Longtime Carson City resident and businesswoman Karen Abowd has thrown her hat into the ring for the Ward 1 supervisor's seat being left by Robin Williamson.
Abowd, a mother of three and grandmother of four, has been a resident of Carson City for 29 years and volunteers her time on many community panels.
She has been an interior designer for nearly two decades, and as co-owner of Adele's Restaurant and Lounge, she said she knows firsthand the impact of the current economic climate.
"The economy has seriously hurt the restaurant business," she said. "Because of that, we have learned to do more with less, make cautious spending decisions, as well as cost-effective decisions - knowledge that I will use as a city supervisor."
She said she believes the city needs to take an aggressive approach to recruiting new businesses that will create new jobs in the downtown core.
"Doing nothing is not an option. We need to be forward-thinking. Unless our citizens thrive and flourish, our businesses cannot," Abowd said.
"The city's future depends on the environment we create for our children. I'm particularly focused on creating a community that offers jobs and a strong future for our young people. Too many leave because they don't believe our area has enough to offer families. I want to help change that," she said.
Education is also a high priority for Abowd.
"The city needs to work with the schools to improve the quality of education. We will continue to face challenges in recruiting new businesses until we improve our school system's performance," she said.
Abowd said she also believes the proposed Nugget project would be an asset to the city.
"We've been left in somebody's will, and we would be remiss if we did nothing," she said. "We are in an economic crunch, and this is an opportunity to move in another direction and expand our horizons. Libraries are the cornerstones of communities, and this is a practical solution that will provide something for every sector of our community."
She is current vice chairwoman of the Carson City Cultural Commission and is president of the Greenhouse Project as well as chairwoman of the Carson City Beautification Committee.
Other community involvement includes membership in community relations for the Master Planning Committee of the Carson City School District
Abowd joins a field of five other candidates for the Ward 1 seat: Rob Joiner, Sean Lehmann, Paul Saucedo, Gary Schulz and Norm Scoggin.
Ward 1 encompasses generally the northwest portion of Carson City.