Hard road for planner

EDITOR:

In reference to your piece on Sept. 23 about Harmon Zuckerman's appointment as Regional Planning Director for TRPA. Congratulations to Mr. Zuckerman who has contributed significantly to Douglas County over the past few years. I have one piece of advice for him. Work very hard to listen to the residents for whom you serve, and resist the temptation to serve minority lobbyists with special interests and personal gain as their primary motives. This may be hard, given the wide array of municipalities that drive TRPA, but maintain your integrity, your independence, and your passion to serve the people. Nothing will help you get the job done more than this.

What makes his new assignment to create a regional plan more difficult for Mr. Zuckerman is the environment in which he has served and been trained during this past few years. Douglas County government remains dominated by pandering to special interests with no concern for the public good or the will of the people. Such people have obscene power and influence.

As a direct result we wallow around and frequently move in directions at odds with most residents. Politicians and senior county staff must take responsibility for this, and live with the consequences.

Your article comes from the Sierra Sun and it calls for a clear vision so our local economy can begin to repair itself. This is 100 percent correct and 100 percent very difficult for Mr. Zuckerman to accomplish.

Given the disparate visions and goals of the powerful lobbying groups around The Lake, and the collaborative nature of TRPA governance with a bunch of different agencies at the helm, I suspect Mr. Zuckerman will need all the help he can get. It may remain as dysfunctional as the United Nations, and for similar reasons.

The good news is that the economy will bounce back best if government stands back. If TRPA government remains wrapped around the axle, the economy must necessarily do just that. But surely the deeper and wider goal is to define the long term vision for the greatest lake in the northern hemisphere, and then embark on the journey to get there. That won't get done by happenstance. May I refer Mr. Zuckerman back to the one piece of advice above?

Jim Herd

Gardnerville