San Manuel Miner

As a result of the successful recall election two new members will soon be joining the Mammoth Town Council. Bob Sloan will be replacing Juan Barcelo and Don Jones is taking the place of the mayor, Alvaro Barcelo. Both new council members were asked what they would like to see for the town.

Bob Sloan said that because he is a senior he would like to see the town work to help its senior citizens. “Some of them are in a financial bind and not living very well.” He would like to see a van or transportation of some kind for seniors to be transported to a grocery store. The Mammoth Police Department needs to be more respectful towards the citizens. “In general make Mammoth a more pleasurable place to live in,” Bob said.

One of the major issues for the town is accountability of the money. Bob said that real estate purchases need to be run through the voters. “I’m willing to work with people,” he added. “If I do something that displeases anyone they can come and talk to me. We’re a government for everybody.”

Don Jones is a former mayor of Wakpala, South Dakota, a small town located in the center of the state. He is familiar with grants and managing a town. Don says that he wants the people to be able to talk and voice their opinions about the town. He would like to hold a monthly town hall meeting where the public could come and ask questions, share their ideas and make their complaints. They can tell us how our police department or public works is doing. They can cover all the issues. We can then put those issues on the agenda of the next town council meeting and address them. “Maybe people will get interested and attend council meetings,” he said.

Don said that some of the major issues he wants to address are the town’s drainage problems and the sewer and water systems. Financial accountability will be a priority. Don said, “The first thing I plan on doing is having a forensic audit completed.” He added that the town will have a treasurer’s report at every council meeting available for the public to view.

“We want the people to get along with the Mammoth Police Department and Public Works,” he said. “I don’t plan on firing a bunch of people but all hiring will follow Federal guidelines.” Don said he would like to form hiring committees to help with selecting eligible job candidates. “I want the council members to join in and work with the people. Hopefully we will have some fun and make the meetings enjoyable. This will be a whole new way of management.”

John Hernandez (785 Posts)

John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.

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