Candidate for
County Supervisor; County of El Dorado; Supervisorial District 5

My wife Pat and I are twenty-six year residents of South Lake Tahoe, having come from Monterey. We have been married for almost thirty years. Pat and Dennis have no children, but have been adopted by a number of Labrador retrievers and a variety of cats over the years. I came to South Lake Tahoe to be its City Attorney in 1979. I held that position on a full time basis until 1995. That year I entered private practice with the firm of Rollston, Henderson, and Rasmussen. In 1996, I became a partner in the firm and my name was added to the letterhead. In 1997, I became the Managing Partner of the firm and assumed responsibility for its business operations.

Pat works at the South Lake Tahoe Library and is famous for helping patrons find the latest best seller, answer a tough research question, and access the internet on the library computers. Before coming to the library, she was an aide at Tahoe Valley School and worked at a gone (but not forgotten) store named the Outdoorsman of Lake Tahoe. In my leisure time, I am an avid reader and write book reviews for the Tahoe Tribune. I collect Teddy Roosevelt memorabilia. Pat is a gourmet cook and an avid gardener and craftsperson with a specialty in building decorative bird houses out of wine corks. Both enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and dog walking in the summer. We have been active members of the Tahoe Tallac Association for twenty years.

I am also a trained and experienced facilitator and consensus builder having graduated from the Leadership School of the Sierra Business Council. Dennis facilitated the creation of the South Shore Recreation Master Plan, which resulted in the construction of the Ice Rink, the Tahoe Paradise Park Improvements, the Community College Soccer Fields, and several miles of new bike trails. I have had numerous community leadership positions including President of the Chamber of Commerce, President of the Tahoe Tallac Association, Chair of Tahoe Tomorrow, and Chair of the Tahoe-Truckee Forum. I am a past board member of the Lodging Association, Tahoe Rim Trail, and Tahoe Youth and Family Services. I served on the Lake Tahoe Presidential Visit Steering Committee and the Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee.

I have received numerous community service awards including the Tahoe Sierra Preservation Council Man of the Year Award for Chairing the successful campaign to create the Lake Tahoe Environmental License Plate, the El Dorado Arts Council Outstanding Achievement Award for construction of the Tallac Boathouse Theatre, and the South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce President's Award for my work on affordable and workforce housing in the community.