2020 Primary election: Carson City Mayor

LORI BAGWELL

Occupation: Retired and Supervisor Ward 3

Age: 57

Contact: loribagwell@charter.net; Facebook – Friends of Lori Bagwell; loribagwell.com

Record of service:

Community Service

FISH – Past Board President and Treasurer

Park Foundation – Current Treasurer

Friends of the Library – Member

VFW Auxiliary 3726 – President

Nevada State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution – State Regent Elect (President)

WNC – Veterans Coalition Member

Public Service

Board of Supervisors – Ward 3

Past Mayor Pro-Tem

Board of Health – Member

Redevelopment Authority – Chair

Regional Transportation Committee – Member

Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization – Member

Audit Committee – Member

Parks and Recreation Commission – Member

Nevada Works – Member

Education: Graduated from Carson High, Western Nevada Community College and Liberty University (degree in Business Administration)

Platform:

Maintain and improve the present health and safety structure of our community.

Continue my quest for financial stability. Even though we may lose a portion of our savings account due to this pandemic, I will work to rebuild the savings account to provide a two-month safety net.

Work to ensure Business and Industry sees Carson City as a viable place to locate. Meet quarterly with the business community to open a communication channel.

Protect our water rights and quality to ensure the safest drinking water possible. Complete the upgrade of the Quill Water Plant and water delivery system that works for today, tomorrow and the future.

Continually scour the budget to find potential excesses and other funding opportunities such as grants to fund needed road repairs.

Develop a plan to address our growing homeless population so we do not turn into a mini San Francisco.

Work with our volunteer organizations to assist the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Department with maintaining our parks and trail system.

Since joining the Board, we have experienced two floods, one major and one minor, and both signaled the need for an improved stormwater system. With every road project, we improve the drainage and transportation of stormwater to the Carson River system. I will work diligently to update our stormwater plan continually.

Transparency is a necessity, and I will always support your right to know and be informed.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?

The first issue is the health of our community. We are all in this together, and we must protect one another to the best of our ability. We need to prepare our plan to reopen our community.

The second issue is recovery after reopening for business. Our citizens are being damaged through the loss of life, economic insecurity, and emotional instability. The city must assist in restoring our citizens’ hope and trust in their government. I expect the effects of this pandemic to stretch well into next year and possibly beyond.

The city has already begun preparing for the financial impacts to the city government by freezing vacant positions, delaying $900,000 in construction projects, and reducing $6 million in capital purchases.

We will monitor the progress of our financial status each month to determine if more reductions are needed.

The city should review all its regulations and policies to provide relief to help our businesses reopen successfully. I want to establish a quarterly meeting with business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business Association, Retail Association, and other interested parties to develop solutions to improve and hasten their recovery.

The city will meet with its non-profit and social service agencies to understand the impacts of this pandemic on each of our residents to determine what assistance is needed to help begin the healing process.

We will get through this together, and I am here to listen and help. Please reach out with your ideas and suggestions.

TOD B. JENNINGS

Occupation: Comprehensive Life Skills Teacher, Carson High School

Age: 62

Contact: 775-544-2534; todj@charter.net; Facebook page: Tod Jennings For Mayor

Record of Service: 

U.S. Air Force February 1976 - July 1997

Commander, Capitol Post 4, the American Legion

Commander, District 4, the American Legion

National PR Commission, the American Legion

National Americanism Committee, The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses

Board of Trustees, First United Methodist Church

C Hill Flag Foundation

Numerous Military Organizations Throughout Career

Education: Carson High School, Graduated 1976

University of Nevada, Reno; Bachelor of Science, Elementary Education, 2002

Platform:

There are some within our community who believe Eagle Valley can sustain 70,000 people. Personally, I cannot imagine 70,000 people in this valley — not without negatively impacting the current quality of life. Failure to plan for growth in a smart, sensible way would diminish the quality of life for all who live here, as well as those who might move here looking for a better way of life than what they may currently experience. With that being said, the current pandemic is going to present a plethora of problems, problems which will need a concerted effort by everyone to overcome. My plan is to work with all stakeholders in Carson City to build teams and put in place systems that address those areas that will facilitate recovery and address the future as well. While we don’t know what the future holds, we know that we need to do everything we can to ensure Carson City continues to be a place people want to live, and especially a place people can afford to live.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?

I believe the top 2 include water and a need to address the crowding being experienced in our schools. With that being said, recovery from the current pandemic is going to be the most pressing issue we will face in the not so distant future. This recovery is going to require a team approach to ensure that not only do we address the need to continue providing the services necessary, but also to address the future. Working with stakeholders to solve our problems will give everyone a chance for buy-in, thus giving everyone an opportunity to be a contributing member of this community we lovingly call home.

NATHANIEL D. KILLGORE

Occupation: Business owner and operator
 Age: 35

Contact: 775-450-5431; Nathanielkillgore@yahoo.com; nathanielkillgore2020.com

Record of Service: I was raised in the summers of my youth on my family farm, during which I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, working under my uncle building houses for the less fortunate. It was at that time I began to take interest in politics. After nearly 10 years of working construction in different states, learning many trades — including polishing meteorites for a short time — I began to perfect my skills as a stone mason, but the financial crisis in 2007 would claim my once stable job.
A friend's suggestion led me to a job as a boxboy for a local grocery store where I began pursuing higher education in business. Less than two years later, and after contemplating many business startups, and with less than $700 to my name, I purchased Caterpillars hookah lounge, right in the middle of downtown Carson City, almost 12 years ago.

Education: My education started at Landmark private school, and then I started public school after my family moved to Carson City in the early 1990s. After that, I chose to get my GED and sought higher education from a local community college in pursuit of business.

 Platform:
I based my platform on what I believe to be the cornerstones of public necessity.
A good place to start seems to be putting focus on the growing number of the homeless population. In just the last year we saw price gouging rent spikes that left Carson residents paying 20% more for rent per month. On the day they were set to renew their leases, without warning and some residents reported as much as 40% increases.
That increase in the cost of living is not sustainable when compared to what the local job market provides. And that's before the pandemic recession numbers.
Apartment rental caps would protect the citizens from future rental price gouging. Those issues affect public safety which is even more relevant now than when I chose it as my platform.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?
The issues of homelessness, apartment rental caps and public safety, all encompass more than I have time to share, and so I will conclude with education. If you are running a political campaign in Nevada and not mentioning the need for education reform, you have extreme disconnect from the real issues. I'm not saying anyone's got it figured out yet but when speaking on, and off the record with many of our local educators I believe them when they say that they want nothing more than to improve this failing system, so let's give them the tools they need to raise our youth to be stronger leaders. If we simply ignore these problems they won't just go away.
I see homelessness as the absolute worst problem, followed by the lack of supportive programs, and services that residents don't have available to them, including a master plan that extends to programs for youth including budgeting allowances for amusement centers, where families have a place to go and supervised children can be off the streets. If we could get these already available services extended to our city and use the already practiced formulas other cities have implemented that show good results.
Practices like; providing more funding for family centers or homeless placement programs, we could see not only quick but also lasting positive changes for the whole population of Carson City.

JIM SHIRK

Occupation: Real Estate/semi retired

Age: 69

Contact: 775-720-5761; Jim@Shirk4Mayor.com; www.Shirk4Mayor.com

Record of service:

U.S. Navy, SEABEES 1968-1972

Private construction company manager 1973-1986

Owner, private construction company, 1986-1996

Court Appointed Special Advocate, Douglas County 2013

Religious mission, Kenya, East Africa 2005

Licensed Real Estate Agent, 1997-Present

Board Member, Carson City Board of Supervisors, 2012-2016

Education: Attended Pierce College, California

Platform

Our government and our community will respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again we are facing difficult economic times that will require effective leadership that is focused on our economic recovery and responsible management of our available resources. Following the last recession, our city government operated as if we would never again face tough circumstance. Today, we know that not only was this a mistake, the recovery from the COVID-19 impact will be longer and harder than any other in our lifetimes. As your Mayor, I realize that revitalizing our community will require constrains to government growth, developing new economic policies and incentives for our entire city (not just downtown), and manage growth that does not further degrade our government resources. As Mayor, I will be the leader that will change the “business as usual” attitude to one of service to our whole community. We should not, and cannot, tax our way out of our current problems; nor can we continue the practice of simply increasing fees with no end in sight. This attitude has increased the cost of living for our citizens and the issues have remained unresolved. Likewise, we cannot expect the federal and state governments to solve our longstanding problems with road maintenance and the ever increasing costs of water/sewer. Now, more than ever, our community needs a change in leadership that reflects the needs of every citizen. I am the leader that will listen to you and represent your intent in city government.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?

There are many top issues facing our community, and all are intertwined. However, we must create and adhere to a strategic spending plan that realistically balances projected revenues against city expenditures. The economic impact of COVID-19, and the looming recession that will follow demands, that we focus on the essential services and roles of government for our community. We must constrain government spending and that includes ending the luxury of outsourcing repeated studies and consulting. Together we must comprehensively address the never ending issue of our basic maintenance of roads and other infrastructure with a "whole of government" approach. Every city department has extremely capable, efficient, and well paid staff. City leadership must use this valuable resource to find solutions and refrain from creating more costly and seemingly endless projects like narrowing Carson Street. Project proposals should include a “cost versus benefit” explanation that clearly shows the benefit to a majority of our citizens in comparison to costs these actions impose on every resident. This critical thinking process will ensure the concerns of the people who pay for these projects are addressed before we commit to millions of dollars in expenditures and debt. We must also be willing to re-look previous plans and decisions in the light of current events; we may find some savings in eliminating or reducing the scope and duration of some projects like the compulsory recycling plan, the life cycle of our waste management facility, and zoning density.

In conjunction with a strategic economic plan, our citizens' concerns about the impact of growth must be addressed. Our city should have a public information campaign that explains the reasoning and purpose behind fee and rate increases and what efforts are being made to reduce costs. Similarly, we must ensure that developers are paying their fair share for infrastructure, street repair, city services, and the increased load on our schools. These costs were substantially reduced during the last recession and never fully re-implemented. Consequently, the long-term costs associated with growth continue to be passed on to our current residents. Our citizens have every right to expect that city government not only be transparent, but also ensures that the logic and reasoning behind projects and spending is made clear.

I am deeply passionate about our city and as your Mayor, my goal will be to effectively address these issues (and others) facing our community. As a former Supervisor, my voting record reflects my unquestionable ethics, integrity, and sincere concern for our city. Moreover, my record as a successful business owner, public servant, and entrepreneur demonstrates that I have the skills and experience needed by our citizens to address our current crisis and prepare for an uncertain future.

AARON SIMS

Occupation: Bookkeeper / accounting

Age: 27

Contact: (775) 431-4542; aaron@simsforcarson.com; www.simsforcarson.com PO Box 3835 Carson City, NV 89702

Record of service: 

Volunteering and activism for previous election campaigns from federal elections down to local election. Served as a citizen lobbyist for the 2015 Nevada legislative session. Worked as a family services coordinator and youth adviser for the Salvation Army. Served as vice chair of the Carson City Republican Party. Active volunteer with the OUR Center of Reno which covers Northern Nevada.

Education: Graduating high school from Douglas High School, attended college at Western Nevada College.

Platform: 

My platform is oriented around a more forward thinking approach to governing Carson City. The key points of my platform include working toward relieving the burdens off of renters and homeowners through the ongoing regional housing crisis by continuing to expand building in a sensible and sustainable manner, working toward establishing a housing authority that is independent of the Rural Housing Authority which will give us the ability to free up costs. Education is something that is crucial for the success of any community, I believe the board of supervisors have an opportunity to decrease class sizes by investing in expanding our school sizes. Working with our school board to increase teacher pay and teacher incentive is also crucial. I will work to protect our cherished open spaces while continuing a sustainable growth model for our community. Infrastructure is also an important foundation for the health of any community. I plan to work toward investing in our neighborhoods and updating our roads and water piping. Lastly, open transparency as well as having a full-time mayor is important in a community that is growing and expanding. I plan to focus all of my attention day in and day out of serving the people of Carson City and not any specific or special entity.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?

The top two issues facing Carson City today are how to re-coup our losses from the current and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the continued and increasing housing situation which has caused further restraints on our community members. One of the ways we can work toward having a meaningful turnaround after this situation is by investing in new job opportunities for the community while also partnering with local businesses to decrease much of the cost burden they have been undertaking through this difficult time. Housing is especially important because along with an economic slowdown, comes an increase in homelessness and joblessness. I believe it is imperative to have a mayor who will work each day to curb this from increasing any further. I plan to introduce a Housing First model to the people of Carson City which is an initiative that ensures housing for families and workers who have been hit the hardest. This can be done by implementing a partnership with participating housing complexes utilizing different incentives, to allocate 10% of each of their complexes to give to those who need it the most. I believe that the community is better served when all members are able to work and grow in a safe and healthy environment.