Truckee is Lucky | “Mayor Dave” Polivy | E71

Oct 9, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Dave Polivy, owner of Tahoe Mountain Sports and former mayor of Truckee, shares his journey to the mountains, arriving on September 11, 2001. He discusses tackling local housing challenges and the impact of seasonal tourism on the community. Dave candidly reflects on the emotional toll of his leadership during COVID, the balance of being an elected official and a business owner, and his ambitious goals for affordable housing and economic resilience in Truckee. His passion for the outdoors and commitment to community shine through!

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INSIGHT

Why He Ran For Office

Working as a consultant showed Dave that to shape final decisions you must hold elected power, not just advise from the sidelines.
That realization drove him from community work into pursuing seats on appointed bodies and then elected office.

ANECDOTE

Voting For Controversial Housing Development

Dave described voting for an affordable-housing project despite fierce neighborhood opposition and racist comments at the hearing.
He stood by the vote as the right long-term choice and noted the discomfort of confronting hostile community members.

ADVICE

Incentivize Short-Term Rentals To Become Long-Term

Use incentives to convert short-term rentals into long-term housing by offsetting owners' carrying costs with multi-year grants.
Couple that with programs preserving existing long-term rentals through similar payments to achieve tangible housing availability.

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Imagine being the mayor of a mountain town during the height of COVID. For Dave Polivy, owner of Tahoe Mountain Sports, being a COVID mayor became his reality after being elected onto Truckee town council in 2018. For better or worse, Dave’s tenure during COVID cemented his nickname in the community as “Mayor Dave”, even though he’s no longer mayor. He’s also Kurt’s doppelganger, giving him another nickname; “Doppelganger Dave”. In Episode 71, we chat with Dave about how he landed in Truckee on September 11, 2001, and his path to business ownership, community building, keeping the ski bum dream alive and eventual mayorship. Dave has appeared on a lot of radio and TV shows, as well as podcasts, but usually he just ends up being a sound bite. But in this near two-hour episode, listeners will get a behind-the-curtain look at what it takes to be an elected official in a mountain town facing growing pains and an identity crisis, all while balancing family, business ownership, and of course, getting outside and putting his mind in the track.

2:30 – Trail Whisperer recaps his 4,200-mile cross-country drive from Boston to Reno.

6:00 – Introducing Dave Polivy – former mayor of Truckee and owner of Tahoe Mountain Sports.

9:15 – Doing the Rose to Toads mountain bike ride, a fundraiser for TAMBA.

12:40 – Dave’s September 11, 2001 story.

14:20 – Kurt’s September 11, 2001 story.

16:10 – Tom’s September 11, 2001 story.

17:30 – Dave arriving in Truckee after driving cross-country from Saratoga Springs, NY.

19:14 – Starting Tahoe Mountain Sports in 2003.

26:00 – Moving to Truckee from the northeast to be a ski bum.

30:50 – Fondest memories of Truckee back in the early 2000s.

33:45 – Going from ski bum to politician through working for Sierra Business Council.

41:20 – As Truckee mayor, did you ever have to make a decision that went against the wishes of the community?

45:05 – Is there such a thing as affordable housing? Is there enough of it in Truckee currently?

47:30 – Getting foreclosed on in 2008 while on vacation outside the country.

49:00 – A shortage of availability of living wage housing. There’s enough housing stock, but they aren’t available, so the Lease to Locals program was developed and it’s working.

1:00:10 – Can Truckee solve its housing issues by emulating the funds the town has raised for recreational trails through ballot measures?

1:08:05 – Raising funds for trails through sales tax and giving non-profits money to build them.

1:15:07 – How do you promote Truckee as a mountain bike destination when most of the trails are illegal?

1:21:13 – What kind of conflict exists between being a business owner and a politician?

1:32:20 – Being mayor of Truckee during COVID helped solidify the persona of “Mayor Dave”.

1:34:15 – What is your vision for how Truckee will look in 10 years?

1:44:00 – Dave and Kurt are doppelgangers – people mistake both of them as the other person.

1:50:10 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?