SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – During the Tuesday evening city council meeting, Mayor Cody Bass handed out more keys to the city, this time to former President of Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) Jeff DeFranco and founder Roberta Mason.

Bass said that he was honored to present the keys to the two of them. “Both of them have been such leaders in our community and brought higher education.” As he presented the key to Mason, he said she had done “so much work for this community for decades, on decades, on decades.”

Mason acknowledged the other founders of the community college. “We are very lucky to have it here in our community. Nothing in Tahoe is easy, everything takes time,” she said. Mason also gave her blessing for the public safety training complex, which was a process that took several years.

In honoring DeFranco, Bass said he had done so much for the town and the college. “It’s sad to see you go, but happy for your future.”

DeFranco thanked the city council for the “extreme honor” and the 14 years he’d served the college. “It’s rare to promote and stay in your community.” DeFranco recently stepped down from the presidency position to take a position at Arizona State University, which he announced in March.

However, DeFranco said that he would still be living in the south shore and intended to still give back where he could. “This key doesn’t have to be an end… just halftime, if we will.”

DeFranco also referenced his grandfather, who served as mayor of Metro, Ohio, who told him that one of the best uses of his time was to serve the community. DeFranco showed the key to the city that his grandfather gave him, saying that this moment was full circle.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley. Learn more at https://fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows/.