Saying, “Our city has not had a competitive election for council in eight years,” Big Bear Lake 5th District City Council hopeful Bynette Mote pledged that if elected, “I will bring a fresh outlook, flexible time, very active energy, proactive communication, transparent actions and a strong motivation to plan our future that stems from a love of our valley and community.”
Mote is competing against Bob Jackowski, a longtime incumbent on the city council who along with Councilman Bill Jahn faced no opposition in the 2016 contest.
She is running for city council, Mote said, because “I have a strong love for our Big Bear Valley, our neighbors and businesses, and would like to offer my expertise in helping to plan the best present and future for everyone. I have spent the last two years educating and preparing myself by attending various board meetings across our valley to understand the issues we currently face, along with building solid relationships within the leadership community. I look forward to serving and being an active voice for District 5 residents.”
She is qualified to hold the position of city councilwoman, Mote said, in that “I offer 25 years of business management experience with strong skillsets in leadership, finance and operations, along with strategic planning. I have also held the position as planning commissioner for the City of Big Bear Lake since November 2018, appointed and re-appointed unanimously by the city council, so I offer two years in government as well. I am a full-time resident and very actively involved in our community, from volunteering to supporting.”
Mote said, “Currently, due to the pandemic, our valley has been incredibly overwhelmed with tourism, so our residents have been very vocal of late with issues surrounding short-term rentals, traffic, trash, noise and so on. Short term rentals have also seen an increase in numbers, so long-term, affordable housing is very limited and hard to find for our full-time residents.”
To redress that issue, Mote said, “I would like to see proactive discussions taking place between our leadership, our residents, our businesses and any other stakeholders to bring forth ideas and work on solutions together. There are several similar tourist destinations with excellent plans, extended regulations, improved code enforcement, rental caps, and so forth that we could also learn from.”
Mote said there needs to be inclusive brainstorming among residents and civic leaders in order for the community to come up with ways to fund improvements in the way the city operates.
“This is a matter of committing time for discussions at this point to the issue of municipal financing,” she said.
Mote and her husband, Greg, have lived in Big Bear Lake since 2016.
“My husband and I moved to Big Bear Lake full-time nearly 4 years ago,” she said.
Mote attended two high schools. She spent her first two years at Clovis West High School and last two at Thousand Oaks High School. She has attended three colleges, including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a math major; Moorpark College where she achieved her general education degree; and Cal State Northridge, where she was an English major.
Currently, Mote’s time is taken up with her service on the Big Bear Lake Planning Commissioner and, she said, “remodeling our house, everything from framing to drywall to flooring, etc.”
Mote told the Sentinel, “My husband Greg is also running for a seat on the board of directors for the Bear Valley Community Healthcare District. We are both very involved in the Big Bear community and wish to help plan the best future for our valley and residents. We are not taking political endorsements or campaign donations. Should anyone wish to support us in our venture, please consider making a small donation to one of our local charities as they have not been able to fundraise this year due to the pandemic: https://themotevote.com/#donate-to-big-bear.
“For a more extensive review of my background and qualifications,” she said, “you are welcome to peruse my resumes at https://themotevote.com/#about.”
-M.G.