Robert Crowell
Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell won reelection Tuesday.
“I’m humbled and honored Carson City has given me the opportunity to serve this great community once again,” said Crowell at an election night party at the Silver Oak Golf Course.
Crowell received 12,151 votes, or 54 percent of the vote.
His opponent, Chris Carver, received 10,531 votes or 46 percent.
Carver couldn’t be reached for comment following the final results.
Crowell has served as mayor since 2008.
Carver and Crowell emerged from a four-person race in the primary.
In the primary, Crowell received 3,724 votes or 45 percent or the vote while Carver garnered 2,788 votes or 34 percent.
Kurt Meyer and Jerry Cinani, the other two contenders for the office, received 1,173 votes or 14 percent and 602 votes or 7 percent, respectively.
After losing in the primary, Meyer threw his support behind Crowell while Cinani endorsed Carver in separate letters to the editor in the Nevada Appeal.
Carver, who worked for the Department of Homeland Security after retiring from a 24-year career with the U.S. Army, opposed many of the city’s recent actions, including the downtown corridor construction project, the decision to bring in water from Minden and the way streets maintenance is managed.
He also campaigned against runaway growth.
“We say ‘yes’ first then worry about where the money is going to come from later,” he said during the recent Carson City Chamber of Commerce lunch featuring the local candidates.
In the Nevada Appeal’s election guide, Carver said he would work to restore faith in government and eliminate “sweetheart deals” that do not serve the public’s best interest.
The mayor said his top priority if reelected was public safety and ensuring the fire and police departments had the necessary tools and personnel.
Like all incumbents, Crowell was often asked to defend his actions on controversial matters.
He argued, for example, pumping in water from Minden to blend with the Carson City supply saved $6 million because the city would otherwise have had to build a treatment plant to remove high levels of arsenic and uranium that blending diluted.
Crowell also said the city’s development, which has not exceeded 3 percent annually, he said, is well managed via the growth management ordinance.
Nearly 92 percent of Carson City active voters — 25,061 voters — cast ballots in the 2016 election.
Unofficial 2016 General Elect by Nevada Appeal on Scribd