Mendoza wins City Council Ward 5 seat, two school board incumbents ousted

Joe Mendoza

Robert Perea The Fernley Reporter

In a race that was not nearly as close as the special primary election, Joe Mendoza collected more than 56 percent of the vote to defeat Dan Birkel to claim the Fernley City Council Ward 5 seat.

In addition, incumbent Lyon County School District Trustees Neal McIntyre and Phil Cowee lost their reelection bids, while the three candidates running under the Save Lyon County Schools banner each won.

Vote totals released late Tuesday night were not final, with outstanding mail-in ballots still being accepted through Friday. Also, some ballots still required signature verifications.

However, Mendoza held a lead of 250 votes in the City Council Ward 5 race, where 1,846 ballots had been counted. Mendoza had 1,048 votes, for 56.77 percent, to 798 for Birkel, for 43.23 percent.

“To the citizens of Fernley, I am truly humbled and deeply grateful for your overwhelming support and trust in electing me as your Ward 5 Councilman,” Mendoza said. “This victory is not mine alone but belongs to all of us who believe in the potential of our community.”

Mendoza also thanked God for this opportunity, his wife for her unwavering support, and every individual who stood by him throughout this journey.

“Together, we will work tirelessly to make our ward and our city a place of growth, opportunity, and community spirit,” he said. “I look forward to serving each of you with dedication and integrity. Thank you once again for this incredible honor.”

In the school board races, Incumbents Neal McIntyre II of Fernley and Phil Cowee of Dayton were each defeated, while inclement Sherry Parsons retained her seat, and Elmer Bull edged Mark Jones.

In District 1, Parsons collected 16,374 votes to 8,865 for Shanna Shroeder, a margin of 64.88 to 35.12. In District 3, Dawn Carson collected 15,619 votes, 60.46 percent, to 10,213, or 39.54 percent for Cowee. In District 5, Bull received 12,880 votes, or 52,21 percent, to 11,791, or 47.79 percent, for Jones. James Whisler defeated McIntyre, with 12,922 votes, or 50.9 percent, to 12,466, or 49.1 percent, for McIntyre.

In the Assembly District 38, Greg Koenig was unopposed. In District 39, Republican Ken Gray defeated Democrat Erich Obermayr with 9,255 votes to 3,205, a ratio of 74.29 percent to 25.72 percent.

In the race for three seats on the Stagecoach General Improvement District, Joseph Catanzarite, Paul Kyle and Terry Donohue were the top three candidates in a very close race. Catanzarite received the most votes with 244, Kyle collected 233 and Donohue received 216. Other vote totals were Victoria Aveiro 211, Earl Howell Jr. 208, Frances Campbell 159 and Jeanette Hayhurst 140.