Carbone challenging Koenig for Nye County Commission District 2

The 2020 Republican Primary is pitting former Nye County Commissioner Frank Carbone against incumbent John Koenig for the Nye County Commission District 2 seat and with just two candidates on the ballot, the man who takes this race will be determined by the results of the primary election.

Frank Carbone

Carbone has been a resident of the Pahrump Valley and a very active part of the community for over 15 years, spending much of his time currently volunteering at the Pahrump Animal Shelter, where his wife is a board member.

“If you’re looking for a commissioner who knows the laws and statutes of the county but also uses common sense, sound judgment and compassion to make decisions, then you’ve just found your candidate,” Carbone told area voters.

Carbone grew up in Brooklyn, New York and joined the military right out of high school, becoming an aircraft repair mechanic. After his retirement from service in the Air Force, Carbone married his wife of over 46 years and spent time working in home construction followed by the aircraft industry. He eventually made a career with Northrop, now known as Northrop Grumman, where he spent 30 years and worked his way up to a leadership position in program management of the B2 Stealth Bomber, which involved a new proposal for design, manufacturing and delivery.

Carbone said his commitment to that job, which required him to be available 24 hours a day, is a testament to his integrity and determination to do things the right way.

“All of this experience helped me develop the skills to lead teams of people with varying capabilities and qualifications to get things accomplished,” Carbone stated. “I used these abilities in my civic roles such as former Nye County commissioner to help complete what they set out to do.

“I feel my career in management and non-management for 45-plus years and serving as a former Nye County commissioner has given me a unique perspective that I can bring to this position. I have worked on the organization of many major programs which include both large corporations and small businesses,” Carbone continued. “I have negotiated with government and military hierarchy to support a common goal. I’ve managed subcontractors worldwide for Northrop Grumman Company, a leading global security and aerospace company.”

Carbone said his number one reason for seeking the district 2 seat once again is to take care of the people, just as he did when he was in the seat before. “During my years are a county commissioner, my goal was to better serve the people of Nye County. I learned and dealt with the Nevada statutes in order to protect the county residents. My experience is in writing and handling Nye County ordinances, bill draft requests and testifying in front of the Nevada State Legislature on affecting change. I have participated in show-cause hearings for all privilege licenses which is a legal action in a court-type setting.”

Touting some of his accomplishments from his time on the commission, Carbone noted that he helped bring Nye County out of a highly stressed financial condition following the recession that started in 2008, when the county had been consistently in the red on its budget. Considering the financial strain that COVID-19 has placed on the county, this experience could prove extremely valuable as the county works to once again recover from a fiscal blow.

“I also helped the economy grow by assisting in bringing more businesses to the area,” Carbone said. “As a result, it increased the local workforce by providing more employment opportunities.”

Carbone said one of his most prominent goals in the coming four years would be to review statutes and ordinances that are no longer applicable and get rid of obsolete laws.

“I want the same thing from government as you do,” Carbone said. “Justice, fairness and honesty for everyone… By working with the other town, county and state governing bodies, I want to build a unified, combined effort to ensure justice is served in a way that benefits everyone involved.”

Voters can learn more about Carbone by emailing fjcarbone74@gmail.com

John Koenig

Koenig was elected to the board in 2016 and after three and a half years, there are still several projects and priorities he wants to continue working on, leading him to run for re-election this June.

Koenig started work at a young age and spent his career in management, experience that has giving him many of the tools he uses today as a commissioner.

Retiring at the age of 62, Koenig moved to the Pahrump Valley to escape California and has been happily residing in the valley ever since. He has been married for 38 years and is a father, grandfather and even a great-grandfather. “Four years ago I decided to run for commissioner and I won and now I want four more years. I consider myself trustworthy, I have a high level of integrity and accountability and I hope the voters will give me the opportunity to serve for another term,” Koenig told the Pahrump Valley Times.

“One big priority for me is the Pahrump Animal Shelter,” Koenig stated. “We’ve talked about it for years and it became a question of, how do I build an animal shelter with no money?”

In the end, marijuana money was the solution that Koenig and the county finally found, with Koenig stating, “I don’t think anyone would say there is something wrong with that because a lot of them don’t like marijuana, but they like animals. So I can justify it in my mind.”

The new animal shelter project is now moving forward. Koenig said he wants to make sure that it gets pushed through to completion. “The county’s one-stop shop is another priority,” Koenig continued, referring to the modular building that has been sitting at the Calvada Eye for nearly seven years now. “That building was great when we got it but it sat there and went to hell,” Koenig said, noting that this was a huge source of frustration for him.

That project is now moving forward and Koenig remarked, “Once that is done, then we can have everything in one place for people who want to open a business or build something, instead of sending people back and forth all over town between the different offices.

“I want to be there to usher both of those projects through and make sure it happens because one thing I have found, in my three years, is, if you don’t keep on it, it goes away, then comes back, then goes away again. So I have been making sure to keep on these things, keep bringing them up so it gets done,” Koenig said.

As for other issues that spark his interest, Koenig detailed that with COVID-19 hitting the county books, the budget is now a main priority for him. How long the county will take to recover from its financial setback is uncertain but Koenig said he wants to be there to make sure the county gets back on its feet as quickly as possible, with his goal being to balance the county budget by cutting expenses without having to sacrifice staff in the process.

Veterans’ issues are another area of importance for Koenig, who, along with veteran Dr. Tom Waters, helped in the process of making Pahrump and Nye County official Purple Heart entities. Koenig has even received an award from the Marine Corps League in honor of his work on behalf of veteran causes, an award he said he was incredibly proud to receive.

On one of the valley’s biggest hot-button issues, Koenig remarked, “I am a well owner and I will protect our wells… I am not in favor of subdivisions or small lots… We don’t have the water for that. We just don’t. I can’t have 100,000 people in Pahrump.”

Voters can learn more about Koenig by calling 775-253-8690 or emailing jkoenig1@sbcglobal.net