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A mostly light-hearted and pithy jaunt through local candidates' issues, background and concerns at the D.W. Reynolds Community Nonprofit Center Thursday evening marked the first gathering of those running for local and regional office for this fall's mid-term election
During the forum, co-sponsored by the IV/CB Republican Women and Republican Advocates clubs, the panels of mostly conservative candidates (Democrats were informed of the confab, albeit several did not attend), voiced his or her distinct, if not uniquely un-partisan point of view about the local politic.
Each candidate was given two-and-a-half minutes to state his or her desire to run for their respective office.
After each candidate spoke, all gathered before those in attendance - some 40 Incline residents -and asked questions - from poignant to flip - which reflected a mostly convivial mood that quickly vanished with the evening's finale, the candidates for Washoe County Assessor, (see sidebar).
Leading off were the four Justice of the Peace candidates. In Thursday's speaking order the candidates are: Gayle Holderer, Bo Pollard, Karl Schnetz and Alan Tiras.
The candidates did not vary significantly in tone and promise. Each touted current Justice of the Peace, Incline's only person to hold the position, 26-year bench veteran Judge Jim Mancuso. Similarly, and perhaps coincidentally, each candidate's description of Mancuso seemed to resemble their own.
Whether it was Bo Pollard or Karl Schnetz's promise of fairness, or Alan Tiras' or Gayle Holderer unwavering dedication to the community combined with a long track record of public service.
However qualified all Justice of the Peace candidates portrayed themselves as, questions from the audience seemed to get to the heart, right away, of what some Incline residents look for foremost in a judge.
"Mancuso had a heart when it came to (helping) residents here with speeding tickets," said Incline resident Don Kaplan. "In other words, with four (sheriff's) for every one driver here, are you going to help us out a little?"
While both the audience and candidate panel erupted in a quick spate of raucous laughter, (candidate Pollard even suggested that Kaplan himself might be one of Mancuso's "regulars") - the question did precipitate a more serious line of thought.
That is - the difference between Incline and the rest of the county.
"We're not a part of Reno," Tiras said. " We are Incline Village. We apply rules differently up here because we're a different (place). To answer (the question, (I'd) pay attention to each fine and see what's fair."
Indeed, while no one candidate may have stood out, the separatist notion of Incline from the rest of the county may have carried the evening instead.
The race for Incline Village General Improvement District Trustee is a five-person battle for two open seats. Republican incumbents Gene Brockman and John Bohn both attended the forum. Democrat challenger Ed Gurowitz, while invited to the forum, was away on business, but delivered a message that was read by proxy. Upstart candidates Tripp Hudson and David Simon did not attend.
Ironically, it was absentee candidate Gurowitz's stance on the possibility of the district looking further into helping create some kind of affordable housing solution for Incline that piqued the audience's curiosity most.
While Gurowitz was not on hand to answer how, specifically, he would mitigate his concerns about Incline Village remaining a viable community for all ages and socio-economic levels, candidates Brockman and Bohn did lend their opinions.
"We're not sure what the (IVGID) board can do to make (Incline) more affordable," Bohn said. "Our infrastructure can't bear a 'ministry of housing' without a fee increase."
Brockman's comments reiterated Bohn's take on the IVGID board's current straits and constraints with respect to affordable housing.
"I don't think that there is very much an IVGID board of district can do to reduce the amount of money it takes to live here," Brockman said. "(The board is more about) the bottom line, to ensure expenses are held to a minimum."
Brockman, however, did note that IVGID must figure out a way to hire new workers and keep them in the community.
"The Baby Boomers (are) aging," he said. "(IVGID) has 110 employees, 20 percent will be eligible for retirement by 2010. There will (also) be good jobs in Reno. Why would someone drive here on a lousy winter day when they could have the same job down there.
"We have to investigate it and try to figure out what's best for this village."
Three of the four candidates for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District fire board, Don Epstein, Gene Murrieta and Bob Westervelt (Santa Claus is currently on a goodwill tour for sick children across the U.S.), each gave compelling reasons why he should fill one of two empty seats.
For Don Epstein, who moved to Incline in 1994 with wife, IVGID Trustee Bea, it was a matter of continuing a full-time schedule of volunteerism in his retirement.
"I work harder now than I ever did while I was 'working' and left my office at 3 p.m. every day," Epstein said. "If you have a question, I will get you an answer - I can promise you that.
"It may not be the one you want to hear, but I don't break a promise."
Murrieta, whose lived in Incline for more than 30 years, and touts his record as a volunteer firefighter for 26 of them, he said it was seeing the fire department grow from less than 20 (most volunteers) to today, (three stations and ___ employees), calls for a different kind of leadership.
"I know this (district) inside and out," Murrieta said. "I've seen it work from both sides. As a volunteer, I know what these guys go through with every fire and (EMS) call here.
"Four years ago I was in a severe industrial accident... and these guys literally saved my life."
Tyrolian Village resident Bob Westervelt used his time to speak on his storied career, from Air Force squad leader to the FBI to a career in private security for Exxon - the latter took Westervelt to Venezuela where he said he was sent to a number of top institutions for fire training.
"When you're dealing with (potential) fire hazard on (oil rigs) of that magnitude, you've got to know what you're doing," Westervelt said.
During the forum, co-sponsored by the IV/CB Republican Women and Republican Advocates clubs, the panels of mostly conservative candidates (Democrats were informed of the confab, albeit several did not attend), voiced his or her distinct, if not uniquely un-partisan point of view about the local politic.
Each candidate was given two-and-a-half minutes to state his or her desire to run for their respective office.
After each candidate spoke, all gathered before those in attendance - some 40 Incline residents -and asked questions - from poignant to flip - which reflected a mostly convivial mood that quickly vanished with the evening's finale, the candidates for Washoe County Assessor, (see sidebar).
Leading off were the four Justice of the Peace candidates. In Thursday's speaking order the candidates are: Gayle Holderer, Bo Pollard, Karl Schnetz and Alan Tiras.
The candidates did not vary significantly in tone and promise. Each touted current Justice of the Peace, Incline's only person to hold the position, 26-year bench veteran Judge Jim Mancuso. Similarly, and perhaps coincidentally, each candidate's description of Mancuso seemed to resemble their own.
Whether it was Bo Pollard or Karl Schnetz's promise of fairness, or Alan Tiras' or Gayle Holderer unwavering dedication to the community combined with a long track record of public service.
However qualified all Justice of the Peace candidates portrayed themselves as, questions from the audience seemed to get to the heart, right away, of what some Incline residents look for foremost in a judge.
"Mancuso had a heart when it came to (helping) residents here with speeding tickets," said Incline resident Don Kaplan. "In other words, with four (sheriff's) for every one driver here, are you going to help us out a little?"
While both the audience and candidate panel erupted in a quick spate of raucous laughter, (candidate Pollard even suggested that Kaplan himself might be one of Mancuso's "regulars") - the question did precipitate a more serious line of thought.
That is - the difference between Incline and the rest of the county.
"We're not a part of Reno," Tiras said. " We are Incline Village. We apply rules differently up here because we're a different (place). To answer (the question, (I'd) pay attention to each fine and see what's fair."
Indeed, while no one candidate may have stood out, the separatist notion of Incline from the rest of the county may have carried the evening instead.
The race for Incline Village General Improvement District Trustee is a five-person battle for two open seats. Republican incumbents Gene Brockman and John Bohn both attended the forum. Democrat challenger Ed Gurowitz, while invited to the forum, was away on business, but delivered a message that was read by proxy. Upstart candidates Tripp Hudson and David Simon did not attend.
Ironically, it was absentee candidate Gurowitz's stance on the possibility of the district looking further into helping create some kind of affordable housing solution for Incline that piqued the audience's curiosity most.
While Gurowitz was not on hand to answer how, specifically, he would mitigate his concerns about Incline Village remaining a viable community for all ages and socio-economic levels, candidates Brockman and Bohn did lend their opinions.
"We're not sure what the (IVGID) board can do to make (Incline) more affordable," Bohn said. "Our infrastructure can't bear a 'ministry of housing' without a fee increase."
Brockman's comments reiterated Bohn's take on the IVGID board's current straits and constraints with respect to affordable housing.
"I don't think that there is very much an IVGID board of district can do to reduce the amount of money it takes to live here," Brockman said. "(The board is more about) the bottom line, to ensure expenses are held to a minimum."
Brockman, however, did note that IVGID must figure out a way to hire new workers and keep them in the community.
"The Baby Boomers (are) aging," he said. "(IVGID) has 110 employees, 20 percent will be eligible for retirement by 2010. There will (also) be good jobs in Reno. Why would someone drive here on a lousy winter day when they could have the same job down there.
"We have to investigate it and try to figure out what's best for this village."
Three of the four candidates for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District fire board, Don Epstein, Gene Murrieta and Bob Westervelt (Santa Claus is currently on a goodwill tour for sick children across the U.S.), each gave compelling reasons why he should fill one of two empty seats.
For Don Epstein, who moved to Incline in 1994 with wife, IVGID Trustee Bea, it was a matter of continuing a full-time schedule of volunteerism in his retirement.
"I work harder now than I ever did while I was 'working' and left my office at 3 p.m. every day," Epstein said. "If you have a question, I will get you an answer - I can promise you that.
"It may not be the one you want to hear, but I don't break a promise."
Murrieta, whose lived in Incline for more than 30 years, and touts his record as a volunteer firefighter for 26 of them, he said it was seeing the fire department grow from less than 20 (most volunteers) to today, (three stations and ___ employees), calls for a different kind of leadership.
"I know this (district) inside and out," Murrieta said. "I've seen it work from both sides. As a volunteer, I know what these guys go through with every fire and (EMS) call here.
"Four years ago I was in a severe industrial accident... and these guys literally saved my life."
Tyrolian Village resident Bob Westervelt used his time to speak on his storied career, from Air Force squad leader to the FBI to a career in private security for Exxon - the latter took Westervelt to Venezuela where he said he was sent to a number of top institutions for fire training.
"When you're dealing with (potential) fire hazard on (oil rigs) of that magnitude, you've got to know what you're doing," Westervelt said.
