Former city planner running for Ward 1 seat

A former Carson City planner and redevelopment director is running for the city's Ward 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors, which Robin Williamson is leaving.

Rob Joiner, chairman and 15-year member of the board of Greater Nevada Credit Union, worked for Carson City 18 years. For the past eight years, he has worked for the City of Sparks while maintaining his residence and volunteer affiliations in Carson City.

Joiner said his experience in Carson City includes planning management, grant management, historic preservation and cultural resource coordination, redevelopment and economic development management.

"The tools used in the past to govern city resources and provide basic services may not be the same going forward," Joiner said. "Under our current Nevada statutes, local governments are precluded from taking many actions that would provide fiscal remedies for their communities."

He said issues crucial to Carson City in forming key legislation for the next session include restructuring state and local revenue sources from top to bottom, funding for education and social services, redevelopment and economic development statutes that could have a direct impact on the city's current and future plans, and discussion about the powers of local government.

"I have worked with all legislators over the past 25 years and am prepared to add my experience to the team approach utilized in Carson City," Joiner said.

"It is more important now than ever to also be engaged with our federal delegation ... I have an excellent relationship with all of our Nevada congressional members and key staff," he said.

Joiner said the Nugget project sounds great, but believes the community is wise to be circumspect.

"From experience, I know that redevelopment is a very powerful tool designed to reverse blight and spur economic development. There may be many pitfalls that merit scrutiny and avoidance. Carson City, based on the current assessed valuation of property, may have only one last opportunity to bring forward this one large, or several small projects," he said.

"The community must be assured that a project merits the costs and that all short- and long-range impacts to the taxpayers are exposed, understood and accepted. I am encouraged that there is still much that we can do, whether it is with this project or others," he said.

Other issues important to Joiner include business recruiting and support, increasing overnight stays by reinforcing tourism efforts and encouraging completion of the Ormsby House or finding an alternative business and convention facility.

Joiner, 55, joins five other hopefuls in the June 8 primary election: Karen Abowd, Sean Lehmann, Paul Saucedo, Gary Schulz and Norm Scoggin.

Ward 1 encompasses most of the northwest portion of Carson City.