Forum gets candidates on stage

     By Mark Waite
     View staff writer
      It took four hours, but candidates from the U.S. Senate on down to justice of the peace each stated their case during a forum Aug. 18 at the Pahrump Valley Vineyards.
      A crowd of about 300 attended the candidate's night sponsored by the Pahrump Valley Rotary Club, and the politcal hopefuls each took their alloted three minutes to make their last public pitch before the Sept. 5 primary.
      The following is a sample of some of the opinions and remarks made at the meeting:
      n Richard Hamzik, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senator running against John Ensign, complained Nevada was getting too few dollars for the taxes it sends to Washington D.C. He added Nevada citizens should receive compensation from the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, similar to Alaska residents who receive royalties from oil refineries.
      n Day Williams, a candidate for state Supreme Court Justice, said he's a person who can move the court docket. He added, "I'd like to see the Supreme Court hold sessions in all the counties in Nevada."
      n Gary Hollis, a Republican candidate for State Assembly District 36, said as a Pahrump Town Board member he helped obtain property for the Nye County Fairgrounds, the High Tech Center and traffic lights. Hollis said he organized the Pahrump Public Lands Advisory Board.
      The state Legislature is where the incorporation of the City of Pahrump Valley may be decided.
      n Hollis' opponent in the Republican primary, Keith Markley, pastor of New Hope Fellowship Church was asked whether he would keep his religious beliefs separate from his political life. Markley said the constitution mandates a separation of church and state.
      n The man both Hollis and Markley hope to face in the November general election, incumbent Roy Neighbors, D-Tonopah, mentioned the advantage of having served four terms in the Legislature. "Seniority, I can assure you, is a big issue up there," he said.
      Neighbors said he successfully sponsored a bill to provide a High Tech Center in Pahrump during the last session and has introduced a bill requesting funding for a community college in Pahrump for the coming session.
      n Incumbent County Clerk candidate Sam Merlino said a tax rollback petition called the Right to Vote on Nye County Taxes Act should be on the November ballot. It's currently being reviewed by the district attorney's office.
      When asked about allegations dead people voted in the last election, Merlino said the name of every voter is on a computerized list, and voters have to show identification to vote.
      n Republican County Clerk candidate Daniel James Rourke said the county should consider having a committee look at the ballot boxes before election day to make sure everybody is represented.
      Lorena Myers, Merlino's opponent in the Democratic primary, said she would lobby to have state law changed to allow the county clerk's office to remain open during the lunch hour.
      n Denise Holmes, one of seven Pahrump Town Board candidates who spoke, defended herself against charges she mounted a negative campaign. Holmes has criticized the town's proposed water service contract to the Mountain Falls project.
      n In trying to boost support for herself, Town Board candidate Opal Jones said, "In six years I've only missed five meetings; I know a little bit about what's going on."
      She spoke about the need for a center for youth activities and said building a hospital should've come before the new library.
      n Town Board candidate Jim Mutton said there should be planning for growth and advocated a town liaison with the county.
      While Holmes attacked the cost of the fire department, Mutton said that department came in under budget.
      "I want to see complete accountability. I plan to look at the budgets, see them and understand them," Mutton said.
      n Town Board candidate Chuck Patti said he decided to run after the town built a $390,000 fire station about 5 miles from an existing one. Patti said incorporation should go on the ballot, but said he's straddling the fence on that issue.
      n Town Board candidate Lorrin Peterson said competent board members will be needed to replace Charlie Gronda and Gary Hollis. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Peterson said he spent 20 years getting educated, 20 years in the military and 20 years in public service.
      Peterson called himself "Mr. Incorporation." But the retired aerospace engineer disagreed with Gronda over a need for an airport in Pahrump, saying a control tower and 7,000-foot runway would be needed before he'd fly a corporate jet into town.
      n Town Board candidate Paul Willis said it's possible for Pahrump to grow and still maintain a rural lifestyle.
      "I don't like incorporation, but it may be a necessary evil in the future," Willis said. But he said incorporation proponents should start with a smaller business district until everyone else in the valley agrees with the idea.
      n Town Board candidate Jane Wisdom boasted about her record as a state assemblywoman in Clark County's District 3 from 1986-90.
      "I had 13 bills I introduced, and I had 11 of them passed and signed into law," she said.
      Wisdom suggested the UNR could build a small school hospital in Pahrump. Wisdom also touted a proposal she said was used in Carson City to let residents pay $50 per year to guarantee 10 ambulance trips to Pahrump Medical Center.
      n County Commission candidate David Cleveland said he didn't support incorporation the last time in 1995 when it was proposed for 110 acres. He also said the tax rollback should be on the ballot, he said.
      n Commission candidate Peter Gaszy said, "The main roads that carry most of the traffic should be paved and maintained." Pahrump also needs to acquire water rights from the Nevada Test Site, he said.
      In answering a question, Gaszy said the school district shouldn't get a share of county funds for Yucca Mountain.
      n Commission candidate Don Lee said his top priorities are building a 24-hour community hospital and reducing taxes. Lee wanted to know why talk of major employers locating in Pahrump -- like Wal-Mart or Home Depot -- never materialized. Lee also denied accusations he didn't live in the district.
      n Commission candidate Henry Neth said the commission should support a community college task force, seek alternate water sources and get septic tank inspections under county control.
      Regarding Yucca Mountain, Neth said Nye County needs to fight for a full-time inspector of nuclear waste paid by the federal government.