Governor seeks agriculture board chairman's resigation

Gov. Jim Gibbons has sent a letter asking the chairman of the State Board of Agriculture to resign. In a copy of the letter, faxed to The Record-Courier by the governor's office, Gibbons told Benny Romero that he lacks confidence in the board leadership and has requested Romero and Lamoille resident DeLoyd Satterthwaite to resign voluntarily. Romero owns the Sweetwater Ranch based out of Wellington.

The call for resignations comes after Nevada Agriculture Director Don Henderson resigned in February. In his letter to Romero and Satterthwaite, Gibbons referred to a 2006 audit that found deficiencies in department practices and hundreds of thousands of dollars in due but uncollected fees and taxes.

"Concerns have also been raised over your eligibility for a position on the board pursuant to NRS 561.055," Gibbons wrote. "These incidents are indicative of events that have cause widespread dissatisfaction and poor morale among department employees."