County commission candidates Davy Stix Jr. and Scott Keller drew pointed contrasts over experience and the role of a commissioner during a candidates forum hosted by the Fernley Republican Women on April 21 at the Fernley Senior Center.
The forum included candidates for Lyon County Commission Districts 2 and 5 and Lyon County School Board District 2. Afterward, several candidates running for other city, county and state offices were given an opportunity to introduce themselves. Each of the candidates in the forum were given time to briefly introduce themselves, then were asked four questions in alternating order, then were give two and a half minutes to make a final statement.
Stix and Keller were the first two candidates introduced and are running for the Lyon County Commission District 2 seat in a rematch of the 2022 Republican primary, when Keller defeated Stix 4,359 to 3,860. As in 2022, no Democrat is running in District 2, so the winner of the June Republican primary will advance to the general election unopposed.
After introducing themselves the candidates were asked how they would work with state and federal agencies to address local needs.
Stix said the county needs to start with the presenting its needs to the Nevada Department of Transportation.
“I think it’s time we get them into a room with all of our commissioners and we talk about the priorities in the future,” he said. “There was a day when they looked into the future. They thought ahead, and now they’re not thinking ahead.”
Keller said he already works with state and federal agencies and mentioned USA Parkway and the widening of U.S. 50 as two examples of projects he worked on with NDOT.
Keller listed responsible growth, bringing back tax dollars from the federal government, and county codes to address new issues like data centers and solar projects as top priorities for the next four years.
Stix said the two things he would address first are spending and growth.
In their final remarks, the candidates drew their sharpest distinctions.
“I know what it takes to be a Republican in this state and in this county and I want to serve the people,” Stix said. “Every time I sit down with my opponent, it sounds like a job interview. To me a job is something you do for yourself, and to run and be a public servant is something that requires that you make your public look good.”
Keller responded that it is a job to be a county commissioner.
“You have to work hard, you have to do the research, do your time,” he said.
He also touted his own bona fides as a Republican, including serving as vice chair and two terms as chair on the Lyon County Republican Central Committee.
“My opponent doesn’t have nearly the knowledge I do to do this job,” Keller said. “Last time I said I thought I had more experience than he did and that’s why you guys elected me. This time I know I have more experience.”
County Commission District 5 candidates Mark Jones, Cole Mortensen, Mark Phillips and Micah Triplett were asked the same questions as the District 2 candidates.
Triplett said he works with state and federal agencies through his efforts with the Mason Valley Chamber of Commerce and during his career as a firefighter.
“I would definitely be collaborative and if I don’t have a relationship, I’m happy to develop it,” he said.
Mortensen said he worked with city, county, state and federal agencies during his career at NDOT, particularly in the last four to eight years. He said he helped get grants for projects like Nevada Pacific Parkway and U.S. 395.
Phillips said he has worked in several capacities with agencies from local to federal levels and said working with others is the best way to find an answer.
Jones said he spent 55 years in upper management in business and wants to run the county as a company, not just as a government. He said Lyon County has to work with its neighbors because it is growing fast.
Jones said his priority would be to build the county’s income with taxable businesses.
“We don’t have money and the reason we don’t have money is we don’t have the right businesses,” he said. “And it takes you forever to get a permit here in Lyon County to do your job.”
Jones said he would incorporate AI into the process of issuing permits to speed up the process. He said he would also like to figure out how to help first responders.
“They don’t have enough money to man their stations,” he said.
Phillips said the county needs to manage growth and to balance its budget so there is more money coming in than going out. He said he would work with the other commissioners and county departments to find a metric to measure those things.
Mortensen said Lyon County and most local agencies are all dealing with the same issues, and the biggest of those is funding shortfalls. He said you have to prioritize things you can affect and that funding helps attract people to work, which helps speed up the permitting process.
Triplett listed economic diversification as his biggest priority, which he said requires collaboration between communities.
“We need public safety and we need good utility and road access and those are the ultimate priorities for a successful economic system,” he said.
Phillips emphasized his 40-year career in agricultural business.
“I plan to take that same work ethic and philosophy to the Board of County Commissioners,” he said. “And that’s being out in the public, getting word from people and taking that back to the commission for decisions.”
In his closing summary, Mortensen described the variety of roles he held during his career at NDOT.
“And through that, I’ve actually realized that I kind of thrive in that environment where you are challenged by trying to come up with a good solution with difficult problems and difficult challenges and it’s not always the best solution, but it’s the best solution for what you have available,” he said.
Jones said he spent many years in retail management and is now in casino management and has been heavily involved in the Lyon County Republican Central Committee for several years.
“To me it’s very important not just to join when it’s needed,” he said. “They should be there the entire time if you’re a true Republican.”
Triplett summarized his background in fire service and said he is wrapping up his second undergraduate degree in economics.
“My mission is to drive business and economics, but it’s also to bring our communities together,” he said.
Lyon County School Board District 2 candidates Pete Chapin and Michael Moore were asked what conservative values they would bring to the board.
Moore said Lyon County has a lot of students who aren’t graduating and needs more trade school options. Chapin said the district needs to spend money wisely on what teachers and students need, not programs it wants.
Asked what parental rights and notifications should look like, both said parents should be notified about everything that happens to or for their student at school.
Moore listed school safety, district accountability, and workforce development as his top three priorities. He said teacher and student performance should be measured and analyzed at the end of the year and that accountability should come from the school. He said students should graduate prepared to keep a job and be accountable for their actions as young adults.
Chapin said the top priority should be student learning and achievement, attendance, and budgeting based on school-level needs such as teachers, custodians, bus drivers and other personnel. He said chronic absenteeism is a serious problem in the district.
Moore described himself as “boots on the ground” and listed numerous volunteer and fundraising work he has done in several school districts. He said students who go to trade school can graduate with no debt and earn more than students who take on tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt.
“So I would like to stay boots on the ground,” he said.
Chapin outlined his career as a teacher, coach and administrator, which he said has given him insight into student achievement. He said district-wide test scores are not very good and that he is running for the school board to help raise them.
He also said he’s concerned about chronic absenteeism.
“If kids are in school, they learn a lot better,” he said.
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