Bob Crowell is Carson City's new mayor

Bob Crowell rode a big wave in support and fundraising to beat Ken Haskins in the race for Carson City mayor.

Crowell, an attorney at the law firm Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw & Ferrario, won 58 percent of the 21,856 votes cast in the race against Haskins, who received 42 percent.

Crowell will take over as mayor of Nevada's capital city in January when three-term Mayor Marv Teixeira retires.

Crowell, a 62-year-old school board member, raised more than four times as much money as Haskins in the race and promoted issues during the race including an attractive downtown, regional cooperation, public safety, a strong economy and finishing the bypass.

He said he will start working today on getting ready for the job and will make issues including budget management and downtown redevelopment priorities.

"First thing, we need to make sure we keep up the energy and enthusiasm on downtown," he said.

Crowell will retire from the school board at the end of the year but stay at his law firm. He said he will make sure his work there does not interfere with his city job, however.

"I've been a lawyer 35 years," he said. "It's time to move off that."

Crowell ran a friendly and fair race, said Haskins, pastor of First Christian Church, and he is a smart and articulate man.

"I think Carson City is going to have a good mayor in Bob Crowell," said Haskins, who is known as the "Rockin' Rev" for his years as a music radio host.

He said the campaign for mayor took Haskins door-to-door to 7,000 homes and allowed him to meet many new people, but the race became "grueling."

"In a way, I'm glad it's over," he said. "It's good to get back to a little bit of normalcy."

Haskins said some people suggested he run for city supervisor in a few years, but he thinks he's done with politics.

Crowell has been on the city school board since 1997 and is the past president of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce and the State Bar of Nevada. He was born in Tonopah and raised in Carson City.

He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics and from Hastings College with a law degree. He is a Vietnam War veteran and retired Navy captain.

Carson City's mayor is the leader of the city's governing body called the board of superiors and makes about $34,000 a year.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.