Be frugal with next
judge's salary
Since the announcement of Robey Willis' retirement, the office of Justice of the Peace for Carson will be open in March. If my understanding is correct, the Carson City Board of Supervisors will appoint someone to fill that vacancy.
According to TransparentNevada, Judge Willis' base salary is $125,155.70. In these tough economic times, I would pray that when the board meets, they will offer the salary at the lowest possible, which according to the Nevada Appeal, is $75,000.
The salary savings - potentially $50,000 - of that single position could support two or more part-time positions in other departments, whose services to our community have been jeopardized because of lack of funding.
If a higher salary is negotiated, only the citizens of Carson will
suffer.
Katie Durbin
Carson City
Fremont students' music program was outstanding
Wednesday evening, Dec. 15, the dinner meeting I was attending had the pleasure of entertainment by the Fremont Elementary School's volunteer choir.
Talk about impressive. These children sang an impressive program of Christmas music with a little French, German and sign language. Three students had instruments and only six months of training. These children have really worked hard.
Their teacher, Sandra Irvin, is to be commended for having choir practice before the start of the school day. The ballroom was ringed by parents. The involvement of parents and the enthusiasm of Ms. Irvin are what make schools successful.
Paula Cannon
Carson City
Board was clearly biased toward hunters
When the Carson City Board of Supervisors next considers appointments to the Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife, it would be well advised to consider appointing individuals who represent more than just the hunting and fishing perspective. The board needs thoughtful members who consciously attempt to balance wild species' best interests with human civilization's ongoing encroachment, destruction and fatally flawed habitat meddling.
On Feb. 1, this board held a meeting where the four board members demonstrated a decided bias toward hunting wildlife with few restrictions or effective oversight. The board's chairman, Gil Yanuck, spent the majority of the meeting time wandering through an agenda written in bureaucratic speak. His monologue did not serve the general public's interests, nor did it advance the interests of genuine wildlife preservation and coexistence with humans. Mr. Yanuck cut off opposition comments, dismissed opposition evidence outright, lauded hunting advocates' desire to harvest wildlife populations, and even refused to answer questions about basic process.
It is fruitless, slanted meetings, where meeting sponsors unquestioningly accept incomplete expert testimony from only one side of an issue, that give government a deservedly bad reputation for ineffective policies, non-existent leadership and wasteful spending of public money.
One openly wonders how someone can legitimately perform his/her government job as a wildlife preservation staffer or board member at the same time he/she professes a proud and enthusiastic zest for killing wildlife.
Brent Johns
Carson City
Sandoval going after seniors' tax rebate
My letter is in reference to your newspaper article on page A7, "Gov. Sandoval seeks to eliminate senior tax help."
He, the governor, ran his campaign on "No new taxes." The article speaks for itself. He is going after our tax rebate - the low-income seniors of Carson City, Nevada.
We rely on that $500 to help with our ever-increasing property taxes that last year cost us over $1,100.
It is so critical to us and many others that there is a possibility that we could have a lien put against our home and property because he has to take this property tax low-income assistance program away from us.
How crass - no new taxes, but he will take our assistance away so he can fund one of his pet projects?
Dick Baublitz
Carson City