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Developer exits role with TRPA

Gregory Crofton, Tahoe Daily Tribune

A South Shore developer resigned from a commission that advises the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and has been replaced by a stock broker from Douglas County.

Randy Lane, managing partner of Falcon Capital, resigned his appointed seat on the TRPA Advisory Planning Commission last month. Lane did not a list a reason in his resignation letter, said Alice Baldrica, chairwoman of the commission.

He was out of town on Tuesday and could not be reached for comment. Lane was appointed to the Advisory Planning Commission by the Douglas County Commission in March 1999, filling a vacant seat. As a member, it was his job to poke holes and question the work of the TRPA staff before matters are voted on by the TRPA Governing Board.



Now the job, one of 18 positions on the commission, belongs to Mike Riley, an investment executive who has lived in Douglas County for eight years. Riley, 62, said he found the job posted in a newspaper and applied for it.

Riley was appointed by the Douglas County Commission. He said he developed a curiosity about the TRPA during meetings he attended as president of the Tahoe-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, where he served as president from April 2002 to April 2003.



He also learned about the agency as a board member of the South Shore Transportation Management Association, a position he still holds. Riley also serves on the board of Ridge Tahoe and the Northern Nevada Development Agency.

Prior to his experience as a stock broker, Riley spent 34 years in the field of sales and marketing. He said he plans to draw on some of that knowledge for his new job, which is a volunteer position.

“I think I can help with the change of direction with the TRPA,” Riley said. “If nothing else, give them a better image in the community. They obviously have to change the way they operate. They need somebody to give them an honest characterization.”

Riley said if the TRPA does something that has a negative impact on one person, 100 people hear about it. If they do something that’s good, nobody finds out about it. Riley added that TRPA’s image would improve if the Governing Board was elected, not appointed.

“I know they are good people,” said Riley of TRPA staff and others who work for the agency. “I hate to see them subjected to all this abuse. Maybe they deserve it. I don’t know. That’s one of the reasons I want to do this.”

— Gregory Crofton can be reached at (530) 542-8045 or by e-mail at gcrofton@tahoedailytribune.com


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