In a recent letter to the editor, former Mammoth Mayor Rick Wood kept up his criticism of the current town government and current state of town finances. At recent council meetings, Wood has taken the podium with harsh words for town staff and council over the current budget shortfall.

Opinions differ on how serious the financial shortfall is for the Town of Mammoth. It is an election year. With the letter to the editor and the recent high profile appearances at the Town Council meetings, we called the former mayor to ask if he is running for office. The answer was a definite No. I’m not running, Wood said. That’s unequivocal, he further emphasized.

Wood went on to say that he understands that the town is in an election cycle and there is speculation that he would run, but he says that he wont run under the current system of town government.

Wood is a proponent of an elected mayor for Mammoth. Right now the council members take annual turns in the mayors chair. When asked how a governmental change might accommodate an elected mayor, Wood explained that it could be done with a ballot measure.

Whether or not an elected mayor makes the ballot this election cycle or one in the future, Rick Wood says he wont be behind any effort to create the new position. Its not in my personal agenda to be mayor, he said.

Wood explained that the elected mayor debate should be about the structure of government. If he pushed for an elected mayor position, the suspicion would be that he was acting under his own interest to be mayor. I don’t think it would be healthy for me to do it, he says.

However, others in town are reportedly working on establishing an elected mayor position in Mammoth in the future. Stay tuned.

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