Republican Women host commission candidates

All six active Douglas County commissioner candidates spoke at a full house of Douglas County Republican Women on Wednesday. It was the first time in the campaign all the candidates were in the same room together.

The Republican Women asked four questions of the candidates and gave them 90 seconds to answer.

District 1 Commissioner Danny Tarkanian opened the session switching it up from the question, “What you think being a Republican means?” to talk about what being a county commissioner means.

“Most important is transparency,” he said, touting his multiple newsletters both before and after commission meetings.

He said he responds to every constituent complaint he receives and tries to solve their problems.

Challenger Jim McKalip said he has been going to commissioner meetings for years, offering public comment.

He has served on the County Board of Examiners and the Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District.

“You have to do your homework,” he said of the large amount of material required to be informed on the board. “I’ll work for you.”

Commissioner Mark Gardner pointed out that anything the county wants to do requires three votes.

“It’s not a one-man show,” he said. He said he was proud of his record and felt he’d achieved the things he promised when he ran in 2020.

Challenger Mike Tanner said he has a lot of experience managing projects. He included his recent experience on the Topaz Ranch Estates General Improvement District board.

“We’re finally getting on top of that,” he said. “I’m a fast study.”

Commission District 5 candidates Janet Freixas and Nate Tolbert both referred to infrastructure as the biggest threat to Douglas County.

Freixas said she felt the flood plan that was approved by the county was a “wish list,” without any means to achieve it.

Tolbert said he has a significant investment here, having raised his children here over the past 30 years and operated a business.

He said the county needs to prepare for 10-20 years down the road.

Maintaining the county’s rural character was an important point for all six candidates.

A third candidate will appear on the primary ballot in the District 3 race, but Dean Paris publicly conceded the race in a letter published April 17 in The Record-Courier.

As of Wednesday, the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer’s Office said there are 21,721 active Republicans registered to vote, amounting to 50.6 percent of the electorate.

With Nevada’s closed primary system, partisan candidates like county commissioner only appear on their party’s ballot.

All six candidates are expected to appear 5 p.m. May 22 at a Town Hall Forum at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville. The forum is sponsored by the Business Council of Douglas County, the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and The Record-Courier. The newspaper will also publish its candidates guide that day.