The Oct. 30, 2024, R-C Letters to the Editor

Opposing Question 3

Editor:

Question 3 would change the Nevada Constitution and the state’s election system in two fundamental ways. 

First, Nevada would end party primaries in favor of California-style “jungle primaries” with all candidates appearing on the same primary ballot. The top five vote-getters would move on to the general election.

Second, voters at the general election would be asked to rank their preferred candidates in order— one to five. If the tally of first choices doesn’t produce a majority winner, the bottom candidates are eliminated one by one, and their votes reshuffled.

While the main objective of having an open primary is a worthy goal it can be accomplished through an initiative to do just that.

Question 3’s fatal flaw is to lock a confusing, complicated and untested general election top-five Ranked-Choice Voting system into the Nevada Constitution. It’s a “bridge too far.”

If RCV is found undesirable returning to the “one person one vote” status quo would require a prolonged constitutional process to abolish it.

Almost all the money supporting Question 3 comes from five out-of state billionaires, residents of Illinois, Florida, Texas, New York and California.

Opponents include both the Nevada Democratic Party and the Nevada Republican Party.

Nevada’s two Democratic Senators—Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen are sharp critics of Question 3 as confusing for voters, warning the process could lead to votes being thrown out.

Republican leaders Adam Laxalt, Sam Brown and Congressman Mark Amodei join in opposition to this complicated new voting scheme.

RCV is coercive, forcing voters to play its complex game or risk their votes not being counted.

The conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute argues that RCV leads to delays in ballot tabulation and the liberal Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada has denounced the measure.

Election administrators acknowledge RCV is more prone to tabulation errors and computer programming mistakes with physically longer and more complicated ballots.

Notably, Douglas County’s chief elections official, Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans, has taken the unusual step of publicly urging voters to reject the measure.

Vote “No” on Question 3.

Jim Hartman

Genoa

Voting for Dempsey

Editor:

I am writing to express my strong support for Brian Dempsey in the upcoming election for County Commissioner. Brian embodies integrity and honesty.  Having lived in Douglas County for his entire adult life, he has a deep understanding of our community and a genuine concern for both our people and our natural resources.  His non-partisan stance means he is not beholden to any political party, allowing him to make decisions based solely upon what is best for our community.

Unlike some candidates who use such positions as steppingstones to higher offices, Brian is committed to serving us right here and now.  He is a candidate who thinks for himself and operates independently of any political machine.

Let’s come together to elect someone who truly cares about our community’s future.  Please vote for Brian Dempsey for Douglas County Commissioner.

Alison Grey

Genoa

Learn about the candidates

Editor:

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Douglas County Business Council, Carson Valley and Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, and The Record-Courier for hosting the Oct. 9 Town Hall Debate. This event was exactly what I needed to solidify my choices for this election. Seeing the candidates in action, how they treated one another, and how they interacted with both in person and online attendees was incredibly revealing.

Jeff Schemenauer, candidate for East Fork Justice of the Peace, stood out in the best way possible. He was gracious, humble, and carried himself like a true statesman. Even when faced with tough questions,

Jeff remained composed, answered thoughtfully, and never appeared rattled. It was clear that he has the temperament and poise we need in a judge. These are qualities I believe are essential in someone tasked with making fair and balanced decisions in a courtroom.

In contrast, his opponent did not leave me with the same confidence. She seemed frazzled at times, struggling to complete her thoughts, and consistently went over her allotted time. Her approach came off more like a prosecutor aggressively attacking, and to me, it felt like watching an attorney berating a police officer on the stand. It’s not the kind of attitude I want from a judge who needs to apply the law impartially.

Jeff’s extensive background in law enforcement, coupled with his legal education, makes him uniquely qualified for this position. His 29 years of experience in law enforcement, including 10 years as a detective, 8 years as a sergeant (with 2 of those years in Court Services), and his work as an FBI Master Bomb Technician and SWAT Team Member, speaks volumes about his dedication to serving and protecting Douglas County.

What impressed me the most during the debate is that Jeff isn’t just relying on his current knowledge. He openly admitted that if he encounters a legal issue he’s not familiar with, he’s not afraid to consult with senior Judges or seek guidance. He’s a lifelong learner, already planning to attend Nevada’s “Judicial College” to ensure he’s fully equipped to be judge. Given his track record of service and lifelong learning, pursuing three advanced degrees including a law degree — all while raising a family and working full-time — I have no doubt he will excel as our next Justice of the Peace.

Jeff has a proven history of dedication to his community, his country, and his family. He doesn’t need to continue serving Douglas County, he wants to. He’s wired to serve, and his calm, steady leadership at the debate showed me he’s ready to take on this new role. He can command the courtroom, make wise decisions under pressure, and most importantly, treat the citizens of Douglas County with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Thanks again to everyone who organized the debate for Douglas County voters. It made my decision clear — Vote Jeff for Judge.

Renee Delprete

Gardnerville

No place in our schools

Editor:

Doug Englekirk, Antoinette Casselberry and dunce caps have no place in our schools. 

The last-ditch-effort mailer sent out of desperation, by a political operative to registered Republicans, promotes school board candidates Englekirk and Casselberry. Their campaign ad includes a dunce cap meme that showcases their destructive, curmudgeonly, outdated spirit, but more importantly, speaks volumes about the character of both Englekirk and Casselberry and their deliberate use of propaganda to persuade Republican voters to vote for them. The “Propaganda Postcard,” now shredded, is an unfortunate testament of two unfit candidates. 

Thankfully, for the kids of Douglas County, we have two outstanding, extremely well qualified candidates who set the bar high for themselves and our kids.  They’ve both volunteered countless hours over many years in our local schools. They will continue to do this in an official capacity and return to the long-standing tradition of positivity and fiscal responsibility to the Douglas County School Board. 

Erinn Miller and Melinda Gneiting will serve, as they always have, and deliver positive outcomes. 

I am enthusiastically voting for these two incredible moms of Douglas County students.

Jocelyn Fisher

Gardnerville

Advocate for our children and grandchildren

Editor:

It’s time to advocate for our children and grandchildren. Our current school board majority, which includes Doug Englekirk, has done nothing for our children and has spent $425,609.69 of our tax dollars in the past 12 months on legal fees. That’s $282,109.69 more than the previous legal budget. They have lied multiple times, including during the latest town hall, by saying they did nothing wrong and that the public records lawsuit against them was frivolous, unreasonable, and groundless. This week, the judge ruled that they are personally responsible for paying approximately $200,000.00 of the petitioner’s legal fees and that the lawsuit was not frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless because they lied and made the decision personally to withhold 6,600 pages of public records until after “Former DCSD Superintendent Lewis’s credible testimony leveled DCSD’s and Trustee’s claims that additional unprivileged responsive documents did not exist.” The Citizens for DC education PAC is painting conservative parents and teachers as “woke “red shirts” who advocate neo-socialist school doctrine.” They claim that Erin and Melinda will “assume the temporary guise and policies of Republican conservatives rather than leftist advocates until November if they are elected.” 

This is an outright lie by people with no children in our schools and is the same scare tactic they used last time to get Burns, Jansen and Dickerson elected. Please don’t let them fool you. Many of Erinn and Melinda’s supporters are parents and conservative Republicans who will be voting for Trump along with Miller and Gneiting. If you support Erinn Miller and Melinda Gneiting please share this. If you have friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers who aren’t aware of what is happening please share this with them too. We deserve conservative parents on our school board who are involved in our schools, and a board that will work to make things better for our children. Our schools are not unsafe for girls and are not making identity, leftist, racist politics more important than reading, writing, math and true science.” 

If you don’t know who to believe, ask a parent.

Katie McCrosky

Gardnerville

A vile piece of literature

Editor:

Along with thousands of other Douglas County residents, I received a singularly vile piece of campaign literature last week in support of school board candidates Doug Englekirk and Antoinette Casselberry.

It reads like a page from the Ku Klux Klan playbook: Inflammatory language (“white skinned people” “true science”), crude drawings, and outrageous lies about our teachers.

The simple truth that Englekirk and Casselberry would permit their names to be associated with this garbage reveals to me all I need to know about their character. Why on earth would anyone vote to re-elect Englekirk who’s already had four years on the board, and, according to this, apparently done nothing?

There is no place for them on the Douglas County School Board.

My hope is that our school district administration will come to the defense of our teachers and denounce this hit piece.

In the meantime, there can be no clearer blueprint for releasing the stranglehold the board majority has had on our schools for the past two years. 

We — the voters — can begin by electing Erinn Miller and Melinda Gneiting as school board trustees. 

This is our chance to reject the false narratives and destructive political agendas which harm our students and our community.

Sheila Gardner

Gardnerville

PAC of lies

Editor:

I have received numerous emails and one deranged postcard from the Citizens for DC Education PAC that are full of lies. The latest postcard has pushed me to write this letter to set the record straight. I am part of We Deserve a Better Board, I am a conservative Republican, and I am a parent of two children who attend Carson Valley Middle School. My husband and I attended Jacks Valley Elementary School and Gardnerville Elementary School respectively, Carson Valley Middle School, and Douglas High School. We moved back to Gardnerville so our boys could attend Douglas County Schools because they are among the best in our state. We will be voting for Trump (again) and, as embarrassing as it is to say after seeing his performance as our school district’s lawyer, we voted for Joey Gilbert. According to the Citizens for DC Education PAC, I’m a woke “Neo-Socialist Red-Shirt”. For anyone who knows me, you know this is laughable. In the sixteen combined years that our boys have attended Douglas County schools, we have had only one issue with a teacher pushing her liberal views. When this was brought to the attention of our principal and higher-ups in the district she was shut down. If our schools were indoctrinating our children rather than educating them, this sort of thing would not have been stopped. Our board majority has admitted that DEI and CRT are not happening in our schools. Still, their RINO supporters keep pushing these claims to scare people into voting for Casselberry and Englekirk so they can keep their majority. An incompetent majority who has spent $425,609.69 (https://www.wedeserveabetterboard.com/legal-fees) on legal fees, tried to hire John Ramiriz Jr., a criminal who runs a company called EquityIn  (Working on behalf of students to bring equity to all public schools - http://equityinus.com/) as our superintendent, and now has to pay around $200,000.00 in petitioner’s legal fees because they lied and withheld 6,600 pages of public documents. (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://nevadanewsgroup.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static-4/recordcourier/images/CourtOrder_10152024.pdf) We are a rural and very conservative district. If all of the things that Doug Englekirk, Annette Casselberry, and the Citizens for DC Education PAC are claiming are truly happening in our schools then why are conservative parents keeping their kids in our schools? Please don’t be fooled by the lying Citizens of DC Education PAC and their dunce postcard listing several untrue things happening in Douglas County Schools. If these were all true we would be the first to pull our kids out. Please join me, and other conservative parents, in voting for Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller, two true conservative Republican moms. Our kids deserve a better board.

Kristy Norberg

Gardnerville

Still committed to district

Editor:

As someone who served as superintendent of Douglas County School District for over three years, I want to express my commitment to our community and the incredible students and staff in our schools. Throughout my tenure, I felt it was essential to defend our district and its staff against false accusations and misinformation.

Although I’m no longer in that role, my passion for this community remains strong. I want our new superintendent, Frankie Alvarado, to thrive as a leader. To support this, we need to make informed decisions that help steer our schools back on track and refocus on education.

Since January 2021, changes in DCSD have been concerning. While many impacts are visible, numerous families are affected in ways that often go unnoticed. I recall a camping trip in July 2023 when my mother-in-law asked my son about the stresses teenagers face. His heartfelt response about how they treat his dad was heartbreaking and reminded me of the unseen consequences of the rhetoric aimed at our educators.

I have always accepted that leadership comes with criticism. However, I urge our community to reflect on the power of words and actions. True heroes do not create issues that don’t exist or spread hatred toward those they don’t know. They don’t lie to their community or harm others intentionally.

The Lewis family’s experience is not unique; many families have faced similar challenges, leading to educators leaving DCSD due to a difficult work environment. Over the past 15 months, we have lost numerous dedicated administrators, teachers, and support staff. While most have found new opportunities, they have faced reduced time with their families as they sought environments that value their skills.

Those who have worked with me can attest to my commitment to transparency and honesty. I cannot remain silent while our community faces turmoil. We should be grateful for the incredible educators and staff who continue to support our students amid chaos, but this cannot last indefinitely.

I urge you to consider that the candidates supported by the Nevada 1st PAC and Citizens for Douglas County Education PAC are harmful to our community and schools. Their complicity in spreading misleading information over the past two election cycles cannot be ignored. They perpetuate lies and claim accomplishments that never occurred. For instance, a recent piece from the Nevada 1st PAC falsely claimed that certain trustees changed the policy on teaching sex education to require an “opt-in” provision for parents. This is completely false; Nevada law has required parental permission since 1979, and DCSD has always adhered to the law. I could provide many more examples, but I won’t burden our community with them.

I want to express my gratitude to those who have reached out to me recently to seek the truth instead of accepting propaganda circulated through emails, mailers and social media. If you have concerns, please engage with educators, parents, and grandparents in DCSD to understand the real situation in our schools. This conflict does not truly represent our parents; it is driven by certain individuals focused on undermining our schools and tearing our community apart.

Let’s work together to support our district and ensure a bright future for our students, staff, and leaders. Please join me in voting for Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller.

Keith Lewis

Minden

District worse than two years ago

Editor: 

Is our school district better off now than it was two years ago? Considering the hemorrhaging of staff, a more than 100 percent increase in legal fees (excluding costs from the recent lawsuit), and a more than 50 percent reduction in the public input allowed at board meetings, the answer is clearly no. Our county can remedy this by electing Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller to the school board. These candidates are the most qualified because of their well-informed perspectives, their focus on building positive community relationships, and their ability to restore decorum to our public discourse. 

Gneiting and Miller have demonstrated they will make well-informed decisions for our district through their longstanding commitment to DCSD. In addition to having students in our schools, both have experience as coaches and active volunteers at multiple sites. Both can rely on firsthand knowledge of what is happening in our schools to inform their perspectives as trustees. In contrast, their opponents have expressed they don’t have enough time to visit schools, or they have only attended sporting events. This lack of engagement is apparent with their inability to speak to the subtleties of student performance data as well as one opponent’s allegation that financial literacy instruction should be implemented when it is already in place in DCSD schools. Furthermore, Miller and Gneiting have been uniquely able to articulate their experience and understanding of how to navigate the appeals process with NIAA when it comes to protecting girls’ sports. While all candidates have expressed the same views about this, Miller and Gneiting have shown a detailed understanding of how it can be addressed in DCSD. 

Additionally, Miller and Gneiting represent a clear contrast with the current board majority when it comes to building bridges with parents and teachers, with both candidates ready to follow the open meeting law from day one. They have advocated for restoring the previous norm of three minutes of public comment for each speaker and inviting public comment before each action item. They have been unequivocal in voicing support for teachers, while the current board majority has failed to reconcile two notions they have repeatedly put forth: first, that top-down policies are necessary to keep teachers from allowing inappropriate ideas into classrooms, and second, that teachers must be trusted to do their jobs. 

Finally, Miller and Gneiting have modeled the decorum that is lacking in board meetings. Their campaign materials have reflected an issues-oriented approach, whereas their opponents have failed to condemn the name calling, the characterization of community members as “heroes” or “villains,” and the disinformation spread by campaign materials authored by groups that support them. Miller and Gneiting represent a departure from the norm of trustees insulting community members, implying those who disagree with them are Marxists in the press, and selectively applying public comment rules during board meetings. 

Ready to see an end to the tumult that has overtaken our district, this parent, teacher, and lifelong resident urges the public to vote for Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller. 

Daniel Hyden

Gardnerville

Backing Amodei

Editor:

I was just thinking about life here in Northern Nevada, and it is good. But because we’re so close to a major election, I’ll keep my comments and concerns relevant to that.

We have a big ballot covering a huge number of issues. You don’t have to fill out the entire ballot to vote. As a matter fact, your ballot is valid if you only vote for one candidate or issue.

On Question 3, I am voting no because I don’t want to dilute my vote. I have friends in California, Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians telling me it has been a nightmare over there. I want one whole vote, not a piece of a vote.

Last but not least, Congressional District 2. I’m voting for Rep. Mark Amodei. I think he has done a good job representing all of us. That’s no easy task. I heard people say he’s too conservative. I’ve also heard people say he’s too liberal. It is not humanly possible to satisfy everyone, but I think it’s a good sign when you can satisfy some of the people from different sides of an issue. Congressman Amodei represents all of us, and he has always been available to explain issues and his votes. I think he is a very good representative of the people of the Second Congressional District and that’s why I’m voting for him. Early voting through Friday. Election Day is Tuesday. See you at the polls.

Nancy Clapp

Minden

Reflecting on truth

Editor:

There was an incident in the Harris-Walz campaign recently that caught a lot of attention. At her rally at Wisconsin-La Crosse University, Mrs. Harris chose to respond with dismissive sarcasm when two young men spoke out the name of Jesus Christ in the middle of the rally.

Whether or not the incident will hurt the candidate’s campaign success is yet to be determined; but it does allow for a moment of reflection on truth.

In the Bible, Jesus identifies Himself as being Truth itself, (John 14:6). He later declares that His purpose for coming into the world was to, “...bear witness to the truth,” (John 18:37). We live in a time when claims of mis- or dis- or fake- information are routinely directed at opposition statements. When a claim of disinformation is made, it is implicit in the claim that the truth lies elsewhere, presumably with the side making the claim.

In dismissing the statements of the two young men at her rally, Mrs. Harris, perhaps unknowingly, dismissed the One whose claim to be the Truth has survived 21 centuries of steady opposition without being exposed as a false claim. 

It is hoped that the candidate will recognize and reassess her personal position with Jesus Christ while she is still in this world. To be joined with Jesus by faith in Him is the greatest position any man or woman can ever achieve.

Nations will continue to rise and fall as they have through history, and leaders will come and go. Through it all, Jesus Christ will remain unchanged and unaffected by the changing opinions of mankind. He is still, and will be through eternity, the safest place to be.

Chuck Evans

Coleville

Where’s Rosen the rest of term

Editor:

Isn’t it interesting that we never hear a peep from our U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen until around election time? Now we hear that she is this great lawmaker that works extensively across the isle to save our nation. My experience with her is quite the opposite.

I worked for a company that had business locations in Del Rio, Texas and across the Mexican border in Ciudad Acuna. I had experience with the illegal alien issue firsthand during my many visits there. While staying at the Ramada Inn in Del Rio, I had the opportunity to speak with several U.S. Border Patrol agents who were also staying there. They impressed me with how many people were streaming across the border illegally and what they were transporting, namely narcotics.

During the period that President Trump was trying to gain approval for the border wall, I wrote both Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto to share what I had learned about what such a wall would mean to our border patrol staff. I tried to impress these senators with the fact the wall was worth every penny to the border patrol agents there in the field. While Sen. Cortez Masto answered my letter and essentially blew me off implying that the border issue was a hoax, Sen. Rosen didn’t even bother to respond. I wrote a second letter to them both recommending that they visit the border in person and talk to the border patrol staff. Again, the results were unsatisfying. Senator Cortez Masto responded with an e-mail that had nothing to do with the situation and still not a single word from Senator Rosen.

To this day both of these senators have done nothing to stem the flood of illegal aliens and the drugs they carry across our southern border. The only thing they have done is support a phony bill that did nothing other than provide more staff to expedite processing the illegals and their relocation into U.S. cities. Now it has been reported that this bill had provisions in it for them to even gain citizenship. Wow, let’s reward those that break our immigration laws and provide narcotics to our children with citizenship. Now that sounds like a great idea to me.

I always understood that writing to your senator was a good means of communicating citizen concerns to our lawmakers. I have done as much in the past with some success. Not so with our current senators we have in Nevada. As regards Sen.Jacky Rosen, I wouldn’t even waste my time.

Ray Trexler

Wellington

Indoctrination in schools

Editor:

Kamala Harris’s VP pick, Timothy Walz, led the way in promoting and passing an initiative requiring all Minnesota students to receive “education” in ethnic studies. 

The reality is that this program is indoctrinating children into believing that America is evil. It is a program in anti-civics “in which students are taught to reject and replace America’s system of government.” (with Marxism) 

The requirements in this program originate from Critical Race Theory and its Marxist roots. 

According to Claremont Institute writer Tom Klingenstein, Brian D. Lozenski, an associate professor of urban and multicultural education at Macalester College and a leader in the development of Minnesota’s proposed ethnic studies curriculum, explicitly called for the “overthrow of the United States.”

Tim Walz appointed Lozenski to head his ethnic studies initiative.” So, how does that reflect upon Walz? And how does Harris picking Walz as her running mate reflect upon her? 

The socialist policies that Harris proposes, such as price controls, “equity” wealth redistribution, and taxes on “unrealized” capital gains for those in higher tax brackets, are issues that support Harris’s Marxists/Socialist leanings. 

She also sponsored the “Do No Harm Bill” that, according to James S. Spiegel, executive director of the Kalos Center for Christian Education and Spiritual Formation, “would have required religious devotees and faith-based organizations to violate their religious convictions regarding traditional marriage and the sanctity of life.” 

These policies shed light on Harris’s background and upbringing. She grew up in Berkeley under the guidance of her father who was an avowed Marxist professor in the Economics Department at Stanford University in Palo Alto. Both of Harris’ parents were active in the Berkeley based Afro-American Association; Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were the heroes of the Afro-American Association. And these two heroes were responsible for the death of thousands of innocent people who valued freedom.

There are millions of well-meaning people who will vote for Harris and Walz believing that they are voting for the old Democratic Party, the party of JFK, which they are not. They will be voting for neo-Marxists with the intent of destroying America, and therefore, our freedom. 

They will attack the Bill of Rights with the goal of censoring free speech and severely restricting or eliminating our God-given right to defend ourselves. You cannot be for freedom and support Harris and Walz, or the current brand of the Democratic Party. 

The truth can be a painful pill to swallow, as it was for me when I discovered the truth about the Democratic Party after being a Democrat during my early adult life. 

Bob Russo

Gardnerville 

Politics dividing families

Editor:

In recent months, my sister and I have learned a great deal about each other due to our mother’s failing health and her recent passing.  Now in our 70s, we have spent most of our adult lives on opposite coasts, once sharing similar views and values.  However, the political divide in our country has seeped into our relationship and I fear that the election next Tuesday has only deepened our divide.

During a recent conversation, my sister said she is supporting Trump while holding her nose concerning his character.  She cited his policies as her reason for support.  However, when I pressed her to identify specific policies she supports, she struggled to provide clear answers, so I tried to help.

If Trump wins, he promises mass deportations, which would not only tear families apart, it would have a negative impact on  our economy and work force. I was horrified during his first term when he separated children from their parents and am still heartbroken that over a thousand children have yet to be reunited with their families.

If Trump wins, he may halt military aid to Ukraine.  I believe the Ukrainians deserve our support to counter Putin’s aggression and protect their sovereignty.

If Trump wins, he is willing to impose a nationwide abortion ban.  I staunchly believe in a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding her medical health.

Beyond these policies, what troubles me the most is Trump’s apparent lack of ethical integrity.  Like Liz Cheney, I believe character matters, and I will not overlook Trump’s ethical shortcomings.  Unlike my sister, I cannot hold my nose and vote for anyone who lacks ethical integrity.  Instead, I will proudly vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, leaders who embody the values I hold dear.

Greta Hambsch

Genoa