Staub wins Carson City's Ward 4 supervisor seat

Richard Staub will replace long-time Ward 4 supervisor Kay Bennett on the Carson City Board of Supervisors.

Staub recieved 9,682 votes to challenger Verne Horton's 7,042 votes, a margin of 57 percent to 42 percent.

"I'm elated," Staub said. "I entered this race to win. I felt I could make a difference and I felt if I told the people where I stood, I would win.

"I laid out my platform before the primary, and I haven't waffled from that," Staub said. "I think voters responded to that."

Staub, 48, ran on a platform of quality of life, government efficiency, finding alternate routes to move traffic until the freeway comes through and reasonable tax rates.

"I'm going to try to promote a can-do attitude with our government," Staub said. "I'm going to do things in public. I'm decisive. People may not agree with me, but they'll always know where I stand."

Staub, a local lawyer and developer, has been a Carson City resident since 1960.

"I know this town," he said.

Horton, 59, said he was glad the election "is finally over. The sun will come up tomorrow."

"My hand is calmer tonight than it has been in the last seven months," Horton said. "There's no more of the tension, no more what are we going to do tomorrow. I made an offer to the community, but tomorrow is another day and I'll go on from there."

During his campaign, Horton tried to show voters that he had a long history of service to Carson City, with 16 years of service on local boards and commissions. He said he plans on taking some time off and finding another way to be involved in the community.

"If you're committed to the community, you're committed after the election," Horton said. "If you care about the community, you have to take a chance. I had to step forward and try."

Staub will step into a seat that has been held by Bennett since 1988. Bennett decided not to run in 1999, and her departure will make Supervisor Jon Plank the senior supervisor. Plank, who was first elected to his Ward 2 post in 1996, ran unopposed in this year's election and gathered 14,328 votes.

Other unopposed candidates were justices of the peace Robey Willis (15,371) and John Tatro (14,671), hospital trustees Basil Chryssos (13,878), Thomas Metcalf (13,835) and Caleb Mills (13,426), and school trustees Douglas Ponn (13,324) and John McKenna (13,640).