‘I make a motion that I be mayor for 2025’ Tami proclaims then husband jokes about his past vote tampering now that SOL is over

Duane Wallace: "The guy would vote no as often as he could but it kept coming up yes and he couldn't figure out why. Haha" Read transcript of mayor / mayor pro-tem discussion / vote from City Council meeting December10 South Lake Tahoe here at City of Angels Blog:

Pictured: Tami Wallace takes over as Mayor after her  motion "that I be mayor for the 2025 year" passes

TRANSCRIPT: 

Cody Bass: We'll go ahead and open this item up for public comment. This is on item number two the reorganization, mayor and mayor pro-tem selection so anybody in the room yes [SOUNDS LIKE] Mr. Ebert.

 

Male Speaker: -change in leadership  it's a bad look when you have a pot dealer as mayor. It's disgusting. Somebody that gets pulled over 3:00 in the morning, somebody that has this much legal trouble- I think we need to go in a different direction and send a clear message we don't need this kind of garbage.

(Watch Clip of this speaker here: https://cityofangels25.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-bad-look-when-you-have-pot-dealer-as_12.html

Cody Bass:  thanks all right anybody else yes Mr. Moser.

37:16

Ed Moser [sp?] South Lake Tahoe  obviously you don't have a sense of humor or else you'd make Scott the mayor. So  with that in mind  number one I object to  Miss Wallace being selected. She's kind of bullied in the past  her comments outside. I was here at the chamber when she screamed at the top of her lungs outside at Mr. Robbins, calling him a real asshole, and I mean screamed.

And also right over here at a break  after you spoke to him Mr. Bass  to Mr. Robbins  you know calling him a real jerk got right in his face and screamed at him and called him a real jerk and I don't think anybody like that that treats another council member like that whether you think he deserves it or not  deserves to deserves to be mayor and I don't think you deserve to even sit up there. I think it should be should be recalled  and for a number quite a number of reasons. … 

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Obviously you don't have a sense of humor or else you'd make Scott the mayor. -Ed Mosur

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Mr. Robbins was the biggest vote getter  when he ran  you know and in the past people have used that as an excuse  to say that  you deserve a shot if you're the biggest vote getter and sit here for four years and don't get  don't get to be mayor….

Jenkins has been a city manager here for quite a few years, even knows the process and is familiar with city government and could possibly do do the mayoral job…..

Cody Bass: Thank you for your comments yes thank

 

40:00

Female Speaker: [SOUNDS LIKE] Melissa Soderstein South Lake Tahoe. I'm going to agree with Mr. Moser.  I have great respect for you Tamara but unfortunately your emotions and your disrespect for some people in this Council chamber have been palpable to the community.  

Your husband's direct attacks against a member of this Council, personal attacks, are completely  inappropriate and I feel that the only correct choice is to leave Cody in his position.

He has done a wonderful job, he has been completely compassionate towards his Community, he has shown his ability to compromise with every single person that was on this Council, which by the way has been the best Council and staff that this city has ever seen, this has been an incredible four years. The previous years before this Council were great as well  but this has been the best Council I don't want to see that change I do have great respect for you.

But we need to move past this election cycle was awful. It was horrific it was embarrassing it was tragic for our community  on very many levels. The insecurity and just an attitude-

It was just very immature the way that this community behaved on every level. That we cannot be civil is very disappointing. And I think the only way to be civil going forward is to keep Cody as mayor.  I think he's done a wonderful job. I think that Scott really cares about this community more than people give him credit for. I think he is very compassionate I think his heart is absolutely in the place of the community.

You might not like the way he speaks but I think that he does deserve his shot if we are not going to give him a shot, which I agree would be probably not the best choice. At this point  it needs to be Cody and I think that it just needs to be Cody at this point and I love you Tamara and I really appreciate you it has been an excellent four years and I hope we can continue that and I hope you two will continue to compromise and continue the Forward Thinking for the future that we have had  

   

53:15

Tami Wallace: So I think that there's some confusion about protocol versus the way that we've done it, and because we have a written set of protocols. So what we've talked about at least in my and Mr. Bass's time on Council was that it was a rotation.

However there is also nothing that says that we have to do it that way and here's here's my concern with you, Mr. Robbins. We have not always gotten along and and that's fine, I'm I have been part of that and I accept my responsibility in that.

However the one thing that at least in mind and in my opinion that the the mayor does that is super important is that we represent the council in the public and in the media.

And I a have major concerns based on the last two years  [to Bass] that you would be able to effectively communicate on behalf of the council and not yourself. And and so that is a that is a real concern for me.

During covid and during the Caldor Fire, as mayor pro-tem and then mayor, I represented the council, not Tamara Wallace, and I made a very good effort at that.

And when there were times when I didn't always agree with the council, I then went to either our PIO or the city manager at the time and asked them to handle it. Because I really feel like that is an important position that the mayor does

Other than that the only extra power you have as a mayor besides running the meetings is to call a special meeting, which we haven't done in a really long time because there's been no reason to.

So I I would be willing to consider supporting you as mayor protem once I have those fears allayed that you could represent the council and not yourself as a mayor, so that's my concern.

 

Cody Bass: Okay great so anybody else that would like to speak? I'll just say thinking more about this, we've both been elected now twice right. And you're up now for your second term as being mayor. Both been elected here the same amount of times and if we're both going to serve two terms as being mayor, which would be kind of matching it up, if we're going to talk about protocol and talk about those things- for me when I-

If I were to serve as two terms as mayor, it does make sense for it to run in continuity, only because in the public realm of things, when I'm going out as mayor as I have many times, working with the tribe and all sorts of things that don't fully understand how you were even appointed as mayor, I think there is a sense of continuity that does work better.

And just in the representation of the City generally, a mayor is elected and they serve a Four-year term a one-year term does create- it  creates confusion in a certain sense.

And so my only point is that if we're both the two seniors here that have been elected for two terms, and we're both going to serve two terms as Mayor, it would just for me work- it makes a lot more sense to do that in continuity is all I'm trying what I'm what I'm saying.

And then it comes back up again next year and you look at taking mayor in in the next term I just put that out for thought. And and there is no protocol that says like Mr. Moser pointed out, we've had multiple mayors that have served mayor and then mayor again. So there's never been a protocol that says that we can't do that. It's actually been and has been done multiple times in this Council so that that would just be my my only two cents to that and

 

And I do agree like I I think coming into a new Council us trying to have as much cohesion and kind of working together I definitely know that I can bring that sense of leadership to to the role. And I know you could as well, I just I think that there have been- coming out of this election cycle things we are in a in an interesting time. So  again I yeah I’ll just put those comments out for thought and leave it up to council-

 

VOTE

52:05

Bass: So when I call your name let me know how you vote council member Roberts no council member. Robbins yes council member Jenkins mayor protem Wallace No mayor bass yes that motion fails

 

Scott Robbins: there's a lot of value in the continuity aspect for external interactions that's that's that's handy.

Tami Wallace: I don't disagree about the continuity. I would just argue that we have had rotating or different mayors at least for the last 10 years at least since 2014.

And you're right there is nothing that says you can't do it back to back. In the community I grew up in it was the same setup and we had the same mayor for 17 years.

So that  all things being equal I think that you and I have different contacts with the outside agencies and and jurisdictions but we have equal contacts in that regard we may sort of, because of our positions that we take, the city Council assignments. We just have a tendency to have different context.

But you know, it's I'm I'm not going to fight for the position. I've already been mayor, I think I would be a good mayor.

I think that I'm less concerned with what happened in the last election going forward because I think things have been resolved and that that it's just it's not necessarily a nonissue but it's less of an issue than than I think people are thinking it is.

I think we we as a council have always had a really good relationship  for the most part and we've always worked together very very well.  I talked to people about this that I’ve never once felt like I had to call a council member and say hey can you support me in this. Because I know that when I walk into the room that I'm going to be heard by the members on this body.

So if this means that we support you as mayor, I would just I would be okay with that. I prefer based on some of the feelings that you and I have- have had in the past about previous councils that we do switch it around but I’m not going to fight for it it's just not worth it.  I'm I'm done fighting on this Board.  

Cody Bass: Right Mr. Roberts

 

Pictured left Speaker One: "It's a bad look when you have a pot dealer as mayor. It's disgusting" 

01:00:45

Keith Roberts: Yeah when I was running, during my campaign, one of the things that struck out to me the most and surprised me actually was how many people talked about how divided not only our city was but our Council was. And I don't by any means mean to place any blame on you mayor or anybody else, it just was what it was.

And I think what that represented in our constituents was the need for a change. And I think it would be more reflective of that if we did make a change in the mayor position at this time.

 

Cody Bass: right any other comments Mr. Jenkins or

 

David Jenkins: No now I think the struggle we are having here is something that I would have preferred that I mentioned to some people to some people's chagrin that we have a discussion in January when the two newest members- and I'm just talking for myself- would have had an opportunity to think through all this. I'm not afraid to make a decision I’ve made a lot of them in my life some most of them I would like to think are were good some maybe were not so good.

But I I think the the time we're taking on this is one of the reasons that I had hoped that maybe by January that we could have resolved that, we would resolve this and this whole question of assignments and all of these other tasks that we have. But I'm prepared to vote at the rest of the prepared to vote I'm I'm I'm ready-

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I'm done fighting on this Board - Tami Wallace

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Scott Robbins: As as someone who still fondly remembers their college days I am I am no opponent of procrastination.  The challenge is that per the Brown Act we can't really discuss this over the next month. So if we come back we do this again in January we're not going to have- we could individually think about it some more. But we're not really going to be able to talk offline about it that's not allowed-

 

Female Off Camera: yes and if I can add something it's also in our city code not just in our city council protocols, it's in the city code that we need to do this at this meeting.

David Jenkins: So it's not really a discussion but it  takes three votes if you don't have three votes it gets carried over. So I think I'd I Mentioned that before to staff. It can say what it wants, but it takes three votes, so you don't have three votes then it gets carried over if it's a tie gets carried over so I don't I don't want- I appreciate the clarity but I want to make clear that the council will make those decisions not not other not other people.

Scott Robbins: Point being come January we're not going to have a lot more new information and like I would be just as down with putting this off just and not having it be something that takes up the evening.

But the thing is, it's just going to come back to where we are now a month from now because we can't have discussions amongst ourselves in any effective way legally. And that's one of the frustrations of the Brown Act is that- I understand the importance of  but it also means that sometimes like the ability to do things behind the scenes Is limited, is very limited. So  being able to come to like a negotiated decision over the over time is just not something we're able or allowed to do because of state law

So all right well yeah Miss Wallace if if Miss Wallace it sounded like you had maybe changed your mind on Cody for mayor. I'm willing to make another motion to re rerun the vote but I’ll defer to you on that because-

 

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I am going to make a motion that I be mayor for the 2025 year. Tami Wallace

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WATCH CLIP OF TAMI WALLACE MAKING A MOTION TO MAKE HERSELF MAYOR HERE: https://cityofangels25.blogspot.com/2024/12/audacity-of-entitlement-story-coming.html

01:04:50

Tami Wallace: Okay in the interest of moving forward and in the interest of or in the sense that we've already voted on one and it failed, I am going to make a motion that I be mayor for the 2025 year.

 

Voice: I will second it.

 

Cody Bass: All right and I will go ahead and call a roll call vote

 

Council member Roberts yes council member Robbins no council member Jenkins Yes mayor pro-tem Wallace yes mayor Bass yes that motion carries.

 

All right and so with that we'll move into the mayor protem selection so I’d-

[DISCUSSION]

 

01:17:10

Bass: Yes we will go ahead and open this item for public comment this will be on the mayor pro-tem selection yes Mr. Wallace.

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I'm going to confess something.  – Duane Wallace

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Duane Wallace: D. Wallace, citizen. I've had I guess the pleasure of having known every city council person that this city has ever had. And this is always the toughest thing.

Also I was also on the Utility District board for I don't know 20-25 years. I only served as the president twice because I didn't want the contention that went along with it.

Our city council had many people who never served as mayor and were on for many terms some some people by choice, some people because they didn't run a meeting well you happen to have run meetings really well.

But but since the statute of limitations has run out and everything's so tense, I'm going to confess something.

We had one person who was elected the city council that was really a problem person. And I happened to as a Utility District Board member, sit in those seats. And they had a red button and a green button.

And just because it was around April fools, I switched those buttons when that guy was elected and so when he came to vote and I knew he would vote no as often as he could he kept voting yes and couldn't figure out why.

So I can tell you that now. It took them about 6 months to figure out who did it.

I I never never admitted it and I'm not going to say who it was and I know Mr. .Bailey would probably represent me if I needed it but-

So what I'm saying is get past this and run the meetings well and respect each other and it's time to have a different attitude about how we treat each other in our community.

And I I’ll have to admit when somebody says something about somebody that I love, I don't like it. We don't like the death threats we get and those are just from family members. But but it it can be very tense.

It doesn't need to be. I'll give you an example I was in Washington I’ve been there many times and I was with Kevin McCarthy and Senator Feinstein and we were they were hugging each other and talking and giving out plaques and platitudes and then I got back to the hotel room and they were both having press conferences just blasting the heck out of each other.

It doesn't have to be that way and Harry Reid told me once he says we make you hate each other so you'll send us money.

So my point is it's a new day. I will try to be more respectful and I hope you all are too thanks.

Cody Bass: Thank you Mr. Wallace any other

 

Comments yes Mr. [INAUDIBLE]

 

01:10:00

Male speaker: It's grotesquely and I mean grotesquely elitist to to just suggest the notion that the people can't figure out who the damn mayor is. That's grotesque. The people can figure that out.

 

Bass: thank you thank you for your comments any other comments in the room, yes Mr. Asbury

 

Male Speaker: Thank goodness for the Brown Act thanks again for this opportunity to speak so mayor Bass you pretty made the community proud. You are a humble guy which makes it even better.  It's neat to see those  Olympic Stars win these gold medals and they're just so humble and and you give respect to everyone and your leadership qualities are quite phenomenal. I never saw you talk down. You  I'm sure you have - 

 

Watch the entire council meeting on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okumZhpCneg

* Weblogged by Kay Ebeling, invisible, peering from behind the trees