The Lyon County Commission is awaiting official word from the Nevada governor’s office on how to move forward on filling County Commission District 3, but which governor will make the determination is to be determined.
The seat was vacated by former Commissioner Ken Gray, elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020. He announced his run for Assembly District 39 and won the seat last month with 70.1% of the vote against candidate Janice Noble. His last meeting with the commission was Nov. 3.
Interim County Manager Andrew Haskin reported to the four remaining members of the board last week the Nevada Revised Statutes provide the authority for the governor to appoint a person to perform the duties of a position when a vacancy occurs, as outlined in NRS 283.
However, Haskin noted the recent election clouds the issue as Gov. Steve Sisolak prepares to depart the office in January and incoming Gov. Joe Lombardo prepares to take office.
“It’s ultimately up to the current administration if they want to make that decision before the end of the year or if they want to defer to the new, incoming governor,” Haskin said.
Haskin added he made a recommendation with Sisolak’s staff in which Lyon would accept applications from interested applicants, hold a public meeting and the commissioners would make a top-three ranking and submit their recommendations to the governor’s office. But Haskin said the governor would not be obligated to conform to the submissions and would have final say.
The item was for discussion only, but Commissioner Wes Henderson, representing District 1, commented after Haskin’s report, “The sooner we have a body in that seat, the better off we are.”