Author: Kristie Wells
Meet the Candidates | 2026 IVGID Election
The Board of Trustees candidate says IVGID must rebuild trust, ask harder questions about spending and do a better job finishing what it starts.
“Before we raise any fees, you have to ask yourself: Did I do everything fiscally possible not to?”
The Short Version
- Brooks presents himself as a problem solver who knows how to move large public organizations from discussion to action.
- He believes IVGID cannot make lasting progress until it rebuilds trust through clearer and more consistent communication.
- He wants trustees to set policy, challenge assumptions and hold the general manager accountable without trying to run District departments themselves.
- His approach to capital spending begins with triage: address urgent work, separate needs from wants and understand the full cost before moving forward.
- Before raising fees, he wants IVGID to find new revenue and get more value from facilities the community already supports.
A Candidate Who Wants to Move From Talk to Action
Ryan “RB” Brooks has a shorthand for the kind of leader he believes IVGID needs: GSD. The initials stand for “get stuff done,” at least in the printable version. He laughed when he said it, but the phrase was not a throwaway. It became the clearest thread running through our hour-long conversation.
Brooks does not describe governing as a matter of arriving with all the answers. He talks about defining the problem, bringing the right people into the room and pressing until a workable solution emerges. His pitch to voters is less about one signature project than about momentum: make decisions, explain them clearly and follow through.
That mindset helps explain why he did not immediately name a top project when I asked him to prioritize IVGID’s capital plan. He wants to see the entire list, identify what cannot wait and understand the financial consequences before choosing favorites. It is a process-driven answer, but the outcome he is after is concrete. Brooks wants IVGID to spend less time circling problems and more time solving them.
Experience He Says Is Built for the Moment
Brooks bases that confidence on a long career in government. He served as San Francisco’s director of administrative services, where he says he managed nearly $95 million and more than 300 employees. He also served as vice president and president of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, overseeing the kind of water, wastewater and infrastructure work that gives his resume a direct connection to IVGID.
He also points to federal trade-policy appointments that continued through four presidential administrations. To Brooks, that history is proof that he can work across political divides and remain focused on the assignment. The common thread, he said, is not partisanship. It is figuring out how to fix problems and get results.
“Governance is about best practices,” Brooks said. “When you apply for a board and ask for someone’s vote, this is not on-the-job training.”
His decision to run is personal as well as professional. Brooks has been connected to Incline Village for nearly three decades. He and his wife, Christy, bought her grandfather’s home in 2013 and moved here full time in 2023. They bought the house to keep it in the family and eventually pass it to their sons. For Brooks, the condition of IVGID will help determine what kind of community that next generation inherits.
Why step forward now? He believes his experience matches the moment. IVGID has endured leadership turnover, delayed audits and fiscal watch by the State of Nevada. Brooks credits the current board and staff with repairing much of the financial foundation. He sees the next task as protecting that progress while moving the District forward.
Trust Is the Starting Point
For someone eager to get things done, Brooks spends a surprising amount of time talking about trust. He does not see the two ideas as separate. In his view, IVGID will struggle to make difficult decisions if residents do not believe they are receiving a clear account of what is happening and why.
Years of recalls, board conflict and uneven communication have taken a toll. Social media now fills many of the information gaps, often with more speed than accuracy. Brooks wants IVGID to become the dependable source again. He suggested an app, QR codes at facilities and a communications program that reaches residents before rumor takes over.
The goal is not universal agreement. Brooks knows that golfers, skiers, pickleball players and people who use none of those amenities will not always share the same priorities. He wants residents to understand the need, the cost and the reasoning behind a vote, even when they dislike the result.
That clarity also applies inside the District. Brooks draws a firm line between governing and management. Trustees should set policy, test staff recommendations and hold the general manager accountable. They should not direct individual employees or attempt to run departments from the dais.
“Trustees shouldn’t be directing staff to do anything,” he said. “Trustees should be the biggest cheerleader of staff.”
He is not arguing for passive oversight. He expects trustees to ask hard questions. Once the board sets direction, however, management needs room to carry it out. It is another version of his get-it-done philosophy: establish responsibility clearly, then let people do their jobs.
Put the Capital Plan Through Triage
Brooks is more specific about how he would evaluate IVGID’s capital plan than about which projects he would move up or down. He begins with triage. Safety problems and time-sensitive maintenance come first. Everything else must compete for the money that remains.
His first question is simple: Does IVGID need this, or would it merely be nice to have? From there, he wants the full picture, including construction and operating costs, expected use, useful life and any measurable benefit to the community. He also warns against choosing the least expensive option on paper if better work will last longer. Cheap decisions can become costly ones when repairs arrive early or maintenance is postponed.
Brooks did not identify a project he would cancel or delay. He called the Recreation Center HVAC work important and strongly supports replacing Snowflake Lodge, which was built in 1966 and has never been substantially renovated. That enthusiasm comes with a financial test. Before IVGID commits to a major project, he wants to know what it will return and how it should be financed.
For a facility capable of producing income, he would consider a revenue bond rather than automatically use cash or rely on a general obligation bond. The decision would depend on borrowing costs, projected revenue and the risk carried by the District. His broader point is that a large price tag does not explain how much residents will actually be asked to pay.
Affordability matters to Brooks because, as he repeatedly noted, not everyone in Incline is wealthy. The combined Recreation and Beach Facility Fees total $1,530 per parcel for fiscal year 2026-27. Before supporting another increase, he wants IVGID to prove it looked for another way.
One example came from the golf course. Rather than simply approve money for replacement carts, Brooks said he contacted a golf-industry executive to ask whether a sponsorship might offset the cost. Nothing has been negotiated, and any agreement would need to comply with public contracting and ethics rules. The idea matters because it shows how his mind works: question the obvious expense, call someone who might help and see whether a different answer is possible.
Make the Assets We Own Work Harder
That same instinct shapes Brooks’ view of IVGID’s recreation venues. Residents help carry Diamond Peak and the Chateau throughout the year. He wants those properties to create more value during the months when their primary operations slow down.
At Diamond Peak, he mentioned hiking, biking, concerts and a ropes course. At the Chateau, he sees potential for winter programming. He is not suggesting that every idea will work. He wants the District to examine them, calculate the true return and move forward with the ones that make sense.
Brooks acknowledges the tension. More activity may bring traffic, visitors and concern from nearby businesses. He does not want Diamond Peak transformed into a large destination resort, nor does he want IVGID competing carelessly with local restaurants. He believes thoughtful programming could create the opposite effect by drawing people to parts of town they might otherwise overlook.
For Brooks, recreation is already part of IVGID’s mission. The question is whether those facilities are being managed well and used to their potential. Better customer service belongs in that conversation too. He suggested venue ambassadors who would ask residents and guests what is working, then bring that information back to management.
“I don’t know all the answers, but I know smart people who do,” he said. That may be the most useful counterweight to his GSD persona. Brooks wants to move quickly, but he says leadership also requires knowing when to stop, ask and find someone with deeper expertise.
Some Problems Will Require a Bigger Table
Not every issue Brooks raised sits neatly within IVGID’s authority. Workforce housing is one example. He pointed to the planned 2027 reopening of the former Cal Neva as Lake Tahoe Proper, with 198 guest rooms, multiple restaurants and bars, and a 50,000-square-foot wellness center. His immediate question was where the employees will live.
Brooks did not propose an IVGID housing program. Instead, he argued that the District must work with Washoe County and other agencies while preparing for the utility and service demands that new development will bring. His answer reflects a recurring feature of his governing style: if IVGID does not control the entire problem, find the people who control the other pieces.
He applied the same thinking to emergency communication. Email and text alerts are of limited use during a prolonged power or cellular outage, so Brooks wants the District to explore satellite-based backup communications for critical operations. IVGID would need to coordinate with the county, law enforcement, fire officials and other response agencies. The point is not for the District to take over emergency management. It is to know its role before the emergency begins.
Decisions Will Still Be Difficult
A bias toward action does not make the choices easier. Staff recommendations, public opinion, available money and a trustee’s own judgment will not always align. Brooks’ answer is to make the disagreement visible. Staff should explain the need and the cost. Residents should have a meaningful chance to question the proposal. Then the board has to decide.
Not every vote will be popular, and Brooks does not promise otherwise. What he promises is a decision residents can trace from the original problem to the final vote. In his view, communication does not replace judgment. It gives the public a way to evaluate it.
There are still details voters may want from him. Brooks did not say which current capital projects he would put first or which would have to wait. His sponsorship ideas would need legal and financial scrutiny. Off-season programming would have to produce enough net revenue to justify its effect on staffing, traffic and local businesses. His instinct is clearly to test new approaches. The harder work would be determining which ones deserve to survive that test.
What Success Would Look Like
At the end of our conversation, I asked Brooks what he hoped residents would say after four years of his service. His answer was the shortest of the interview: “You lived in a better place.”
The simplicity fits his campaign. Brooks is not asking voters to rally around a single building or program. He is asking them to trust his method: define the problem, understand the numbers, bring in the right people and keep pushing until something gets done.
That does not guarantee every idea will work or every vote will satisfy the community. It does make the choice in front of voters clearer. Ryan Brooks is running as the candidate who wants IVGID to stop treating process as the finish line and start using it to produce results.
About This Interview
This profile is based on an interview conducted September 3, 2026. The conversation has been organized by topic, and quotations have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Incline Together’s candidate coverage is intended to help residents understand how each person would govern.
Tomorrow: Harry Swenson shares where he believes IVGID should invest and the questions trustees should ask before approving major projects.
Related Articles:
- Harry Swenson Wants IVGID to Prove the Need Before It Spends
- Dave Noble’s Interview (pending)