Nye County Commission District 4 set to see new face

The Nye County Commission District 4 seat is wide open and will see new representation in 2019.

Walt Turner

Commission District 4 candidate Walt Turner is making his first bid for elected office this year. As a longtime resident and member of a family that has been living in Pahrump for three generations, Turner said he has decided to run for a local office in order to serve the community he grew up in. “My initial career path was federal politics… and after the internship it kind of depressed me. The system is broken,” Turner stated. “But I am excited about this level of government because you can actually see and effect real change.”

Turner explained that due to his role in the fight against Order #1293 as a member of Pahrump Fair Water LLC, he had several people approach him to recommend he run and he agreed.“Order #1293 is unfair and ill-conceived,” Turner declared of the order which added restrictions to the drilling of new domestic wells in Pahrump.

He emphasized that he did not believe it was a method of conservation at all and suggested other solutions be sought in the effort to solve the local water issues, such as reverse parceling.

Outside of a focus on water issues, Turner stated his main platform would be beneficial growth. “That’s working with companies that are tailor-made for our community or our county,” Turner said.

By way of example, he remarked, “We have land, so much land and what do solar farms need? Land. That’s government subsidies, that’s tax money coming in.” Yucca Mountain, if it could be proved safe by government and independent sources, would be another possibility to explore for bringing in outside cash to support the county, Turner said. Voters can learn more about Turner at www.votewaltturner.us

Tina Trenner

Tina Trenner is no newcomer politics, having run in 2016 against Assemblyman James Oscarson. Trenner has now set her sights on the Nye County Commission District 4 seat, touting herself as a grassroots, constitutional candidate. Trenner said she wishes to maintain the rural lifestyle Nye County is known for and lamented the myriad regulations created by Nye County. “When I get on the county commission… I want to start looking into the regulations, dialing them back and getting rid of them. I would even like, dare I say it, to see the planning department gone. You carry things so far that you just become odious to the people and that is what planning has become,” Trenner said with obvious frustration.

Trenner remarked that another subject she is interested in is water. “You have the state water engineer saying we are in a water crisis and then you have others saying, ‘No, no, we have plenty of water.’ Who is lying? Where is the truth? As a commissioner, I want to become very aware of what is going on with the water here,” Trenner said, noting, “We need to be very cautious about how we move forward and use our water but we absolutely do not need meters on our wells!”

In conclusion, Trenner stated, “I think Dennis Hof is going to be a wonderful assemblyman and with Dennis up there and me down here on the commission, I think we might really be able to save people’s water and turn things around. This whole valley is going ‘special interest’ and leaving the citizens behind. This has to stop.” Voters can learn more about Trenner by calling her at 702-525-5719.

Ron Boskovich

“Bringing people together” is a major goal for commission District 4 candidate Ron Boskovich. “I have lived here a long time, 20-plus years in District 4 and you see the bickering and the in-fighting… So that is kind of where this began. I see changes that need to occur,” Boskovich said. “And the support I have gotten from existing commissioners and existing business people is just enormous. It’s incredible.”

Tourism was a major topic of concentration for Boskovich, who noted that this equals outside dollars into the county coffers, helping fund services, as well as opening up career opportunities and allowing for stable growth. “It all goes back the the same thing,” he said, noting that he is also interested in responsible growth, creating a higher paying, better quality job environment and increasing tourism.

In an arena that is known for mud-slinging, Boskovich promised voters they would have none of that from him. “I have made it a point, you will not find any negative advertising from me. There is a plethora of information that I could go there with, but I am not going to do it. For me it’s more jobs, more tourism, lower taxes, protecting our wells and that is what I am about!” Boskovich declared.

When asked about his connection with current county employees, Boskovich explained that his daughter works for the Nye County District Attorney’s Office and described newly-appointed Nye County Planning Director Brett Waggoner as a family member. Despite having these ties, Boskovich said he did not anticipate this creating a conflict of interest as he would not be a direct supervisor for either of them. Voters can learn more about Boskovich by visiting www.nyefirst.com

Leo Blundo

Pahrump bistro owner Leo Blundo is in search of the Nye County Commission District 4 seat as well and is hoping to sit his first elected office in 2019. Blundo has run for various offices in the past, including commission District 3 in 2016 when he narrowly lost to incumbent Donna Cox. This year, Blundo is marching forth once again and he was optimistic about the upcoming Republican primary.

“I see a vision for this community. I have been here for the past 11 years, we are vested in this community… and this is a community where, if you put in good, you can see good things happen,” Blundo said. “One of the biggest reasons that I am running is, I want to be part of that future vision. We need to elect leaders in our community that can take the county to the next level, provide a little professionalism, a little common sense and a little out-of-the-box thinking.”

Blundo identified three main point of his campaign. “The county commissioners are responsible for the county budget and I believe we need to live within our means. Our second priority is roads, our third is planning. And I have that in-the-seat experience, as a transportation commissioner, as a planning commissioner and as a business owner,” Blundo proclaimed. “Most importantly, out of all of those things within our purview, we give voice to the issues that we hear from our constituents. Although we may not have the authority to wave a magic wand to fix it, what we do is have a voice and we should be articulating and fighting on your behalf.”

Voters can learn more about Blundo by visiting www.leoblundo.com