Jay Lather, 55, is facing incumbent public administrator Lynn EnEarl in the Aug. 15 primary. Both are Republicans.
The administrator resolves the estates of those who have died when heirs are not immediately available.
In Douglas County, they also act as public guardian for people who don't have someone to care for them.
Lather said his education and experience will be important factors in the election.
He works as both judge pro tem for Richard Glasson in Tahoe Township Justice Court and as a reserve deputy sheriff in Douglas County and has been unanimously endorsed by the Douglas County Sheriff's Protective Association.
"Technically, there are ways the job could be done better," he said. "I'm committed to Douglas County and I look forward to bringing new ideas to the public administrator office.
"We are seeing a clear trend in Douglas County," he said. "The average age is increasing and there is a concurrent tendency to find more elderly people without close family ties."
Lather has served Douglas County as chairman of the planning commission and president of the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce.
He has been a reserve deputy sheriff for seven years and volunteers as a firefighter with the Johnson Lane Fire Department.
"I've been trying to contribute to the community since I retired and have more free time," he said.
A real estate developer, Lather moved here from Ohio in 1995 to supervise development of the Genoa Lakes Golf Course.
He retired in 2000 and bought himself a Harley Davidson motorcycle and motor home.
He has since sold the motorhome but he and Aisook, his wife, take regular trips into the Sierra Nevada on the Harley, he said.
"My wife puts on her leathers and jumps on the back," he said.
The couple has two children.
Taylor, 23, just returned from Iraq where he served with the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division. Jason, 28, works in real estate management in Reno.
n Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.
