Wow! I just finished reading IVIG General Manager Steve Pinkerton’s column from the Oct. 30 Bonanza, “What values do surveys have for the Incline community?”

After making my way through an avalanche of statistics, I was surprised to discover that apparently all the surveys I have received from IVGID over the years and completed have been a waste of my time and money.

Mr. Pinkerton considers some to be “useful in measuring public opinion.” Perhaps he is referring to the Beach Facilities survey I recently completed? But on really important matters, like an $18.2 million overhaul of Diamond Peak and the addition of amusement park attractions, well, an independent survey isn’t recommended.

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The problem as I understand it is the difficulty of the Board of Trustees and IVGID staff in weighing the opinions of our community. Whose voice should resonate, and whose voice should be discounted?

I guess this is the reason for all the numerical phrases on registered voters, resident and non-resident homeowners, renters, part-time residents, and other demographics. Just reading all these divisions gave me a headache. Imagine listening to all those opinions!

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And imagine, as he infers, that some or all of us may lack the time or the intelligence to evaluate and analyze enough information to make an informed decision when we complete a survey.

So, our general manager has found the perfect solution thanks to our representative democracy. Let’s call it “Vote and Consent.” Voters will elect trustees, and they will hire consultants and oversee a general manager who will oversee a staff to do the hard work “in crafting good public policy” and they will “work through all these difficult issues and come up with a solution that provides the most benefit to the community.”

All we have to do is make one decision, by voting, and everything will be decided for us. But what if those same voters who don’t have enough information to complete those surveys, also lack adequate information when they choose their candidates? Well, what then?

As for those non-resident property owners, who do not have a vote, they may call this scenario, “Out of Luck.”

Mary McKenna | Incline Village