Trees piling up along Waterloo Lane the week between Christmas and New Year's.
Gilbert should have never been hired
Editor:
A recent opinion from the Nevada Commission on Ethics and from the Attorney General’s Office enforces what Douglas County residents knew all along. Joey Gilbert should never have been hired due to his legal shortcomings in areas vital to providing competent legal counsel to the Board and School District.
On Jan. 16, the Nevada Commission on Ethics found “sufficient and credible evidence” that Trustees Burns, Jansen, and Dickerson violated NRS 281A 420(1) and (3). NRS 281A 420 pertains to the disclosure of conflicts of interests when voting or abstaining. Concerned members of the public filed ethics complaints after questionable votes regarding the Writ of Mandamus to which the three trustees are party too. Joey Gilbert and/or his associate were present during the votes in question. The Ethics review panel opted to address the trustees’ conduct through corrective actions in a deferred agreement. The three trustees must agree not to violate 281A for a year, receive training within 60 days, and certify in writing they understand the disclosure and abstention chapters of the Ethics Manual. If the trustees had competent legal counsel, this could have been avoided.
To add to the growing list of missteps by Joey Gilbert, the Attorney General’s Office posted Opinion 514 which found that the Douglas County School Board violated Open Meeting Law when it discussed and voted on an item not on the agenda. There were not one, but two attorneys present at that meeting. Joey Gilbert sat for eight minutes and said nothing. His excuse was that it happened so fast. The OML opinion stated that the action was corrected at a subsequent special meeting, so the opinion does not need to be included in the next School Board agenda. Under Joey Gilbert’s reign as legal counsel, there were an unprecedented five special meetings. The majority were to clean up mistakes made at regular meetings.
Concerned parents and community members have been vilified, called names, and had nasty opinions published about them, because they spoke out against Joey Gilbert and held trustees accountable for their words and actions. In his resignation letter, Joey Gilbert admitted that changing bylaws and the superintendent were the sole reason he was hired. It is fitting that Joey Gilbert’s inadequacies in OML and Ethics are coming back to haunt Trustees Burns, Jansen, and Dickerson.
Adrienne Sawyer
Minden
Five tons of Christmas trees recycled
Editor:
Approximately five tons of holiday Christmas trees were recycled, with Bently Ranch playing a key role in this eco-friendly initiative. Bently Ranch accepted the trees at no cost and chipped them as part of their large composting operations at their ranch properties.
The sentiment expressed by Matt McKinney of Bently Ranch is one of satisfaction, stating, “We’re glad to put these trees to a beneficial use right here in our Valley.”
Douglas Disposal route drivers did their part as well, picking up the trees from curbs throughout the Carson Valley and parts of Alpine County. And, of course, a heartfelt thanks goes out to all our customers who participated in this annual program.
Douglas Disposal
Minden
What is happening?
Editor:
There has been a lot of activity in the two weeks since Trump’s inauguration, but is it activity that is going to make America great? As Project 2025 is implemented, and questionable priorities acted on, we’ve seen chaos, confusion and poorly thought-out and executed executive orders that are going to impact the country and have consequences here in Douglas County.
The White House issued a federal funding freeze Monday night (1/27) causing disruption and confusion. The Medicaid portal for reimbursements immediately shut down, raising alarm on top of uncertainty about the status of critical funding needed to support many important programs. Sen. Jacky Rosen said, “President Trump’s freeze on federal grants and funding has jeopardized key programs that many Nevadans rely on.”
Twenty-three states, including Nevada, filed a lawsuit resulting in a federal judge postponing the order. Due to the widespread outcry, the White House rescinded it. However, its future remains uncertain.
Some call Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization reckless and an attack on science and public health. There are 194 countries working together to fight the world’s toughest public health problems. It is not in the interest of the U.S. to exit the organization. It would isolate the U.S. health system which includes National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control. We cannot isolate ourselves and expect to be safe from health threats that don’t respect borders.
The H5N1 Bird flu outbreak is an example. That’s the kind of thing we want to be monitoring globally and collaborating with other countries on. This is a political decision made at the expense of the health and safety of all of us. Right now the U.S. has the most say about what happens at WHO and we are first in line to receive new vaccines.
Trump also imposed an unprecedented gag order on all federal health agencies. This pauses communications including health advisories, weekly scientific reports, any updated communications on infectious diseases and evolving threats, as well as routine releases on food recalls.
Cutting dollars and slashing programs doesn’t make the government more efficient or effective or anyone safer. Thoughtful planning and examination and understanding of consequences is needed.
Elizabeth Valdes
Minden