May 18, 2022, R-C Letters to the Editor

Backing Murphy for commissioner

Editor:

There is only one contested race for County Commissioner, which is between Janet Murphy, Natalie Yanish and the incumbent Wes Rice. I believe that Janet Murphy is the best candidate to represent the interests of our residents. She supports reasonable growth but knows that growth doesn’t pay for itself. She understands the challenges that growth creates for our infrastructure, traffic, open space, and for our most precious resource: water. She is aware that some wells in the county are already going dry, and that the long-term drought is a serious threat to our water supply. She does not support an expansion of Vacation Home Rentals, nor does she believe that the event center at the lake should have been funded by $34 million of taxpayer money.

Mr. Rice disqualified himself in the minds of a great many people with his vote for approval of the Park Ranch proposal, including the legally dubious transfer of Receiving Area from Topaz to agricultural land in the heart of the Carson Valley, which allows up to 2500 homes on over 1000 acres where only 66 homes were previously allowed. Public written and oral comments ran more than 50-1 against that request, but Rice approved it anyway. Oddly, he has said that he would be a “fierce defender of our rural lifestyle.” Just last week he said that he was opposed to “urban sprawl,” yet that was exactly what this project was, in that it was in agricultural land outside the town and urban service area boundaries. It contradicted both the letter and intent of the Master Plan and the Plan for Prosperity.

Mr. Rice also approved the $34 million in taxpayer funds for the Event Center at the lake, just before the voters dissolved that Redevelopment Area. He didn’t seem to think that the gaming and resort businesses there needed to contribute money, even though they are the ones will be the primary beneficiaries. Perhaps it is because much of his campaign funding was from gaming, resort and development interests. He is the candidate of special interests.

Natalie Yanish has been very vocal lately on what seems to be her primary issue: Vacation Home Rentals. She has basically suggested that they should be allowed anywhere anytime. She has said that the profit motives of out-of-state investors are just as important as the rights of homeowners to the quiet enjoyment of their property. That is not in the interest of local residents. She is also a representative and spokesman for a building contractor’s association, which is why she would likely approve most development proposals. She has said that she would have supported the highly unpopular Park Ranch development.

Janet Murphy alone has said that she was opposed the Park Ranch project, and that she was displeased with the funding of the Event Center with $34 in taxpayer money. She alone was raised in Douglas County, and has spent almost her entire life here. She alone will put the interests of existing residents first, above the profit motives of developers and other special interests.

I urge you to vote for Janet Murphy for County Commissioner.

Jim Slade

Foothill

Democrats backing school board

Editor:

Reading the seven letters to the editor in the May 4 R-C edition supporting the re-election of incumbent members of the Douglas County school board in the upcoming election, I was struck by the sameness of writing that ran through them all. It turned out that six of the seven contributors are registered Democrats, plus one nonpartisan. 

 Democrats make up only about 20 percent of Douglas County voters, but they seem to be banding together to get the current Douglas County School Board re-elected. This is the same Democrat party that has advocated for defunding the police, supports soft on crime prosecutors, inflated food and fuel prices, higher taxes, and is cheerleading for a “Ministry of Disinformation” to shut up their critics. I’m not inclined to take political advice from this crowd.

 The fact that Democrats are recommending voters retain our current school board is all the more reason voters should proceed with caution. I recently saw a definition of Social Emotional Learning as practicing quack psychology on children in group settings while data mining them and giving them ideologically “right” answers to social and emotional cues. The school board elections will serve to clarify what’s actually happening in our schools.

 Three outstanding candidates have stepped forward and will be running for the Douglas County school board this year. Information about the first one will be listed in the upcoming R-C Primary edition.

Lynn Muzzy

Minden

Don’t underestimate students

Editor:

In response to Lynn Muzzy’s inaccurate quote from my letter: what I actually said was, “The one unforgivable sin for a school board trustee would be to use that important position--and therefore use the children of our county--to promote a political agenda.” I stand by that. It is in fact Mrs. Starrett and her supporters who are trying to make this upcoming school board election a political one. 

Muzzy and Starrett make claims about what is being taught in schools without ever having visited our schools. If you actually listen to the educators and parents of students in our community, it is abundantly clear that there is no indoctrination going on. Those who visit our schools regularly report that they are impressed by what they see: the quality of our students and the quality of our teachers. 

What is really sad is that Starrett and Muzzy don’t give our students much credit. They talk about students like they are empty vessels, incapable of thinking for themselves. Do they know what it’s like to discuss complicated topics with 3rd graders, 8th graders, 12th graders? No, they don’t. Students will always surprise you with their insights and their questions. Teachers always come away with a new appreciation for their material after they have completed a unit of study. 

In this county, in this school district, our schools empower kids to think for themselves, Starrett, Muzzy and their acolytes want to censor and limit what students can read and discuss. They underestimate the considerable abilities of our students.  What an insult to our young people.

I urge anyone who is moved by the cheap-shot arguments put forward by those who are attacking our schools to take a look at the Nevada Academic Content Standards. These are the foundation of what teachers teach their students. I think those who are attacking our schools could really learn from one of those standards in particular: social studies and world history standard number 8: “Construct arguments using precise and knowledgeable claims, with evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging counterclaims and evidentiary weaknesses.” [SS.9-12.WH.8.]

Our social studies teachers teach their students to do exactly that, every day. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone writing letters to the editor did the same?

Lyndon Jacobson

Minden

Changing mine route not a solution

Editor:

The proposed Painted Rock Mine by Knox Excavating has been a heated issue, particularly for the Johnson Lane community for some time. The second EA for the mine is now in the public comment period with two public meetings scheduled this month. One of the most controversial issues is the haul route that trucks will take to and from the mine. Knox has proposed Johnson Lane for the truck route with obvious negative impact on the Johnson Lane community. The Johnson Ln community understandably have been lobbying to stop the mine or find alternate truck routes that have less or no impact on their neighborhood. The EA eliminates 4 alternate routes proposed by citizens or Douglas County primarily based on economic issues. What I find disturbing is that all 4 of the alternatives direct the truck traffic into other neighborhoods, such as East Valley, Grandview Estates, Fish Springs, Wildflower Ridge, Stodic Estates, Chichester and others. My question is who at the County thought this was an acceptable alternative that would be less disruptive? The residents of these communities should be aware that others think it will be ok to turn your neighborhood into a gravel truck haul route.

Jim Durso

Gardnerville

Supporting Amy Burgans

Editor:

I support Amy Burgans for Clerk-Treasurer.  She’s done a fine job since being unanimously appointed to that position and deserves to be elected.  The job entails overseeing many functions from creating meeting minutes, accepting and depositing the County’s money, investment of same and, of course, elections.  Douglas County was fortunate to have Kathy Lewis in the Clerk-Treasurer position for the 2020 election cycle and her team conducted the process in a very safe, secure and accurate fashion.  Amy is totally familiar with the election system and process and has been coordinating with the other Nevada county clerks related to incorporation of new rules and/or changes put in place by the last Legislature. I’ll guess we’ll have another cycle of secure and accurate elections – Primary and General – this year with Amy at the helm. She has also reorganized her department to not only be more efficient but also to save the County $20,000.  Let’s keep the right person in her job.  Vote for Amy Burgans.

Dan Aynesworth

Genoa

A Nevadan now

Editor:

Met a guy the other day who just moved here.

“Love it here,” he said. “Love the mountains, the fresh air. No traffic. Been here almost a year.” 

Said he’s a Nevadan now.

I asked him where he was from, and he told me San Jose. He said he sold his house. It was a small place, not too far from the freeway, and just a few blocks from a really great McDonald’s. Said he got a lot of money for it, too.

“But I love it here,” he said. “Love the mountains, and the fresh air. And houses are cheaper here.”

Said he’s been here almost a year. Said he left all that California thinking behind. Said he was a Nevadan now.

“You know,” I said, “a lot of us here don’t measure the quality of our life by how close we live to the nearest McDonald’s.”

“Well that’s too bad,” he replied, “Because it’s a really good McDonald’s.”

So, I thought about that for a minute and decided, what the heck, he was probably right. Afterall, he’s a Nevadan now. 

Bob Murray

Gardnerville

Supporting Adam Laxalt

Editor:

I have been wondering why so many Douglas County Republicans are supporting Capt. Sam Brown and not Adam Laxalt? Brown’s large very well-done campaign signs were the first to go up as soon as allowed. I decided I need to know more about Sam Brown and why so many people I know support him. I learned that he had raised a million dollars by October of 2021, that explained the great signs. I was surprised by the amount as I had never heard of him before. I haven’t been very politically active the last few years so it’s possible he may have run for some office in Washoe County and had a group of rich supporters. Ops, I learned that he is new to our state moving from Texas with his wife and children in 2018. Before moving to Nevada, he ran for a legislative seat in Texas, came in third. 

I visited his campaign web site, very well done but not one word about Nevada or Nevada issues, he could be running in any state in union. Okay I get it he is a war hero, that suffered terrible burns and survived, he is for God, County, Veterans and Apple Pie but what does he know about Nevada and how does that qualify him to be our Senator. Reminds me of Hillary moving from DC to New York and running or Mitt running in Utah.  

He says he is from small-town America, Conway, Arkansas but could find nothing about him in Conway. Then I found an article that puts his family ties to Cincinnati, Ohio. His small-town family according to Forbes is worth $2.275 billion and own the NFL Cincinnati Bengals and before moving to Cincinnati they owned AFL Cleveland Browns. According to the Federal Election Commission several members of the Brown family connected to the Bengals have donated to his campaign. Wow! Those are deep grass-roots!

I will be supporting Adam Laxalt, I know his record as Nevada’s Attorney General, youngest to be elected at that time. Top priority backlog of 8,000 untested sexual-assault evidence kits, secured the first human trafficking conviction in the history of his office. Created senior financial fraud unit that also addressed elder abuse and guardianship exploitation. Established a Law enforcement Summit held twice a year, bring all 17 counties together. Sued big pharma companies over deceptive marketing practices and drug price manipulation. At the same time creating “Nevada’s Prescription for Addiction,” to combat use, abuse and misuse of prescription drugs. Created Federalism Unit to fight for Nevadans against the federal government when overstepping their bounds in cases. 

Committed to fellow veterans, with the Office of Military Legal Assistance, a first-of-its-kind, public-private program that provides members of Nevada’s military with free legal representation at no cost to taxpayers. The program was named “Best Practice Program” by U.S. Department of Defense, with a recommendation for duplication throughout the country, has helped servicemembers and veterans handle thousands of matters pro bono.

What has Sam Brown done in or for Nevada to warrant the support he is receiving?

Laurie Hickey

Gardnerville

Principles and integrity

Editor:

Resonable definitions:

PRINCIPLE, knowing right from wrong, the “golden rule” as in, “do unto others as you would have done unto you”. Like when your folks told you, “if you ever finds someone’s wallet, return it to them”. Morally correct behavior and attitudes.

INTEGRITY, Merriam-Webster, “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness”. Knowing what is right and having the moral stamina to “live” your principles. Standing for all to see that a person knows right from wrong and, despite their own personal views, tells the world their position.

I rejoice to know folks who have Principle and steadfastly display it because of their Integrity. 

Consider the election poll workers in our country. We all know they are folks from every walk of life and are, most likely affiliated with one of the major political parties i.e. Independents, Republicans or Democrats. THEY set aside their political views and become “Apolitical” when asked to count and verify the outcome an election. Sure, they may have their “political views” but they set them aside when serving the public good. Consider the poll workers in historically leaning states where in the 2020 election they told the world the outcome of the election despite their party affiliation. Consider every man and woman who has served/serves in the United States Military and have swore to uphold the six articles of the Uniform Code of Military Conduct. None of them, including myself, cared about the race, color, creed or political party of people in their units because they served as one in the support of our Country.

I rejoice to know/have known leaders in our County who display and have served regardless of their political views with both Principle and Integrity. Until recently pictures of such fine folks as Bob Pruett, Barbara Smallwood, Dave Brady, Michael Fischer and Barry Penzel were proudly displayed in the court house.

All those elected to serve this County must conduct themselves in an apolitical manner free from prejudice both politiacl and racial. Those who can not uphold, practice and display these basic standards for themselves and their office should stop feeding from the public trough. 

Tony Sabino

Soar Minden 

Thank you, Douglas Wine Lovers

Editor: 

The second “Spring into Wine” event sponsored by Kiwanis Club Of Carson Valley on May, 6 was a huge success. Attended by many Douglas County wine lovers, the Genoa Lakes Golf Course event featured premium spirits and wines along with gourmet appetizers and desserts, silent auction items and raffles for “mystery in a brown bag” wines, up scale large format wines and floral arrangements. The included food was abundant along with nonalcoholic beverages, all surrounded by a live classical duet featuring professional violinist Cecilia Yale. Thanks to Mike Mazza and Raley’s Gardnerville and Sparks Corporate along with their wine distributor Breakthru Beverage Nevada for beverages, Sierra Chef, Columbus Meats, and Genoa Lakes for appetizers and desserts. Our biggest thanks go to all the local businesses, our Sheriff Dan Coverly and his department, and the many individuals who so generously provided the silent auction items. Auction items ranged from tandem parachute rides to original artwork, signed bicycles and guitars, 2 hours on Lake Tahoe with the Sheriff Patrol, and an African photo safari. All items were auctioned successfully at generous bid offerings. This event was a Kiwanis fund raiser supporting many programs including scholarships open to all Douglas County high school seniors pursuing technical, vocational and university studies. It is through the generosity of those in attendance that Kiwanis can continue its many programs supporting the children of our community and internationally. Children and their development is our major focus. Thank you, wine lovers of Douglas County. Look for us again next year! 

Byron Waite President 

Sally Grant Co-Chair 

Peter Engle Co-Chair Spring Into Wine 2022

Thanks for supporting local theater

Editor:

The Carson Valley Community Theatre would like to thank the community for their great support of our recent production of “The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” produced in conjunction with Douglas High School. We would also like to thank the Nevada Arts Council for a grant which made this production possible, and Douglas County, who provided grant funding to help improve the sound system at CVIC Hall. This production was originally slated to have been performed in the spring of 2020 but was postponed due to COVID. The overwhelming support and high attendance at this show will allow CVCT to donate $2,000 to the DHS Drama Department, more than twice what we had originally anticipated, and we could not be more excited! This has all been made possible by the support and generosity of you, our local community members. Without you, our group would not be able to do what we do; provide high-quality theatre to the local Douglas County area. 

The purpose of theatre is to expand the lives of both viewers and performers outside of what can be experienced in real life. Through theatre, we experience the joy, sorrow, laughter, fear, humor, confusion, sacrifice and other attributes of people who are both like us and unlike us. Through theatrical productions, we can experience different times, communities, and viewpoints, all from the comfort of a theater seat. We can explore different eras, locations and cultures from within the four walls of a theater building. Theatre productions teach us to understand other people, other points of views, and different ages, times and places. They can make us laugh, cry, fear and think. They allow us to feel and explore a variety of emotions in a safe environment. Theatre encourages us to discover thoughts and ideas we might otherwise have not explored. This is why we do community theatre. This is why it is important for us to provide a variety of different types of theatre productions each season. Not all productions will appeal to all people, but each production will impact some.  In order to grow, humans need to be challenged. Theatre is one avenue that provides that challenge and we are glad to be able to provide this service to Douglas County.

We hope to see all of you at our summer musical production, Nunsense II, the Second Coming. This is a follow-up to our highly successful musical, Nunsense, which was presented several summers ago. The show will run for two weekends, beginning July 15at the CVIC Hall and. If you would like information, please go to https://www.carsonvalleycommunitytheatre.org/. We would love to have you join us in the fun!

Diana R. Jones,

Secretary, CVCT