Nov. 5 Letters to the Editor

In-person early voting easy

Editor:

I voted Friday. It was early voting, in-person at the Community Center. The County offices were closed for Nevada Day. The County Clerk, Kathy Lewis, was at the Community Center overseeing the voting process.

Regardless of the outcome of this election, we all need to agree that the voting process in Douglas County is incredibly well run. Really clear information was provided in advance of voting and during voting. The set up for those who voted in person or dropped off ballots was smooth and easy to navigate. I can only imagine the amount of hours put in by the elections staff and volunteers to create this positive experience.

We are so fortunate to have Kathy Lewis, a smart, hardworking, honest person, as our Clerk Treasurer running the County’s elections. I encourage anyone who shares my observations to reach out to the County Clerk and her team to let them know how much we appreciate what they did to allow us to easily and confidently participate in the 2020 election.

Hope Sullivan

Minden

Why shouldn’t Douglas

have hosted the president?

Editor:

While I am the chairman of the Douglas County commission, my response is mine solely as with all of us, we, individually do not speak for the commission.

A little history at this point is important. In March 2020, our commission wrote a letter signed by all five commissioners and asked that we be in charge of our COVID-19 response. All five of us took the letter up to Gov. Sisolak and tried to present it to him. Instead he sent us to the back door of the Capitol and we gave the letter to a guard. We were not even afforded the common courtesy of a letter in reply.

Since then Sisolak took control of COVID for Nevada. He instituted several restrictions and we have individually complied. Our county recognizes authority, and follows the edicts of the governor. Even though we are all Dillion’s rule counties, and can do or not do as the Legislature directs. In this case the Legislature did not pass a law mandating assembly number limits probably because that is not legal under the U.S. Constitution. We did not ask for Trump, though I believe we would not have rejected his visit either. To fair, I believe we would have welcomed any presidential visit.

Regardless, our COVID-19 infection rate did NOT spike as several email writers hoped. As I understand the rates, we have the third-lowest combined categories of infection per 100,000 of the 17 county’s in Nevada. But the governor was not satisfied with that. So he immediately tried and failed to prevent us from receiving federal funds provided by the CARES Act. So he then and ordered his OSHA inspectors to find something to fine the county over the visit. After spending a month in and out of county offices, they found something that they could fine us for. Well done bureaucrats.

Ironically, we operate the federal airport for the federal government. The federal government representative owner is the president of the United States, and he decided to visit the airport. The county does control or give concurrence for the chief executive to visit his airport. If we had had time to do so we would have called a meeting as required by the open meeting law and I would have personally supported officially welcoming the visit. But the president came to little Carson Valley, the first presidential visit in at least 50 years.

The governor and his bureaucrats fined the airport and the county. Petty politics. What else can we expect from a governor who would not even talk to his local officials that he claims he talks with on a routine basis? I will personally remember this when the governor comes up for re-election in two years.

Too bad that our county cannot celebrate presidential visits, but instead our governor vilifies presidential visits. That is why I voted for the re-election of President Trump and turn Nevada red.

Barry Penzel

Douglas County Commissioner

Minden

A learning experience

Editor:

Win or lose, I’ve learned a lot about Douglas County in the last couple of months. Some of you are smiling no matter what time of the day. Some of you could use a little of their happiness. Strangely, some people seem to be living in their cars. I concluded that we really need our Carson Valley Community Food Closet. Lastly, it’s too cold for my dancer (who holds up my sign) in the morning and the top of the Kingsbury Grade.

Win or lose, I got up after the election happy to have another day in our wonderful Valley. No matter who won the elections nationally, I hope you did also. Whoever won will be gone in four years anyway, and we’ll still have Douglas County to live in. Please be happy with what you have, and try to make things better if you can.

Thank you to all my supporters. Running a third-party campaign with very few feet on the ground is daunting and exhausting.

Having your advice, guidance, physical and emotional support kept me going. I was waving to you from the streets for 5.5 weeks. I did my best to earn your trust and respect. Thank you to all my opponents supporters who voted. You exercised your rights and participated.

Win or lose, I’ll be as accessible as possible and try to be a positive force in our valley. If I won, no group will get special attention from me. Everyone in the valley deserves to be represented equally. I’ll do my best to use common sense and to be civil. Our country has lost its way; we have become way too divided; let’s become a place where everyone can get along in a civil manner. I love having loony liberal and kooky conservative neighbors, who are friendly and socialize with each other.

It’s sad when we can’t just be polite to each other.

Thanks to all who voted.

Charles Holt

Ruhenstroth

Addressing the issues

Editor:

In the last 30 days candidate Holt came out of nowhere. His campaign committee is unknown but they are certainly well organized and they are spending a lot of money. Where is all this money coming from for signs, Internet ads, etc. Not to mention the production that is needed to produce all this that goes on in the background. All this requires a very sophisticated campaign machine.

In your Letter to the Editor, Record-Courier Oct. 29, 2020, you expressed your opinion and position on several topics and you mentioned my name. I have never talked with you however, you manage to interject my name into these matters so let me break down some things you don’t seem to get.

RDA 2 and The Event Center at The Lake

I have never been opposed to The Event Center. The primary beneficiaries will be the casinos... if they want it let them pay for it not the property owners at the Lake. I have advocated take it to a vote by the citizens of Douglas County. You have demonstrated that you know better and that a vote is not necessary.

Let me make you aware that if this Event center fails financially there is an item in the Nevada NRS that will leave every property tax payer, in the county, to make good on the debt with an ad valorum tax on their property.

Smart Growth

You mentioned the county needs “smart growth” whatever that means. You claim that the county has been growing at 1.7 percent a year... how do you know? I can only assume you are referring to the Slow Growth Initiative. This is not being monitored and is being circumvented by developers.

8,000 Homes in the pipeline

When this list of new homes, either approved or currently in development, was compiled it was done by personally counting and reviewing pending developments. The county had never compiled a list like this. When it was initially presented to the County Planning Department for review they did not refute the numbers. The concern is how does county infrastructure such as roads and water accommodated this?

That is over 16,000 additional cars trips a day on an already congested local road system. Not to mention the need for an additional medical facility and supermarket to handle the ever increasing population in a county that wants to remain rural.

Gardner-Nowosad Campaign Group

Every name you mentioned have spent their personal time and money to support their candidates who want to keep our county rural and not turn it into rooftops. It was a grass roots campaign done by local citizens and their personal money not by some out side sophisticated political campaign machine.

Your positions on all these matters directly support special interests and developers. Who are you? What is your platform? Where has all the money come from for your campaign?

John Engels

Douglas County commissioner

Gardnerville