Carson City Supervisors ward 3

Pete Livermore

Age: 65

Hometown: Carson City

Occupation: Retired business owner

Family: Married, one son, two daughters, four grandchildren.

Political background: Elected Carson City Supervisor, Ward 3, 1998, re-elected 2002.

What two departments or programs would you most like to see better funded by the supervisors? Why and how?

First, I strongly support adequate funding for law enforcement and fire/emergency response agencies, because the safety and protection of residents, businesses and visitors to Carson City is primary to maintaining a strong and healthy community.

Additionally, illegal use of methamphetamine is a major health issue facing our community and contributes to rising crime rates in areas where illegal use of the drug is widespread. I support Partnership Carson City in its work to combat methamphetamine use and sales in Carson City. I voted to give extra resources to law enforcement, our courts and mental health agencies to fight this growing problem.

Increased funding for public safety and to combat methamphetamine should be derived from increased sales tax revenues resulting from economic development, not from new taxes and fees or increases in existing tax rates.

Second, I will continue to advocate for open spaces, parks, athletic fields and recreational facilities to ensure we maintain our quality of life. To fund neighborhood parks, I helped create Question 18, the "Quality of Live" initiative, which in turn created more parks, open space, and recreation areas for all of us to enjoy.

How would you characterize the term "managed growth" as it applies to Carson City? What are some recent good and bad examples you've seen transpire here?

Managed growth means working to ensure that growth does not outpace development of infrastructure and public services. It means planning ahead for water, utility service, streets, law enforcement, fire and medical emergency services. Carson City instituted a 3 percent annual cap on new residential homes, which seems to be an appropriate number, because we have never reached that cap. The challenge for Carson City however is keeping up with a growing demand for services and infrastructure driven by growth in surrounding areas, over which Carson City has no control and from which Carson City receives no additional revenue. One example would be traffic congestion from cars passing through Carson City to jobs or events in neighboring towns. Finding solutions to ease traffic congestion such as the Stewart Street extension is a good example of meeting the challenge in a cost-effective way. We must also continue working with the state to ensure that the freeway is completed on schedule. We must continue to encourage the rebuilding of our distressed commercial areas, especially the reuse of our vacant big boxes. Examples of good new projects include Governor's Square on Roop Street and the North Carson Crossing Shopping Center on College Parkway.

What sets you apart from your opponent?

What sets me apart from my opponent is the experience I have gained from years of public service in this community. I have willingly served as a volunteer, as an appointed official and as an elected public official. My achievements range from being instrumental in establishing youth sports programs to initiating water compacts. Through the years, I have gained a depth of knowledge that has helped me build consensuses that have always been in the city's best, long-term interests.

I understand city government's operation. I respect and work well with the various department heads and believe I have gained their respect. The Carson City Firefighters Association and the Carson City Sheriff's Association recently endorsed my re-election. I listen closely to my constituency and continue to take the lead on broad issues such as economic development, as well as the specific needs and concerns of individual taxpayers. To be an effective supervisor requires knowledge on a wide range of issues, and the willingness to devote a tremendous amount of time representing the interests of the people who elected you. I have worked hard to find solutions and make decisions on every issue in the best interest of Carson City.

Contact information:

Telephone: (775) 882-5056

Web site: www.vote4pete.net

Neil A. Weaver

Age: 54

Hometown: Carson City since 1987

Occupation: Business owner, pilot/mechanic

Family: Wife, Yvon

What two departments or programs would you most like to see better funded by the supervisors? Why and how?

Planning and Building departments come to mind for this question. The safe political answer here would be to say safety and schools, but without the basics of a community we really wouldn't need the latter. A comprehensive look at these departments may yield clues as to why some developers have the same common complaints about the length of time as well as the difficulty it takes to build here and why some have chosen not to work in our city. Since I'm outside the loop on funding versus performance on a per-department basis, it's difficult to tell if it's a funding issue. My experience tells me that throwing money at a problem never seems to help the problem go away. A case in point looks at the federal anti-drug programs. Billions spent and the problems still manifest. Money is almost never the answer but common sense almost always is. I believe our community can do better with the funds at hand.

How would you characterize the term "managed growth" as it applies to Carson City? What are some recent good and bad examples you've seen transpire here?

Managed growth has basically served our community well in limiting explosive growth that could quickly outstrip available infrastructure. As a managed program that it has been an overall success is a generally accepted fact. Could it be fiddled with to fine-tune it? Probably so, most programs could. The management of residential growth without the consideration of managing retail/industrial has put this community in jeopardy of becoming a bedroom community. It's my opinion we have driven future manufacturing away from our city.

What sets you apart from your opponent?

I've developed my ideas outside the constraints of being local government, and thus I'm free from those inherent limitations and corporate histories. This freedom with transfer as a direct connection from those having chosen to vote and myself. It is imperative for the voters and citizens to have their input recognized and implemented. This is the most fundamental of all the foundation blocks of government and is of utmost importance to me.

Contact information:

Telephone: 887-1314

E-mail: birddogn8wp@aol.com