Commissioners to consider letter demanding Sisolak open Lyon County

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

The Lyon County Commission has scheduled a special meeting Thursday to discuss sending a letter to Governor Steve Sisolak demanding that he open Lyon County.

The Commission is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Thursday via Zoom. The public can join the meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83979763009 Meeting ID: 839 7976 3009.

This special meeting was requested at the July 19 regular Board meeting, after Commissioner Jay Dini read a statement "Fear Wins When Leaders Stay Silent" into the record. The Board requested a special meeting to discuss sending a letter to Governor Steve Sisolak that addresses his actions and the damage it causes to the County’s economy.

In his statement, Dini said the Governor’s directive to close bars if they do not serve food and to limit restaurant seating hurts the economy and spreads fear among residents.

Dini responded to each of the Governor’s criteria in closing bars, which requires an average of 150 tests per day per 100,000 residents, sets a positive case rate of 100 per 100,000 residents and a seven-day average rate of positive tests higher than 25, combined with a positive test rate of higher than seven percent.

At the time of his July 19 statement, Dini said 0.0026 percent of people in Lyon County have contracted COVID-19. According to Dini’s figures, at the time of his statement, 0.003 percent of Dayton residents, 0.003 of Fernley residents, 0.0012 of Silver Springs residents, and 0.0016 of Mason Valley residents have contracted COVID-19.

Dini said the Smith Valley rate is even lower, and he calculated the death rate in Lyon County from COVID-19 at 0.013 percent.

“The only real science is math, you do the math,” Dini said.

Dini concluded his statement by requesting Lyon County Manager Jeff Page send a letter signed by all five Commissioners demanding that the Governor remove Lyon County from the list of counties directed to reimplement restrictions on certain businesses.

“I have the utmost respect for my fellow Commissioners, our County Manager, and the Elected and Appointed officials of our County,” Dini wrote. “It is time for us to be leaders and take back our County! Fear wins when Leaders stay silent.”