SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As one of two candidates running for city clerk, Michelle Davis has three years of experience as the assistant city clerk. Davis spoke to the Tribune about her qualifications, what she’s passionate about and what she believes is most important in the position.

“My interest in local government started in college,” said Davis, who attended California State University, Chico and studied sociology and criminal justice. There, says Davis, she became a civic engagement officer, worked as vice president of facilities and services and commissioner of legislative affairs. “I followed Brown Act procedures and learned what it means to hold a public meeting and post agendas.”

She also shared that South Lake Tahoe has been important to her family for decades. “When the stars kind of aligned for me to get a dream job in local government, in a place that my family loves, I was so excited.”

Serving as assistant city clerk has taught her how to handle public records requests, claims, subpoenas and appeals. Davis says she values transparency, along with ensuring fair and honest operations. “I see the value of transparency through public records requests, and that’s important, especially when it comes to city officials and staff.”

As Susan Blankenship, longtime city clerk, did not reapply for the position, Davis said she felt it was a good time for her to step up to the plate. “I have a lot of institutional knowledge through working with Sue, and she has taught me a lot.” Davis cited examples of working on budgets for the city council and clerk’s office.

“I’ve spent three years here, I have a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation which focuses on city profession and I’ve built relationships with other city clerks,” said Davis. “I think my time has really prepared me for this role. The only requirement for city clerk is to be 18 and live in the city limits. I believe I far exceed those requirements.”

As an assistant clerk, she has attended every city council meeting, and has also served as the clerk for planning commission meetings.

Community plays a big role in Davis’s desire to become city clerk. She’s publicly spoken about her uncle’s death and how the community came together to support her family, which she says showed her the power that community support can provide.

Davis volunteers as a secretary for the Lake Tahoe Historical Society and is a board member of Encompass Youth, a navigational support nonprofit focused on youth. “The role of city clerk is to be a liaison for the public and volunteering builds public trust. As soon as I moved here, I went to a volunteer fair to seek out opportunities, because community involvement is one of my core values.”

While Davis emphasized that city clerk’s role is not to create policy, she believes that a key role is helping to connect the public with the city. “Being both a liaison and a point of comfort is the most important thing to me. Reaching out to councilmembers can be intimidating… and I want people to be able to connect through the clerk, so I can help them reach out to the right person.”

Accessibility is also a major part of Davis’s work. She has openly talked about being born with mild cerebral palsy.

“I have moments where I need accessibility or tools that help me, and I would like to emphasize accessibility through the city clerk position,” said Davis. “I don’t want people to feel like they can’t comment or attend meetings because they don’t have the accommodations. All community members have the right to equal access and meaningful participation in local government.”

Davis is currently working on a project to enhance accessibility to old records—she has been digitizing city records that are only in paper form so that the public can better access them.

“South Lake Tahoe has an amazing staff and a great community. This is my favorite city in the world and it would be an honor to serve as city clerk. This is my dream job and I’m just so excited to be running and meeting members of the community.”

You can learn more about Davis and her platform on her LinkedIn.

Davis is running against Brandi Bannister, who has not yet responded to the Tribune’s requests for interviews.