Sept. 11, 2024, R-C Letters to the Editor

Gilbert highest paid school employee?

Editor: 

Much has been made of the jaw-dropping legal bills taxpayers are footing for the services of Joey Gilbert Law on behalf of the Douglas County School District Board of Trustees.

Mr. Gilbert’s bill, since he was hired a year ago, totals nearly $430,000, causing the school district to adjust its current general fund budget for legal services from $143,500 to $450,000. That is a 213 percent increase over previous legal counsel Maupin, Cox, and LeGoy, who served the district for 28 years before the firm was fired by the board majority in favor of Mr. Gilbert.

Doesn’t that make Joey Gilbert the highest paid employee of the Douglas County School District? 

Imagine how that money could be spent on students, teachers, and staff if the board majority were not so fiscally irresponsible.

I would like to remind taxpayers that Mr. Gilbert did not hire himself or approve his own contract. Those actions were taken by majority trustees Doug Englekirk, David Burns, Susan Jansen and Katherine Dickerson. 

There is a solution. 

Vote Doug Englekirk off the board in November and restore some economic sense to the Douglas County School District.

I am voting for school board candidates Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller on Nov. 5. I encourage you to do the same. 

Gneiting and Miller will apply the brakes to the board majority’s out-of-control spending policies. Gneiting and Miller will help bring a return to fiscal responsibility and focus funds back on the classroom.

Let’s make the district about kids and education again.

Sheila Gardner

Gardnerville

School District is floundering

Editor:

There is an inept four-member board majority — Burns, Jansen, Dickerson and Engelkirk — that is degrading our local schools.

They have caused seven school district leaders to resign, including highly regarded school superintendent Keith Lewis. School board meetings are long, chaotic, raucous and unproductive.

The board majority in July 2023 fired the district’s previous legal counsel of 28-years, Maupin, Cox and LeGoy, specialists in education law.

They were replaced by Joey Gilbert who had no relevant legal experience. Gilbert’s background is as a personal injury/criminal defense lawyer and commercial marijuana lobbyist. His history includes a letter of reprimand from the State Bar of Nevada for violation of the state bar’s rules of professional conduct.

The school district’s previous legal counsel had a $5,000 monthly retainer and billed $225/hour for work beyond it; Gilbert has a $7,500 monthly retainer and bills $325/hour for additional work, a significant increase.

Gilbert billed the district $423,037.19 in 12 months (Aug 2023– Aug 2024), with $143,500 originally budgeted.

Gilbert has admitted to over-billings, discovered by Trustee Gilkerson and members of the public.

An unlicensed attorney in his office charged the board $21,000, including thousands of dollars for research on state law, and Gilbert billed the district for this at a licensed attorney rate of $325/hour. 

Gilbert and the four majority trustees have been found to have violated Nevada’s Open Meeting Law by withholding documents and lying to the public about it. Although they had no defense, Gilbert fought the lawsuit for months costing the school district an additional $50,000 by his delay in complying with the law. Opposing counsel fees of roughly $70,000 were incurred also to be paid by the district. It was an expensive and unnecessary fiasco paid for by taxpayers.

Gilbert provided a four-year contract to new school superintendent Frankie Alvarado with no probationary period and rewarded him with a payment of the balance of his entire contract should he be removed without cause.

The choice of Gilbert, not competent in education law, has resulted in unnecessary litigation and excessive legal costs.

Gilbert will only be replaced by a new board majority. That means electing Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller to the school board. Both are involved parents and volunteers in the schools their children attend.

While the school board is appropriately nonpartisan, both Gneiting and Miller are lifelong conservative Republicans.

Mary Hartman

Genoa

Not buying A+ claims

Editor:

 A recent communication from “Citizens for A+ Education” endorsed School Board candidates Antoinette Casselberry and Doug Englekirk, claiming they will “Get Our Schools Back on Track” because “Douglas High School Has Lost Its Way.” This is odd, considering Englekirk has been on the board since 2020. More troubling is his admission at the May 22 Town Hall that he’s “too busy” to dedicate time to the School Board. Voters should question his candidacy. (Available to watch on YouTube.)

The communication also criticized Douglas High for being ranked No. 33 in Nevada by U.S. News & World Report, without mentioning that Douglas is the highest ranked rural school in the state. Most of the schools ranked higher are smaller, technical, or charter schools. The rhetoric is misleading.

As a parent of children in the district, I’m proud to share that 88 students in the 2024 graduating class earned a GPA over 4.0, and nearly 200 students received career-ready or advanced diplomas. None of this success is due to the actions of the current board majority.

While we haven’t seen Casselberry in action yet (and I hope we never do), her majority board counterparts have already cost the district $429,037.19 in legal fees. This is not due to “frivolous lawsuits” but the board’s choice to change legal representation, ignore public records requests, and repeatedly violate open meeting laws. (Also available online for reference.)

If the board truly cared about “saving our children,” we’d be hearing plans for improving academics, yet none have been discussed. Instead, the majority board members and their supporters (including the founder of Citizens for A+ Education”) have publicly made divisive and offensive comments about our community, for example, calling us “inbred” and xenophobic.” (Again, available to watch online.) These are not the people we need representing us.

Vote for Melinda Gneiting and Erinn Miller, parents who genuinely care about our schools, our community, and the future of Douglas County

M.E. Kawchack

Indian Hills

Please leash dogs

Editor:

Do you walk your dog on the paved Martin Slough trail between Minden and Gardnerville? Is your dog on a leash?  If so, this letter to the editor is to thank you.

I commute to work by bike on the path everyday (as long as weather permits) and it gets very challenging at times navigating the loose dogs I encounter on a regular basis. 

For those with unleashed dogs: you are great at moving aside when I ring my bell and/or call out “On the left!” but your dog doesn’t understand these messages. Even the most well behaved dog can walk or leap in front of my bike as I pass. Not only is your off-leash dog in violation of Douglas County ordinance, but a collision with your beloved pet could result in injury to one or both of us. Are you prepared to pay expensive vet bills for your pet and medical bills for me?  Please consider this plea to walk your dog on leash and keep the path accessible for all. 

Lin Falkner 

Minden

Alzheimers Walk Oct. 19

Editor:

I am a caregiver to one of over 54,000 Nevadans living with the Alzheimer Disease. Every year I walk with other caregivers, family members, and supporters to promote finding a cure. This year I will be walking on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Sparks Marina. I will be joined by hundreds of Northern Nevadans as we joyfully walk to promote awareness and raise funds with the hope of finding a cure to this disease. Similar walks will be held in more than 600 communities nationwide.  

We have teams representing Carson City and Carson Valley. As team captain of Carson Valley I invite you to walk with us and/or donate to our team under the banner of Team Carson Valley.

Funds raised from the walk stay in Northern Nevada and are used for critical care, to advance research, to educate and promote finding a cure. All donations are tax deductible.

Please join us at Sparks Marina at 8:30 a.m. Opening ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m. and the two mile walk begins at 10 a.m. To register or donate, go to alz.org/walk and find Team Carson Valley. Every participant receives a Walk to End Alzheimer T-shirt with a minimum donation of $100.

For additional information contact me at pebwainwright@gmail.com.

Paul Wainwright

Gardnerville

Thank God for the VA Medical System

Editor:

I want to thank the VA for providing me with outstanding service. Recently, I had my bi-annual physical with my Primary Care at the VA Clinic in Gardnerville. My PC, Ms. Whetstone recommended I get an ultrasound on my carotids, to update my test results from two years ago.

I go through Community Care, which allows veterans living outside the 50-mile radius of the Reno VA Hospital, to pick providers in their area. I used Carson Valley Health Imaging Department in Gardnerville for my test. This usually takes about two weeks to run the paperwork through and get the referral over to CVH, and then another couple of dates before getting scheduled.

I went in for my test on Jul 31 and got the results back on Aug 1. Both my carotids were at 69 percent occluded. When I copied my results to my PC, she immediately called me and left a message for me to contact the RN, Ms. Snow at the Gardnerville clinic. Ms. Snow informed me that Ms. Whetstone was very concerned and was putting in a referral through Community Care to get a CTA Scan with contrast to really see what was going on. 

The next day I called Community Care and spoke with the supervisor, Leah, and she found my paperwork and forwarded the referral to CVH Imaging that day (that was fast). I called Lizzy at CVH Imaging to see if she could get me in and the referral had just arrived. She moved a couple of thing around and got me in, so I had my CTA Scan on the afternoon of Aug. 15, and the results on Aug. 16. Both of my carotids were actually 90-percent occluded. I forwarded the results to Whetstone and Snow and they immediately put together a referral for a vascular surgeon through Community Care after the Vascular Department at the VA approved it. Lizzy gave me a copy of my CTA scan.

On Aug. 19, I spoke with Leah, Supervisor at Community Care, as well Carrie with the Vascular Department at the VA. They both went out of their way to process my referral ASAP. I found Vascular Surgeon Dr. Kevin Halow with Sierra Surgical Group in Carson City, and with the help of Julie, his referral coordinator, they found an opening for a consult on Aug. 21 and I saw Dr. Halow for the consult.  The film Lizzy gave me was used by Dr. Halow and we quickly setup my Pre-Op on Aug. 26 and my surgical date on Aug. 28 at Carson Tahoe Hospital. Success!

That is going all the way through the VA system from CTA Scan results through surgery in less then two weeks. I could not have done this without the good, caring people at the VA.  

Thank you all so much.

John M. Tsoutsouvas

Gardnerville

Running for Ranchos board

Editor:

Hello Ranchos Neighbors. Deni Caster here, asking for your vote to become a Trustee for the Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District. I am in my seventh year as a resident in the Pleasantview neighborhood.

Before moving here I fought our city regarding an overly big housing development planned in our historic community. As a newbie here, I began attending County Planning meetings and County Commissioner meetings where I met a group of like-minded Ranchos neighbors who were fighting the initial Rancho Sierra development at the end of Tillman Rd. Initially this developer was looking for all sorts of variances - changes to the current zoning would have had 2-story homes on much smaller lots where in some cases, current Rancho homes would have 2 or 3 homes backing up to their yards. The development was not approved. It came back a year later, with NO variances so it would have conformed except, at the final 30-day approval this group, Neighbors for Responsible Growth had determined that the bridge on Dresser Lane would not hold the weight of building material trucks or fire engines as a secondary access point.

I live in the newer section serviced by the Ranchos GID. Homes here did not meet the numbers requiring parks. It is an area filled with dog walkers with little shade and no place to sit. We have the weedy “dead end”, Drayton Rd for which the County has now approved the payment of $75,000 to design an ‘intramural trail” on the east side of the dead-end of Drayton, leaving enough room for a road in another 2-3 years. This trail will lead from the Bing Pit “Recreational Area” on Kimmerling down Drayton to the Centerville/Drayton/Dresserville intersection. How it gets from there to the Community Center as original conceived is yet to be figured out.

I believe the neighborhoods of Pleasantview, Sierra Vista, Silver Oak, Sun Crest, Rocky Terrace, Heavenly View and homes on Holstein Ct need representation and someone who will keep them informed on GID issues.

My professional background includes 18 years in Corporate Administration for a Fortune 100 foreign-owned R&D center in Silicon Valley In this role, and others before it, I was the H. R. Director, the Controller, the head of Operations including IT Security, infrastructure, and Risk Management.

My role required the reading of contracts and legal documentation. 

I am excited to learn more about the geology and geography of the Ranchos service area as well as the rest of Carson Valley. 

I am not a “career politician.” I have not been bouncing in and out of any commission with an opening. I have not spent over 17 years seeped in local politics. We all want the same thing for our communities and neighborhoods - a well-cared for infrastructure and public services and a home & neighborhood that we can enjoy. There are critical issues coming up. I assure you - I will always represent you with the facts and take your suggestions to the board.

Deni Caster

Gardnerville

It doesn’t have to be this way

Editor:

When learning about the Apalachee High School shooting, Kamala Harris said, “It doesn’t have to be this way,” or does it? Maybe we have become numb to unthinkable violence. Maybe we have given up responsibility for protecting our children.

At Apalachee High School, it appears that the staff and students were trained and ready for the unthinkable.  They knew what to do when confronted with an active shooter, and everyone did what they were supposed to do. And still, the outcome was two students and two teachers dead, with nine wounded, and a 14 year old boy in custody. Are you OK with this outcome? I’m not. Maybe we can do better. Maybe “it doesn’t have to be this way.”

I was surprised to learn that gun laws vary widely by state, and that in states where reasonable gun laws are stricter, gun deaths are down. To be more affective, some gun laws must be enacted at the federal level. For example, most gun owners support universal background checks on all gun sales including on-line, gun show, private, and cross state sales. Maybe we can agree on an age requirement for gun ownership like we do to drive a car. Maybe we can agree to do more to make gun owners more responsible for keeping their weapons safe. Maybe we can try more.

The easy out after the Apalachee High tragedy is to follow Mr. Trump’s advise and to simply say our platitudes and then “get over it.” Isn’t that the cowardly way, walk away from a problem, walk away from protecting our families and communities?

One more time, we send out our thoughts and prayers for the victims, the families, the survivors, the first responders, and the Apalachee High School community. But then, let’s not “get over it.” Let’s do better. Let’s make it illegal to gift a 14 year old boy a gun. If we work through our political divides, we can do better. We can’t eliminate gun violence, but we can reduce it. Let’s try.

Greta Hambsch

Genoa

Survival of the republic

Editor:

As Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney have stated, this election is not about politics or policy, it is about the survival of our republic, our democracy. Trump and Project 2025 seek to change our structure of government from the vision of our Founding Fathers to their visions for America. Trump told us he wants to be a dictator on day one, have federal employees be loyal to him, use the DOJ and FBI to go after his political enemies and told a gathering of Christian Nationalist that they won’t have to worry about voting after this election. Ditto Project 2025 which believes in the unitary president and that federal employees should be partisan employees loyal to the ruling party. Trump stated he plans to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits and repeal the Affordable Care Act, ditto Project 2025. Trump has bragged about appointing three justices to the Supreme Court that were key in overturning Roe and Vance voted against a bill that would have protected IVF and contraceptives, ditto Project 2025. Trump and Musk agreed that employees that threaten to strike should be fired. Ditto Project 2025 that plans to gut workers rights and make it harder for workers to join a union. Policies can be changed but losing our system of government to the visions of Trump and Project 2025 would be very difficult to overcome.

Trump has shown he doesn’t want to solve the issues at our southern border as he had Republicans in Congress tank a conservative leaning bi-partisan immigration bill that was working its way through the senate. Biden/Harris supported this bill. Border crossings are lower today than when Trump left office. Biden/Harris have been working with our neighbors to our south to slow immigration from their countries and it is having an impact.

Harris believes in a woman’s right to determine her own healthcare. This right should not be taken away when she becomes pregnant. A pregnant woman should be able receive the necessary medical treatment when complications arise during her pregnancy.

Trump took office with a strong economy in place, Biden/Harris took office having to head off a recession due to the worldwide pandemic. The pandemic had a negative impact on the economies of the world, including ours. Supply line issues, and later price gouging have impacted our inflation rate. Goldman Sachs issued their analysis of Trump’s and Harris’s economic plans. They believe Trump’s economic plan, i.e. impose higher tariffs, will hurt our economy, create higher inflation and lower GDP growth. They believe Harris’s economic plan, i.e. spending initiatives and tax credits which would be offset by higher corporate taxes, would help our economy and we would see GDP growth. 

Irene Rice

Gardnerville