Meet the candidates running for Mayor of La Quinta
Your vote 20-20! The race to lead the city of La Quinta is heating up. We take a closer look at the two candidates running for mayor: incumbent Linda Evans and her challenger, Robert Sylk.
News channel 3’s Dani Romero spoke with both candidates about the issues that matter most to them.
La Quinta is known as the "Gem of the Desert."
“If you love where you live, if you enjoy the restaurants and the shops that you shop in, and you enjoy your neighbors, and you enjoy the hiking trails and the amenities, and you enjoy the streets and you feel safe, then that is clearly an action of the work that your mayor and city council has done," said Linda Evans, Mayor of La Quinta.
Incumbent Mayor Linda Evans said she's seeking re-election to continue that tradition.
“We've taken advantage of COVID from the standpoint of really plowing through and getting a lot of our roundabouts and our road construction done when there's isn't as much traffic," said Evans."We don't know what the snowbird season is going to look like, so we are trying to make sure that many of the things that we had underway were advanced during the shutdown.”
But with the pandemic forcing businesses to close, newcomer Robert Sylk, a veteran and businessman said it's time to get some new blood in city hall.
“Let's just clean everything up," said Sylk. "We need new people in there and we can get lucky and get back on track. We were five years ahead of the curve years ago. Now, we're five years behind. We have to catch up and I can get that done within two years.”
Both candidates agree focusing on the city’s economic recovery is the top priority.
Another issue on the list, short-term vacation rentals.
“Could we find a balance? Do we need a ban? How do we determine density? Number of permits allowed? Do we have permits going forward? Those are really, that's one of the biggest issues," said Evans.
“The STVR’s that plan should have been done six months ago, not put off for another six months," said Sylk.
The candidates also have different ideas.
“On day one to start forming a task force to start contacting businesses because we need to fill those storefronts," said Sylk. "They're all empty and we can do it.”
Evans hopes to continue progress on the Silver Rock development.
“That again is future hotel, property tax homes, retail, commercial, and that's really been a future revenue destination that has been in the works with, with councils even prior to me for a number of years," said Evans "We're getting much closer to that and it's very exciting that I want to see that through as well.”
