support continued funding of marketing. Tourism Director John Urdi had offered compelling statistics earlier on the bad things that happen to resorts that don’t advertise themselves.
Then, Skip Harvey went to the underbelly of all the talk – the huge lawsuit debt. He called restructuring the budget a function of the financial realities of the times. Harvey then said, “The lawsuit is really what’s on peoples’ minds. I owe the people an apology for not wrapping up the lawsuit before leaving office. I apologize to you,” he said. “I’m sorry. Truly sorry for what’s going on here.”
Harvey went on in a compelling statement that labeled bankruptcy as a disgrace and pressed the need for the Town to take responsibility for actions that got Mammoth in its mess. Harvey said MLLA “are just people. They are not the bad guys.” He said a jury found Mammoth guilty and so did a couple of judges. “We didn’t conduct our business well. I think MLLA is mad,” said Harvey. “Really mad. We need to talk to them. I will respectfully ask MLLA to take part in this mediation. It’s our last chance. We need to invite them.” Then Harvey said that all along the Town Council has been listening to experts. He said the people elected the Council to make decisions. Said Harvey, “We need to lock the team from MLLA, this Council and management in a room so we can’t come out until it’s done. We need to wrap this up.”
Harvey continued. He said the people want accountability. Why did all this happen? And, they want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Then, without naming Airport Manager Bill Manning, Harvey said, “Who was down at the airport making decisions, making sure information got to the right people?” This statement referred to Manning’s testimony on the airport lawsuit in which he admitted that he got a fax from the FAA with concerns about the development project proposed at the airport but never shared the document with anyone.
Harvey said he is tired of the Town’s most important asset being managed in a mediocre way. “Change what caused this position,” he said. Without naming him, Harvey pointed to Councilman John Eastman’s effort to have his future son-in-law hired at the airport and Manning’s reported manipulation of that hiring process. Harvey called it “I can do what I want arrogance. This has to be changed,” he said.
The Councilman then moved on to what he thinks is the need for a tax measure of some kind to get the Town out of its mess. He said, bring Mammoth Mountain in to help too. Harvey made a plea for all in the Town to help. When he was clearly finished, the crowd loudly applauded. The Council will meet again May 16th.
I’m waiting for some elected official or elected official wannabe to come forward with:
“Let the town go bankrupt!”
Then when things turn around – try to convince everybody they should take credit for the turnaround.
What can you say? It’s a world gone mad.
I think it’s WHAT is being marketed. Gone are the days when the town can soley depend on people coming up from L.A. during ski season (there are other seasons, you know) many of which are snowboarders who are in their 20s, sleep 5-8 to a room, dining experience is… Read more »
Jake, you say you are a marketer, yourself? And you need to ask the question: why the ToML has a marketing department?? WOW. Take a look at other destination resorts/towns – do they only rely on the local ski company (likely an international corporation which take profits out of town)… Read more »
Bill, your point is that the money TOML spends on marketing has a net positive effect on revenues for the town. Here’s the chance for you to prove your point. Take a historical look at revenues — TOT and sales tax — for the town. Adjust those revenues for inflation… Read more »
Thanks, Ken, I will reply. I’m not one to go into “hiding” when challenged on my opinion. But, I’m also NOT a professional marketeer like you suggested. Rather, I’m a business owner who values a thriving community and wants other local businesses to be as healthy as possible. Including, but… Read more »
Hi Bill, But you didn’t answer with numbers — you just said more sales and marketing hype. It’s easy to get 13 people who favor spending public money on marketing in a Council meeting that is going to talk about marketing — they are not equivalent to the people who… Read more »
Thanks Ken for a wholeistic approach analysis of the marketing costs and yet, still unaccountable benefits of the Town’s use of taxpayer dollars spent on marketing a public resource. But you forgot possibly THE biggest element of this particular deficit problem…the cost of promoting and defending TOML’/Rusty’s marketing elephant…the AIRPORT!!!… Read more »
It is not the Town’s job to market Mammoth, it is the business owners of Mammoth that should take on that burden. As a marketer I ask myself why is the town running ads that compete with Mammoth Mtn. What a waste of $$$. MLT Why do you spend all… Read more »
Jake- Let me be more concise. 1. Business owners are too busy running their business and doing their own strategic marketing. Many of them are not pros at marketing the Town’s collective amenities. 2. Ads that compete w/ MMSA? All ads act to promote Mammoth Lakes – the more the… Read more »
What’s your business, Bill? How long have been established? What has been your business marketing strategy? We’re about to draw the line here between private and public funds, and the accountability of those dollars. Prove to me that those dollars were well spent. If you are long term as you… Read more »
TOML markets the town to increase TOT. The last thing they should do right now is stop advertising.
TOML markets the town to increase TOT== which in turn increases their public Pensions.
GGW
Exactly — with all the FREE social media available to anybody with a keyboard, the idea of spending money for advertising is silly.
Everybody is looking for the next viral video. So put some up for free almost every where.
Take the offensive Mammoth,
Don’t give MLLA a dime!
=
GGW
the town i proudly call home………what a mess!!!!
The court’s 66-page decision tells the story, one of: • Bollixed communications by the Town with the Federal Aviation Administration and the project developers over a 13-year span. • Unclear motives by the Town as it shifted its focus from private side development to creating an airport for commercial aircraft… Read more »
And where does Rusty Gregory fit into this nasty little quotient?
Why doesn’t John Eastman be a man and resign immediately?
He makes the entire council appear corrupt.
Bravo, Skip Harvey!
Bravo!
Great Skip — first denial for 8 years then start pointing fingers at everybody else and you get applause. Skip you are just as much to blame as all the rest and making employees and other agencies take the burden of paying for a few particular people’s bad judgment is… Read more »