Reaction to hiring Holecheck mostly positive

After the Pahrump Town Board voted to hire the former mayor of Mesquite, Susan Holecheck, as interim town manager, some local residents are not sure what to make of the decision — mainly because they don’t know much about Holecheck, who chose to leave her marketing coordinator position at Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite for the town manager position.

Holecheck arrived in Nevada from San Francisco in 1991.

Nye County Republican Central Committee President Bill Carns found the two-week selection process “interesting.”

“The board didn’t actually announce an interim town manager position. A few people found out about it and sent in their resumes and a couple of other people from what the town board members had actually asked them to submit.

The overwhelming favorite appeared to be Dave Richards, a former Pahrump town manager, who was among six candidates applying for the job after Bill Kohbarger announced his resignation late last month.

He served in the position for roughly four years before resigning in early 2008.

Of those six candidates, Don Rust and Laurayne Murray were former town board members.

Former Nye County Veteran Services Director Ken Shockley, accountant Stuart Smith and Holecheck completed the final field of five.

Another candidate, Brandon Cunningham, who worked for the Clark County Manager’s office, withdrew his name after allegations surfaced that he was receiving intimidating messages from local residents to dissuade him from taking the job if selected.

Carns noted that Richards aside, Holecheck appeared to be the most qualified candidate for the position.

“She will probably do a very good job as an interim town manager. Obviously she has six months to prove if she will be good enough to warrant an offer to stay after that period,” he said.

Carns also said that he would prefer to see one person oversee the position to avoid a possible additional selection process after the six-month probationary period.

“I hope she does work out because we don’t need to have more change, and more change in the town. I am actually looking forward to seeing what kind of job Susan does. She certainly has the qualifications and a good background for it. I have a lot of high hopes for her,” he said.

Carns said he thought at least one other candidate had the wherewithal to take on the job but there was too much “baggage” that accompanied that individual.

“When it comes down to it, the only other person I was really aware of was Laurayne Murray, but I believe Laurayne never relinquishes when there is a conflict of interest. She knows there was a conflict of interest and she still carries on. I think the town board did a good job at articulating that. The next thing was Susan Holecheck who has administrative experience and is also a Nevadan.”

“She has a good professional background and education. She’s articulate, she’s bright. She knows about Pahrump and has property here. She is a little removed but not too far removed. I think that that will add some levity to the position to be able to come here and hear and learn from all sides without any preconceived notions or prejudice against any political positions that there might be out here,” he said.

Local resident Andy Alberti raised the question of a possible ethics violation on the part of town vice chairman Bill Dolan.

His claims suggested Dolan’s previous association with Holecheck seemed suspicious.

Alberti has filed ethics complaints against local elected officials whom he suspected of wrongdoing in the past.

None of the complaints were deemed valid by the Nevada Commission on Ethics.

“Bill Dolan bringing in somebody that supported his campaign is kind of like a political reward financially. If you read the ethics manual it actually calls out close personal relationships as being an appearance of impropriety. The only way you will really know is if someone files a complaint. If something is wrong in government, shouldn’t somebody pay attention to it?” he asked.

Dolan has said on more than one occasion that his association with Holecheck does not constitute any kind impropriety on his part.

He said not only does he know Holecheck, but he also knows all of the other applicants who sought the position and he hasn’t spoken to Holecheck for more than a year.

Alberti did say that he thought Richards was the best candidate to replace Kohbarger.

“Dave knows the ropes; he knows what the town is like. I really think the reason they brought Holecheck in is to encourage incorporation as a back-door way of not dissolving the town board. I’m not the only one who thinks that. I think there is a lot of people who would agree,” he said.

Local resident Richard Goldstein, who serves on two town advisory boards, is a regular fixture at town board meetings.

Though he admitted he does not know much about the new town manager, he believes she was best applicant to assume the position.

He also said he preferred someone who is pro-incorporation. Holecheck has proven that she is for incorporation.

“I think she was the best choice for the town manager’s job because she is not from the area. She is not aligned with any of our crazies. She knows what it is like to run a city. She was there before Mesquite was a city so she knows what goes on and what we need to do here to do the same thing. The way the county is going now, as much as I hate to say it, the only way we are going to survive is if we incorporate.”

“That will get the county out of our hair and we will be able to run this town the way the people want it run and not the way the county wants it run,” he said.

Following the town board’s decision to hire Holecheck, she said incorporation has benefited Mesquite during her time as mayor. Money was generated by tax revenues and the creation of what she called “redevelopment agencies.”

“The redevelopment agency covered our blighted areas. The potential to generate revenue from land sales and everything else is huge,” she said.

Though the town board said Holecheck’s first day on the job would have been Monday of this week, the incoming town manager’s contract must first be ratified before she officially starts the job.

The board will undertake that endeavor at next Tuesday’s regular town board meeting.

In the meantime, Holecheck is making arrangements to relocate to Pahrump from Mesquite.