Kristaponis kicks off campaign

By Karen Woodmansee

Appeal Staff Writer

Donna Kristaponis began her campaign for Lyon County Commission's District I seat with both eyes open, describing it as "a formidable journey."

The former Lyon County manager, who was fired from her job in February 2007, picked the last day of February to "leap into a new era" and formally announce her candidacy, which she called "the worst-kept secret in Lyon County."

More than 60 people were on hand at the Dayton Valley Country and Golf Club at Legado on Friday as Kristaponis outlined six major themes of her campaign: Intelligent growth, economic diversity, securing water, building a jail, fighting gangs and improving roads.

On planning, she touted her past as a planner for both private companies and public entities, including as Lyon County manager and as an assistant city manager for Reno.

"Planning lets us capture what we like about an area," she said. "If we want rural, we can keep it rural. If it's mixed-use we want, we can go that way."

She praised the Lyon County Planning Commission with their handling of the master plan and building off the communities clustered throughout the county.

"Our county commission hasn't seen a new development proposal they didn't like," she said. "I'm not anti-development, I'm pro-development, but I am not going to accept everything that comes down the pike."

She said the county commission did the work to put in place impact fees, then never passed them, even though much of the development community was on board.

She pledged to push for economic diversification and tax incentives to get business to locate in Lyon County.

"We can't continue to be a bedroom community for Carson City," she said. "We should support the incentives the state allows."

Kristaponis said Lyon County also should work to secure water, even through importation.

"Some water import projects deserve our support," she said. "If we don't get water here, watch our water go south to Las Vegas."

She was very critical of the commission for delays on building a new jail.

"The jail is antiquated," she said. "It is unsafe, not just for those incarcerated but for the deputies that work there."

She said the first meeting of a committee to look at building a new jail took place in January 2004.

"This is 2008 and we still have nothing," she said.

Kristaponis said she understood the reasons behind the decision to expand and add onto the Yerington jail, but said it might not be necessary had the commission acted sooner. She said since most of the population and crime was north of the Carson River, the jail should be too.

"It will not meet the jail standards and does not equal a new jail," she said. "And it does not reduce the cost of transporting prisoners to Yerington."

Kristaponis supported what she called a "design, build, lease-back" arrangement, where a developer provides the property, designs and builds the jail, then leases the whole thing to the county for a specific price and a specific number of years. At the end of the contract, the county owns the property.

She said she would support youth facilities and programs to help steer kids away from gangs.

"By the time a kid joins a gang, it is too late," she said. "Parents need help."

She proposed a coalition of stakeholders from schools to the human services department work together to give kids alternatives to gangs and to help kids with activities after school, nights and weekends.

On roads, she said it wasn't safe that there was no alternative to Highway 50.

"We put together an alternative system and the commission quit planning for it," she said.

Dayton resident Mabel Masterman said she had worked with Kristaponis in the past as was impressed.

"I like her work ethic," she said. "She's knowledgeable and I would like to see Lyon County become more modernized. I don't think the way they've been doing things in the past is how they should do things in the future."

She asked the crowd for their votes, volunteer efforts and contributions, saying she was "not taking anything for granted."

Kristaponis emphasized she was not running to avenge her dismissal, but because she loved Lyon County.

"We had a chance to go elsewhere (after her dismissal)," she said. "But Northern Nevada is the only place we ever returned to."

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 881-7351.

If You Go

Donna Kristaponis will make several stops today in Lyon County.

• 9 a.m. at The Golf Course in Fernley

• 11 a.m. at Trendsetters in Silver Springs

• 2 p.m. at the Mason Valley Fire Station

On the Net

www.donnak4commission.com