Update: Final days filing sees races develop for three county commission seats

Danny Tarkanian files for his District 1 Douglas County Commission seat on Thursday.

Danny Tarkanian files for his District 1 Douglas County Commission seat on Thursday.

Most of the activity in the final two days of filing was for the three seats on the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners.

Frequent public commenter Jason Garrett Gibson was the last to file for the office as a Democrat in District 1, where in November he will face nonpartisan Brian Dempsey and whomever wins the Republican primary between Commissioner Danny Tarkanian and James McKalip.

Commissioner Mark Gardner will face two Republicans in the winner-take-all primary for District 3. Topaz Ranch Estates General Improvement District trustee Michael J. Tanner and former Sheriff’s candidate Dean Paris filed for the seat.

As of the end of candidate filing on Friday, Douglas County School Board District 1 trustee Yvonne Wagstaff and candidate Markus Zinke are without opponents.

Zinke will take over trustee Carey Kangas’ District 4 seat on the board. Wagstaff was appointed to fill Tony Magnotta’s seat.


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The candidate dam burst on Thursday with four filing for Douglas County Board of Commissioners setting up three races.

Commissioner Danny Tarkanian filed to retain his seat, setting up a Republican primary match-up with Jim McKalip.

Former congressional candidate Brian Dempsey filed as a nonpartisan for the seat. He will be on the November ballot with whichever of the Republicans wins in the primary.

Filing against sitting commissioner Mark Gardner is Topaz Ranch Estates General Improvement District Trustee Michael J. Tanner.

Tanner, a former California Department of Transportation superintendent, was elected to the district board in 2022.

North Valley resident Nathan Tolbert filed against Janet Freixas for District 5 Commissioner Walt Nowosad’s seat.

On the school board front, District 3 trustee Doug Englekirk filed for his seat on Wednesday, setting up a race with Erinn Miller. Both are Zephyr Cove residents. If no one else files, that race will be decided in the general because it is nonpartisan.

Gardnerville resident Antoinette Marie Casselberry became the third person to file for Linda Gilkerson’s District 5 seat. Gardnerville Ranchos residents Steve Pruitt and Melinda Gneiting previously filed for the seat setting up a primary race in June.

Down ballot, five candidates have filed for three seats on the East Fork Swimming Pool District Board.

Gardnerville residents Barbara Kuehner, Allen Biaggi, Sharon Des Jardins, Teresa Duffy and Genoan Alan Ferguson filed for the board that oversees the Carson Valley Swim Center.

Former Douglas County Commissioner and planning Commissioner Dave Nelson filed for Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District trustee on Thursday. He will face Haley Mosegard, Deni Caster and James DeGraffenreid for the district that governs Douglas County’s largest community.

Three residents filed for two seats on the Indian Hills General Improvement District, including Nancy Jones, Russ Siegman and Kathryn Clark Ross.

Elk Point Sanitation District trustees took county commissioners’ admonishment to participate in the election process by filing for the five open seats.

Races also appeared to be set up for Kingsbury General Improvement and Tahoe Douglas Fire districts.

Douglas County is home to around 20 improvement districts with elected boards.

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