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Saturday, 15 September 2007 |
by Diane Eagle
For some, the world falls off after Labor Day—too much quiet, not enough to do. With weather as crisp as a fall apple, can cider be far off? Can I hike myself into skiing condition? Offseason skies seem somehow bluer, the night skies more sparkled.
Offseason is good for lots of things.
The pace lessens; stress beats a retreat.
It's easier to cross the street, to make a left turn.
Lines are shorter at Vons and Starbucks.
Lots of stuff's on sale in the stores.
Second homeowners come, enjoying their properties.
Football has begun.
When you run into friends, you don’t have to rush off; you can spend time talking, catching up.
Offseason gives us the chance for a good, long exhale. Leaves haven't started turning yet, but they are that color of green that says watch closely, we're going to turn in the blink of an eye. Snow has even been in the forecast for Montana and Wyoming.
Looking back over the past season, on the plus side, the General Plan has been approved. The Post Office has been beautifully beautified. Steve Searles has been reinstated (albeit temporarily at the moment). A new and improved Chair 9 is readying to ferry skiers to the slopes. And there is talk of charter air service.
On the minus side, we continue to lose local businesses...Edisto, Sierra Jewelers, Tailwaggers, and wind sweeps through the Clearwater lots on Old Mammoth Road. We lost Life & Wellness. We discovered our storm drains are inadequate.
But in the offseason, time seems to stretch out, creating plenty of room to regroup and think about things, like where Mammoth is heading.
Where is the leadership?
In a transitional time between small town and destination resort for more than Southern California, it is difficult to stay on course and be true to the dream for the future, without becoming mired in details and obfuscation. Transformation will happen; it’s inevitable, but it’s our choice whether and how we shape it.
Without leadership, the details and distractions can get in the way of the vision. With leadership, residents, second homeowners and businesses can coalesce into sharing a single vision for the town of Mammoth Lakes. If a goal is to hold onto small town intimacy while building a year-round destination resort, a good leader can articulate that goal. With charismatic leadership to guide us, we can reach the goal of international and competitive destination resort. Residents, second homeowners and absent landlords as well as civic decision makers must support efforts like Life & Wellness, sustain the small businesses we continue to lose, and continue to build a charismatic complement to the world class winter and summer facilities offered by MMSA.
With our system of rotating mayors, it seems as though the position exists solely to run council meetings and attend to details. How about a mayor who is elected, who is accountable to the populace as well as to the vision. It’s hard to find accountability and commitment when mayoralty seems more like the ducks popping up in an arcade game where they go back and forth on a belt. And that leaves us in limbo.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent policies and opinions of the staff or owners of the Mammoth Times. Reader response is encouraged. –MT
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Last Updated ( Friday, 21 September 2007 )
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