To The Tahoe Donner Board of Directors:
Like so many community members, I have observed Tahoe Donner’s increasingly polarized and adversarial political climate with dismay. Because of the controversy surrounding the ski lodge replacement proposal that is moving through the planning process, acrimony on social media, in our email in-boxes, at board and committee meetings, and in the neighborhood just keeps growing.
On one side, those who are skeptical about the ski lodge replacement proposal are organizing under the “Tahoe Donner Member Voices” banner. They are focusing on transparency and board accountability to the members, and they have been pushing for a binding member vote to determine the future of the proposal.
On the other side, those who support the proposal are rallying around the board and management. They defend the quality of the work done by staff and the project’s volunteer task force, and they emphasize the board’s integrity, its legal authority, and its fiduciary duty to make fully informed decisions to benefit the association as a whole.
Both sides raise valid and important points that should be valued. However, as long as both sides remain polarized, I do not believe those valid and important points can all be responsibly addressed. Worse, as long as this polarization continues, the conflict will continue and likely grow, damaging the character of our community and diminishing our quality of life.
Is this really what we want for our community? I do not believe it is.
That is why I am writing this open letter to the Tahoe Donner Board of Directors to suggest a third-way alternative that will:
- Demonstrate transparency and board accountability to the members.
- Accurately measure and honor member opinion on the proposal.
- Affirm the board’s legal authority and its fiduciary duty to the members.
Given the controversy surrounding the project, I recommend that the board organize an “advisory question” ballot measure on the ski lodge replacement project proposal that is currently in development. An advisory question is a non-binding ballot measure designed to gauge public opinion on an issue before elected officials take final action.
The balloting process for this advisory question could be similar to the balloting process used by the Association for director elections and other member votes under our governing documents: paper ballots, one vote per property, a specified quorum, and independent oversight to ensure the integrity of the ballots and the count.
Though I expect there will need to be considerable board and community conversation to determine the right advisory question, I believe that conversation should begin.
The advisory question would need to be accompanied by clear and accurate informational materials to help members arrive at a well-informed opinion about the current design proposal. To avoid controversy about bias, I would recommend a consensus oriented writing and review process to ensure that the informational materials have approval from a diverse range of viewpoints.
An advisory question of this type may not be exactly what either side wants, but I believe it will provide both sides with what they actually need. I also hope it might foster an atmosphere of cooperation that brings both sides to the same table.
Even more importantly, an advisory question ballot would provide our community with a positive, responsible, and respectful path forward on the ski lodge replacement project. If successful, I hope it might help our community break free from the animosity that has characterized our board elections and public discussions in recent years.
Once again, I recommend that the board set the ski lodge project on a new path forward by organizing an advisory question ballot.
Thank you,
Benjamin R. Levine
Hillside Drive