No contested school board races

Although the ballot will show two contested school board races, two contenders have unofficially withdrawn, leaving one candidate in each race.

Kim Donner decided not to pursue her campaign for district 5 one day after the deadline to withdraw from the ballot.

She said running her business D'Vine Wine and raising her children need to be her priority now.

"I'll probably do it when the kids are older," she said.

Edward Skudlarek also said he is not actively running for the district 7 seat against incumbent Joanna Favaro Wilson.

He said he realized his schedule was too full.

"I'm already actively engaged in some community activities, and I'd have to give those things up to be better informed about how the school district operates," Skudlarek said. "It's just too important to go into it underinformed."

Carson City Clerk-Treasurer Alan Glover said if one of the candidates who has withdrawn receives the majority of votes, a decision would have to be made.

"If they were to be elected, they would certainly have a choice whether to take office and be sworn in. Or they would resign, and then the appropriate board would appoint replacements for them until the next general election," Glover explained.

Skudlarek said he thought it unlikely that he would receive the majority of votes, but if he did, he'd think carefully about his decision.

The district 5 seat became vacant when 12-year incumbent John McKenna withdrew because of term-limit restrictions.

Steve Reynolds, owner of Sign Pro in Carson City and the father of two sons who graduated from Carson High School, is now the lone contender for that seat.

He said hard economic times and the withdrawal of McKenna, an accountant, urged him to run for the board.

"I think in Nevada, schools are going to be faced with some of the toughest budget problems in probably 50 years," Reynolds said. "Especially with John McKenna stepping down, we need someone with a financial background helping with decisions."

Reynolds praised the current board for its fiscal responsibility, saying the Carson City School District is better off than many districts in the state.

Wilson agreed. She cited the board's work in keeping the district in the black financially as its greatest achievement.

Staying in the black, however, will be the school board's greatest challenge, she said.

"The state has talked about cutting us by as much as 14 percent," Wilson said. "If they do that, we're going to be in the red. We're going to have to make some really hard decisions about what to cut."

Wilson, the mother of five children who have all attended Carson City schools, has served on the board for eight years. She is the longest serving member after Norm Scoggin.

McKenna will be leaving this year and Bob Crowell, a candidate for Carson City mayor and 11-year member of the school board, may resign if elected as mayor.

"We need to have someone who's been there a while to keep the cohesiveness of the board," Wilson said.

• Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.