The members of the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council are not elected, but are appointed by the District Supervisor. Since they hadn’t been subject to voter scrutiny, we thought Morongo Basin residents should know something about the people representing the unincorporated areas of the Morongo Basin. Reporter Dan Stork asked them how long they’ve lived in their areas, their other community involvements, and what issues concern them, both for their home grounds, and for the Basin as a whole. Today, we profile Tom Ziegert…
The Morongo Basic MAC’s newest member, Tom Ziegert, is in his second stay in the Morongo Basin, having lived a couple of years in Twentynine Palms around the turn of the century, when he was the pastor at the United Methodist Church. Now he lives in Yucca Mesa, which he represents on the MAC, and he is pastor of the UMC of Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree. Aside from his church duties, he is involved in the Rotary Club of Joshua Tree and in the Joshua Tree Food Program. The Yucca Mesa issue he cited is local support and quality of service of the Yucca Mesa Improvement Association. The Basin-wide issues of most concern to him include: more employment and better wage opportunities, services and growth opportunities for youth, hot and inclement weather shelters and Transitional Living Centers for the homeless, better conservation (including ORV enforcement), mental health support, and management of unpaved roads.
