What makes him run?

EDITOR:

I was quite surprised to see Lynn Hettrick had entered the race for the position of Douglas County clerk-treasurer.

When Barbara Griffin, the former clerk-treasure, announced her pending retirement she stated she had prepared for it by training several of her employees, including Ted Thran, to take over for her.

When reviewing the replacement applicants, she advised the county commissioners that Thran was the best choice, as he was the only applicant to have county government experience in budget and auditing as a Certified Public Accountant.

Having seen no articles or letters to the editor to the contrary, I feel Mr. Thran, a Republican, must be doing a commendable job as Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer.

Mr. Hettrick served in the Nevada Assembly until retired in 1996. Recently he has served as deputy chief of staff for Gov. Gibbons.

Mr. Hettrick, also a Republican, has been a strong supporter of the special interest group within the local Republican Party that has opposed the sustainable growth initiative approved by a majority of the voters. In fact, Mr. Hettrick, as a member of the Assembly, proposed a bill, AB 428, which would have placed hardships on citizens hoping to use the initiative process. Fortunately, the proposed bill never got out of committee.

Mr. Hettrick, in announcing his candidacy, said one area he may be able to help with is lobbying before the 2011 Legislature. He stated the counties have a solid lobbying team but that he may be able to add to it.

Does Mr. Hettrick need to be the county clerk in order to lobby? Would Mr. Hettrick be using the position to lobby for the special interest group or the majority of the citizens of Douglas County?

Do we want a county clerk-treasurer or a lobbyist?

Sanford E. Deyo

Minden