Nov. 15, 2023, Letters to the Editor

Lacking in respect

Editor:

I attended the “Town Hall” on Oct. 23 hosted by School Board Trustees David Burns, Susan Jansen, Doug Englekirk and lawyer Joey Gilbert. 

I emailed the trustees regarding the event, below is an edited excerpt. 

“I’m writing to express my disappointment at how citizens were mistreated by Joey Gilbert at the “town hall,” myself being one of them. 

I was not being disruptive. I was not causing a scene or speaking out of turn. All I did was shake my head in disagreement, that he spoke for over ten minutes straight when we as community members attended to listen to the trustees. There was a question directed to the trustees and Joey Gilbert took the microphone and continued speaking, at which I shook my head in disagreement. 

He looked me in the eye and said “You can shake your head all you want!” 

I calmly raised my hand, responded that I was there to listen to the trustees. That’s why I was shaking my head and that the question was directed to the trustees.

I don’t deserve to be treated that way by trustees or legal counsel.  I attended the meeting to listen to the trustees. I did nothing wrong. 

I have every right to disagree. To be publicly called out and verbally attacked by a lawyer is unprofessional and is a poor reflection of the school board he represents.  

What’s shameful is that it occurred on multiple occasions. Joey Gilbert was openly combative every time individuals shook their heads at him. He attacked and yelled “you can shake your head all you want”. 

I am voicing my concerns about the treatment myself and others received from Joey Gilbert. 

Being told “you can shake your head all you want” is a message to the public that Joey Gilbert doesn’t care. It doesn’t seem like he wants to come to the table with people in the community. The optics seem clear. There was no respect. 

I hope in the future that the Trustees protect all citizens of Douglas County from this treatment.”

Here’s the response from Trustee Burns: 

“Never heard you once over the months at board meetings say the same when numerous people attacked and disrespected the board.

This was a private meeting, paid for by me, that was controlled by me.

Respect to the public is surely what I want, but until respect is given at board meetings to the board, then I will see equal treatment to all. 

Want respect? Give it and find it given in return. 

Funny how you all complain about the very thing you do to others.

All the attacks on Gilbert and you want him to not give it in return?

I agree that there should be respect to everyone, how about you start the process, and I will support you.

Thank you,

DB

The response of this elected official to one of his constituents is appalling, unprofessional and disrespectful. No apology, no concern, no sympathy, no respect. Shameful. 

Mae Hiatt

Minden

Important to be concerned

Editor:

Douglas County Community, I am befuddled, (some would say that is not difficult) concerning the laudatory articles in the RC about the ranking of Douglas County High School as a four Star school. The math score for juniors was 26.6 per cent, the second highest in the state. That indicates three quarters of our students are not proficient in math. One of the excuses is that the testing is for college entrance and that the students were bored, since they do not intend to attend college. Our allegedly highly educated educators appear to be satisfied with that result. To me, I thought the purported purpose of our educators was to create the classroom a place to be curious and anxious to learn. To prepare our students, i.e., proficient, from K to HS, in life skills. Balancing a checkbook, writing a cover letter, fill out an application. 

Even if you do not have children in the school system, it is important that we all be concerned about the education of our children. I am abashedly paraphrasing one of our favorites, “it takes a community.”

Danna Meyer

Foothill

Why Glenbrook?

Editor:

Dear fellow Douglas County residents. Some things are not adding up regarding the proposal to ban VHRs north of Cave Rock at the November 16 Board of Commissioners meeting. 

I’m Kevin Kjer and I’m a lifelong resident of Douglas County. I have a small property management office inside the gates of Glenbrook. We have been quietly providing short term rentals and paying room tax to Douglas County for over 40 years with no complaints filed. We have strict occupancy limits and rent to Glenbrook families and friends through “word of mouth” advertising. For 35 years things were peaceful.

About 5 years ago, there were rumors that a couple of wealthy, powerful 2nd homeowners decided they no longer wanted to encounter “renters” while visiting their second homes. They planned to get rid of short term rentals in Glenbrook by changing rental zoning.

I have no idea if the rumor was true, but what has happened lately is curious. Danny Tarkanian from Las Vegas, a newcomer to Carson Valley made as one of his first actions as Commissioner a proposal to ban short term rentals in gated communities (Glenbrook). What? Wait a minute, how does he know about Glenbrook and why would he care? Strange. The other commissioners did not support his proposal. 

Over the next year, Commissioner Tarkanian kept trying to get banning rentals in Glenbrook on the agenda. He said no one who has purchased property in Glenbrook would have expected rentals. Come again?, my rental office is in the middle of Glenbrook. Many of my renters have purchased property in Glenbrook. 

Oddly, at a board meeting in October 2022, after he had called me out publicly, I asked if he was trying to make some wealthy donors happy? He stated that he really doesn’t know anyone in Glenbrook and has never received a donation from anyone in Glenbrook. Then he gave a long presentation about banning rentals in Glenbrook. What is going on? This is kind of crazy. The board did not take any action.

The latest spin is that Commissioner Tarkanian wants to ban all rentals north of Cave Rock (Glenbrook) because it is too far away from ski resorts and casinos and there is nothing for “tourists” to do. You have to be kidding. The folks that come to Glenbrook are the families and friends of Glenbrook residents. We are a summer resort, and the focus is on spending family time at the beach, reconnecting with friends and making memories. A tradition that has been going on for decades. You have to ask yourself, why does Commissioner Tarkanian get to decide what part of Lake Tahoe is off-limits?

This is all coming to a head on No. 16 when the board will vote. Will they re-zone parts of Glenbrook to make powerful folks happy? Can anyone say “spot zoning”?

The question I keep asking is why the obsession with Glenbrook? You don’t see Glenbrook homeowners complaining during public comment, so why the focus? Commissioner Tarkanian has not answered that question. 

Kevin Kjer

Glenbrook

Thanks for great AYSO season

Editor:

Carson Valley’s AYSO Region 318 ran its Fall 2023 season from August through October and finished with several teams competing in the Cookies Best Area 2F tournament on Oct. 21, and the Kit Carson All Stars tournament the weekend of Nov. 4-5. To top it off, our 10U Girls core team coached by Zac Beres and Jake Jansse won the Cookies tournament for their age division and will be competing in Foster City, Calif. in December at the AYSO Section 2 tournament. Congratulations! 

We also want to thank all our volunteers who made this successful season possible. With over 45 teams this fall ranging from our Playground-Schoolyard teams all the way up to our 14U teams, it takes an army of volunteers to make it happen. From coaches, assistant coaches, referees, team-parents, field set-up, uniform coordination, pictures from Belinda Grant’s team, and countless hours behind the scenes, the board would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone. The soccer season would not happen without volunteers committing countless hours to our local community of children. If anyone is interested in volunteering at the board level, please attend our monthly board meeting on the first Thursday of every month at 6pm at the Douglas County Community Center. 

Carson Valley Region 318 will be running a Spring 2024 season as well. Registration will open in December for Spring and will close on Feb. 11 in order for us to be prepared for play. Please register early.

Again, thank you to all of our volunteers. If you see a need, please consider filling it.

If there are any questions, please reach out to rc@cvayso.org.

Tami Anderson

Regional Commissioner

Carson Valley Region 318

No wonder Valley has so many artists

Editor:

There seems to be a running theme in the priorities outlined by various members of our community, as evident in the results of recent public surveys, planning workshops, or simple conversations.  “Preserve our open spaces, preserve our identity.” Maintain who we are, hold on to what makes us special. I don’t think it necessarily needs to be said that a crucial piece of that identity can be found in the work produced by the many talented artists who happen to call this place home. 

From photographers of the local wildlife and painters of breathtaking scenery to the musicians that add life and ambience to all manner of festive gatherings, to craftspeople who build entire stories into their handmade wares, the arts reflect the soul of our cultural heritage. No wonder, then, that the Carson Valley alone is home to at least three organizations dedicated to the arts, albeit in different ways. And operating within that existing structure is an abundance of talent, displayed not only in galleries and studios, but also at seasonal arts and crafts fairs, free concerts, and other events conceived from a force largely made up of volunteers. 

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to seek out these organizations, learn more about their goals, and try to involve yourself, if you can. Whether that’s through donations, volunteering, or attending the events that appeal to you, your support of the Carson Valley Arts Council, the Cultural Arts Foundation of Douglas County, and the Carson Valley Art Association can make all the difference in ensuring that our community remains as vibrant in the expression of our culture as our sunsets.

Michelle Valdovinos

Gardnerville 

Democrats created the election mess 

In response to the commentary in the Oct. 28 edition of Nevada Appeal by Jim Hartman “Nevada GOP’s presidential nominating mess.” I would like to point out that the new primary and caucus procedures were initiated by the Democratic Party partially as a result of their becoming the ruling majority in the state’s 2020 elections. The Democrats initiated a change from a party caucus selection of presidential candidates to a state financed primary. They also initiated the use secret ballots, mail in voting, same day registration and an early voting period all without GOP input or involvement. These changes will have the effect of influencing the upcoming elections. 

The presidential primary scheduled by Democrats for Feb. 6, 2024, will be done in addition to Nevada’s regular primary election on June 6, 2024, for offices such as the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Nevada Senate, Nevada Assembly and other local and state offices. The Republican caucus will be held on February 8, 2024. The big problem with these changes are that in effect Republicans will have two contests to vote in within two days with two different slates of candidates. A mess created by and sure to advantage Democrats. 

The following is a list of issues concerning voters this election cycle. One, the accrued effect of Biden’s inflation. Inflation in January 2021 was 1.5 percent, but by August 2023 it had ballooned by 15.3 percent. This resulted in $1.9 trillion permanent annual structural deficit. This inflation equates to a $14,000 annual cost to over 130 million households in the US. 

Two, open border policies. Since January 2021 more than 5 million people have illegally crossed the U.S. southern border. Add to that 1.5 million known getaways and unknown numbers of illegals never caught. The estimated annual cost of this tide of illegal immigrants is over $200 billion. Not to mention the national security concerns of potential enemies being let into the country.  

 Three, the $33 trillion national debt equals out to $100,000 per U.S. citizen, and will have to be paid future generations. 

Four, weak foreign policies that encourage overseas conflicts. 

Five, so called social justice, multi gender policies, wokeness, CRT etc. 

If we wish to return to the peaceful and prosperous world of President Trump, consider becoming an active (voting) Republican. An additional 100,000 GOP votes are needed to overcome the Democrat’s ill-gotten state assembly majority and regain Republican control of the state legislature and hopefully the country. 

Mark Tarvainen

Gardnerville

Thanks for supporting Walk to End Alzheimer’s

Editor:

A heartfelt thanks to the many folks who helped make this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s a huge success. Locally, Team Carson Valley raised $5,205, far exceeding our goal of $1,000 and earning us the title of “Champion Team.” The Northern Nevada chapter raised almost $255,000.

There is currently no cure for the dread disease, which in Nevada alone affects more than 49,000 people. Funds raised in the annual walk, which is held in more than 600 communities nationwide, support research that will, someday, find a cure. The money also helps pay for care, awareness and support.

Participants this year got a huge bonus: Pre-walk ceremonies were briefly suspended at the exact moment of maximum solar eclipse. It was awesome. It was inspiring. Then we trekked around the Sparks Marina.

It’s not too late to give to this worthy cause. Please consider sending a donation to the Northern Nevada Alzheimer’s Association at 639 Isbell Rd., Suite 240, Reno, NV 89502. You can specify “credit Team Carson Valley” if you would like to do so.

Also, a support group for people who have loved ones with Alzheimer’s, or just want to learn more and offer support, is held the second Thursday of each month at the Coventry Cross Episcopal Church, 1631 Esmeralda Place, Minden. 

There are two support groups in Carson City. One meets the second Wednesday of each month at l p.m. at the Carson Cancer Conference Room, 1535 Medical Parkway. The other meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 2:30 p.m. at the Carson City Senior Cen-ter (Joshua Tree room), 911 Beverly Dr. All are welcome.

For more information about Alzheimer’s disease go to www.alz.org.

Pat Stanley

Minden

Team Carson Valley captain