Giomi, Horton lead supervisor races, diesel tax nears approval

Incumbent Carson City Ward 1 Supervisor Stacey Giomi appears to be holding on to his seat, leading challenger Wade Bradshaw by more than 2,000 votes as of Wednesday.

The numbers do not reflect the final tally as some mail-in ballots have yet to be counted. Currently, Giomi leads with 9,863 votes compared to Bradshaw’s 7,702.

“I am cautiously optimistic and hopeful that I will get to continue to serve Carson City the way I’ve done the last four years,” Giomi said Wednesday. “I am very humbled. Anytime you go through the election process, it’s a humbling experience. I’m grateful for the people in the community. I’m excited to serve if the lead holds up.”

Wednesday, Bradshaw said he didn’t want to comment on the race until the final tally, when he’ll be releasing a full statement.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen yet,” he said, noting the snowstorm that arrived on Election Day. “I just want to be respectful to the Carson City Clerk’s Office. They have a hard job.”

In the race for Ward 3, candidate Curtis Horton is leading with 10,424 votes compared to challenger James Wells, who has 6,746 currently. Horton could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Wells congratulated his opponent and thanked “all of those who voted for me.”

The only ballot question specific to Carson City, whether to retain a 5-cent-per-gallon diesel tax for road funding, appears to have been answered in the affirmative. According to the latest numbers, 11,303 people voted to continue the tax, compared to 7,601 casting votes against.

First approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2020, the tax was scheduled to sunset at the end of this year without voter approval. It raises roughly half a million dollars a year in funding for Carson City road improvements. Even with the continued tax, the city still faces an annual $21 million gap between funding and maintenance needs.

“I was pleasantly surprised at the results of that,” Giomi said of the tax question. “I am glad our community has realized that solving our road problems is going to take the whole community. It’s going to take some hard thinking and hard work on the part of everyone to decide how we can make it work in a palatable way for everyone. The diesel tax is a good first step in trying to solve the road problems.”

Carson City Mayor Lori Bagwell was likewise optimistic.

“I am so pleased that the voters of Carson City recognized the need to continue this tax to improve our road system,” she said Wednesday. “Also, that they have faith in their Board of Supervisors to spend these funds wisely.”

The Regional Transportation Commission is meeting tonight in the community center after the 4:30 p.m. CAMPO meeting to discuss future funding options for city roadways. For more information, visit https://www.carson.org/government/city-meetings.