It has been just over a week since Mayor Tamara Wallace publicly admitted to years-long history of embezzlement and theft from the Lake Tahoe Presbyterian Church. Her confession, however, was notable for its lack of a statement of resignation.

As of the time of this writing, there has been no subsequent statement of resignation or intention to resign. Presuming that a resignation would be forthcoming, I have delayed a public statement. I can delay no longer.

It is time for all members of the City Council, as well as all our regional elected leadership to join me in calling for Mayor Wallace’s immediate resignation.

It is also time for all of the city’s business groups, organizations that have lobbied the City Council on legislation, including the Chambers of Commerce, the Realtors Association, and the Visitors Authority, to join this call for the Mayor’s immediate resignation.

The nature of her crimes are incompatible with the inherent trust that communities must place in their elected leadership, and her admission leaves no question about her guilt. Neither the City Council, nor the City Manager, is empowered to remove a councilmember from office. Should she fail to resign, the City Council must, without delay, remove her from her mayorship (demoting her back to councilmember), remove her from all board assignments, and censure her. In addition, and more importantly, the City Council cannot allow any substantive business to proceed that includes votes from a mayor who has admitted to embezzlement from a church. To do so would raise legitimate ethical doubts about corruption in a city that now faces a serious lack of public trust. Ultimately, should these actions fail to bring about her voluntary resignation, a citizens’ recall effort must be initiated.

The effort, time, and attention involved with managing the above actions would introduce months-long delays to ongoing efforts to address the wide ranging needs of our city, including housing affordability reforms, road and transit projects, and the many other items on our agenda docket.

I call upon the mayor to spare all in the community the chaos, delays, and protests that are certain to come, and resign now. Allow the city to move on and do the people’s business.

Scott Robbins
City Councilman, City of South Lake Tahoe