Longtime resident gets nod for town board

Longtime resident Dan Hamer was nominated to the Gardnerville Town Board on Tuesday.

Hamer and fellow applicants Julie Duda and Julie McCain gave short presentations before the board voted 4-0 to recommend Hamer for the seat through Dec. 31, 2026.

The seat was occupied by Gardnerville native Mike Henningsen, who resigned in May after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died on July 14.

Douglas County commissioners are expected to discuss ratifying the town’s recommendation on Thursday.

“The board has a lot of discretion, because you’re not the ultimate decision maker for this item,” Town Manager Erik Nilssen said. “The only direction was that anyone who applied and verified to meet the minimum requirements be invited to the Town Board and talk about why they wanted to be on the board.”

Each person was given five minutes to speak before the board made its decision.

Duda started out by recognizing Henningsen’s service to the town.

“He was a long term and dedicated member and he made an important contribution to the town and the board,” she said.

She said communication between the town and residents was an important reason she sought a position. She cited the monthly meetings neighbors have had with members of the board on the Mountain View Park as one example.

Hamer and his family arrived in Carson Valley in 1978. His is the son of John and Linda Hamer.

 “I had the good fortune of going through Douglas County schools after which I had the opportunity to travel abroad and live as a foreign exchange student and learn a foreign language,” he said.

He said after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University he returned to the Valley to raise his family.

“There wasn’t really any option for us,” he said. “We wanted to raise our family here.”

A Douglas County juvenile probation officer, Hamer said he had to clear being on the town board with his department head.

Hamer served two years as the Gardnerville representative on the Regional Transportation Commission and is a member of Kiwanis of Carson Valley.

“All the members of this community are our stakeholders,” he said. “I’m in the business of juvenile justice and as such we have to collaborate with everybody who affects families, schools and the legal system. Its really important I conduct myself with the utmost integrity and honor,” he said.

Retired banker Julie McCain has lived in Gardnerville for 30 years.

“I could see that this was a loving community of people who looked out for one another, and there was communication,” she said.

She was an early Main Street Gardnerville volunteer who helped with registering people for the Thursday Wine Walk.

She said that when she has visitors from out of town she makes sure to direct them to local businesses.

“When friends come up and go ‘where can we find this?’ I’m not going to take them to Carson,” she said. “We’re going to go to some local stores because you can find unique things here just as much.”

Board members encouraged both Duda and McCain to sign up to run for the town board in two years.

“I want to let you know that Lloyd (Higuera) and I went through the same process you are 12 years ago,” board member Mary Wenner said. “But there were 11 people who applied, and Lloyd got the position. If you aren’t picked please feel free to run for office.”

Both Wenner and Higuera are serving the final months of their last term on the board. Minden-Gardnerville Sanitation District trustee Barbara Smallwood and resident Ray Walling filed in March for the two seats. Because the office is nonpartisan and there’s no race, they’ll take the two seats in January.