It’s Jennifer Montgomery’s home in Serene Lakes that sets her apart from previous Placer County District 5 Supervisors. Not only does Supervisor Montgomery live a stone’s throw away from one of the most controversial development battles Placer County faces today, but 20 years have passed since a supervisor who lives full-time in the Tahoe Truckee area represented the eastern district.
Montgomery, who won the Fifth District Supervisor seat in November 2008, calls herself a ‘Truckee Tahoe Basin girl.’ She’s waited tables in local restaurants, worked in the construction industry, spent seasons as a Sugar Bowl employee, and met her husband while volunteering as a firefighter. She also met many prominent local leaders, who today she consults for advice, when she worked at the Truckee-based nonprofit, the Sierra Business Council.
When I asked Montgomery what prepared her most for the task of representing District 5 citizens, which spans communities from Kings Beach and Tahoe City, across Donner Summit, to Forest Hill and North Auburn, she simply responded, ‘really living here.’ It was her involvement as a Serene Lakes resident in the pending Royal Gorge development, which she calls ‘the nonexistent elephant in the room,’ that sparked her interest to become further involved in local politics.
‘I think that no matter where district supervisors come from, they always have spent a lot of time in Tahoe – because (the job) requires it,’ said Jennifer Merchant, manager of Tahoe affairs in the Placer County Executive Office. ‘But when you live here, you really have a strong feeling for what happens. You run into people in the grocery store. You see them at the ski hill. You see them at events. They’re your neighbors. And I think that always makes it easier to understand their issues.’
Tahoe Vista resident and community leader Theresa May Duggan, who first met Montgomery at the Sierra Business Council nearly 10 years ago, said she has always been impressed with the breadth of knowledge Montgomery acquires throughout the course of life.
‘She’s done it,’ Duggan said, referring to Montgomery’s victorious election. ‘But what impressed me, even when I first met her, was the solid base of education and information that she had. She added to her education with every job she had … It’s a way of looking at how you experience employment or whatever. She always looked at it as more education.’
But it’s not just Montgomery’s local resume that will aid her on the job. Montgomery wants to sit down and listen. One of Montgomery’s most important goals as Supervisor is to better involve the public in the County’s decision-making process – an area of frustration that spurred her to run for office in the first place.
‘That’s really my biggest vision,’ she said in her living room one warm January afternoon. ‘Making sure that everybody gets heard.’
Municipal Advisory Councils will have a stronger role to play while Montgomery is in office, with more action items and more opportunities to recommend items to the board.
‘I want to bring that back,’ she said. ‘I want them to be town halls really.’
The sour economy, budget strains and development pressures, however, make this no easy time to lead. Equipped with vision and a plan, Montgomery is taking a proactive approach towards solving some of the most controversial issues Placer County is facing today.
Keeping Placer County staff employed is Montgomery’s absolute priority when sorting through a budget that must be cut. This month, the Board of Supervisors will review their budget from this fiscal year while they begin to lay out next year’s budget. Montgomery is prepared to slice the budget. But if it comes down to a choice between a beautiful new building or cutting staff, the building will go.
‘Is it a choice between a government center (proposed in the Tahoe Truckee area) or keeping people employed? That’s easy. It’s keeping people employed,’ she said.
Montgomery is not optimistic about a fast recovery back to the vibrant economy Placer County saw before this year. But with funds that were put away over the years and a resourceful staff, she is, however, confident the county has the tools to survive. Placer County’s overall reserve fund totals some $94 million. As a policy, Placer County saves a specific percentage of its revenue from sales tax, property tax and some TOT tax. However, a majority of that money is earmarked for specific purposes such as infrastructure redevelopment or emergency response services. Around $24 million is available in the reserve’s general fund – money that could be used to pull Placer County through its budget crisis.
‘I think Placer County is going to make it through this,’ she said. ‘Placer County is relatively fortunate compared with the state and local counties.’
In the midst of crisis, Montgomery also sees opportunity to diversify the local economy with more investment into Placer County agriculture and forest health. She is planning a trip to Washington D.C. where she intends to lobby Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Tom McClintock for more funds to clear our forests. Hiring people to clear unhealthy forest underbrush, chip the woody waste and then transport the material to a Biomass facility not only improves the health of the forests, but also creates jobs, Montgomery said.
‘A really good way to solve thorny social, economic and environmental issues is by allocating the money to our forests,’ she said.
Tapping into the shop-local niche market, Montgomery wants to see Placer County’s strong tourism industry spill over into agriculture. She envisions families visiting local farms, picking the fruit off the trees and buying local pistachios. Montgomery was sworn into office Monday, January 5 at the County Seat in Auburn. Car-loads full of friends, fans and voters in the Tahoe area drove down the hill to attend the ceremony. Montgomery won the election for District 5 Supervisor against Incumbent Bruce Kranz by a 10 percent margin. Precincts in Alpine Meadows, Carnelian Bay, Dollar Point, Homewood, Kings Beach, Squaw Valley and Tahoe City all went to Montgomery – as did many other precincts on the Western Slope. Kings Beach gave Montgomery the strongest vote, with a 28 percent margin in her favor, according to the county’s election results.
‘They showed up,’ Montgomery said. ‘And I think by them showing up it sent a message to the county … This was not just about the election. This was about creating change.’
Change certainly is on the horizon. Proposed development in Kings Beach and Royal Gorge, a well overdue update to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Community Plan and an update to the Foresthill Community Plan are just a handful of items on Montgomery’s plate. At the top of her list is getting the ball moving on the Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project, a controversial development proposed for the main Highway 28 corridor. Placer County approved the three-lane with roundabouts option, which met significant resistance last summer.
‘If (the core improvement project) doesn’t happen, it’s a disaster for Kings Beach,’ she said.
Consensus building is key to Montgomery’s strategy in overcoming conflict with development. Montgomery said she is open to development, so long as everyone is included in the process. She wants to see all parties sitting down at a table to find an appropriate solution, even if not everyone walks away completely satisfied.
Strung between two pines just outside her Serene Lakes home, tattered prayer flags whip against the trees. Red, yellow, orange, blue – with each flutter Montgomery said she likes to think a ‘prayer for peace’ is sent out into the world. Not a follower of Buddhist principles herself, but still, the poetic message sent blowing in the wind reflects the road that lies before Montgomery.
‘I think it will be a really fruitful next four years,’ she said. ‘And maybe eight.’
