Travis Smalley discusses Esmeralda County sheriff campaign
Travis Smalley is running for Esmeralda County sheriff this year with the goal of becoming the agency’s new head.
“The main reason I wanted to run now is to give back to the community and see if they believe in me as much as I believe in myself to help get the sheriff’s office and county where we need to be,” Smalley told the Times-Bonanza.
Smalley is a native of rural Nevada who grew up in Goldfield.
“I love Goldfield, I love Esmeralda County, so I just decided to stay,” Smalley said.
Smalley’s connection to Esmeralda County is not only to the community itself but also to the law enforcement agency he hopes to lead. Smalley’s parents worked for the Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office, each for 30 years, his father as a deputy and his mother as a dispatcher.
“It’s something I’ve been around my entire life and it’s something I love doing,” Smalley elaborated.
Smalley also took over the Goldfield family business, Hidden Treasure Trading Company, after his father passed away.
In 2015, Smalley began as a jailer with the Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office, staying for a year and a half before leaving to work in mining to provide for his family. Then in 2024, Smalley returned to the Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office and was hired as a deputy, but now serves part time as a jailer.
“I love being able to help wherever I can to be able to support everybody around,” Smalley explained. “Growing up here in Esmeralda County in Goldfield, we’re such a small county and small town, everybody knows everybody and everybody’s always there for everybody.”
Smalley also served four years as Goldfield fire chief before returning to the sheriff’s office and was with the Goldfield Fire Department for a total of 17 years, beginning as a cadet.
When speaking about his bid for sheriff, Smalley cited retaining and hiring more staff as his top priority if elected.
“I’d love to, once we’re able to get fully staffed, start focusing on areas the county needs help in, like getting a search and rescue team out there and then just start chipping away at the bigger objects,” Smalley said. “The thing they’ve been working on for years is trying to get a jail in place, but for me right now, a jail is kind of on the back burner for the fact is that in order for the county to get a jail, it’s going to cost a lot of money to build that jail. But I don’t see the county spending a lot of money to build a brand new jail when you don’t even have staffing to staff it.”
Another top priority Smalley highlighted is community support and outreach.
“I want to definitely focus on supporting the schools, having the presence with the kids, and then just whatever community policing needs to happen,” Smalley added. “That way we can support the community, whether it’s an event during Goldfield Days, whatever event the town decides to put on, we’re able to support them however we need to.”
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
