Northern Nevada candidates show their primary colors

Lieutenant governor

Republicans

Lorraine Hunt

A former professional musician and real estate investor, Hunt says she’s committed to serving the state of Nevada because it’s given so much to her. Hunt’s extensive business and political resume includes being a founder of the Continental National Bank, being vice-chair of the Nevada Motion Picture Foundation and chair of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board of Trustees. She’s served as commissioner and as vice-chair of the Nevada Commission on Tourism and as director of the Nevada Hotel-Motel Association. Before being elected lieutenant governor in 1998, Hunt served a four-year term as Clark County Commissioner. Hunt is currently on the Community Board of Wells Fargo Bank.

Gerry Larrivee

Larrivee, a retired fire department rescue captain from Rhode Island who now lives in Washoe Valley, recently took a road trip through Nevada to see what kinds of needs existed in less-reported areas of the state. What did he see? Plenty of “purple mountain majesty,” he says. “All the little dinkwaters are just big enough to serve as base camps for hikers and bikers. I asked myself, ‘How the hell come there aren’t more people here?’ They should be tent cities, like the Black Rock Desert during Burning Man.” Larrivee hikes, skis, rides Arabian horses and raises pumpkins, but he’s perhaps best known as “the sign guy” who contributes to social debate by hanging slogans at his ranch along Highway 395 in Washoe Valley. He’d like to know what Lorraine Hunt does to promote tourism and economic development in northern Nevada. “The fact is that this woman serves Las Vegas,” he says, “and as far as I can tell, as she does is keep the chair warm.”

State Senate Washoe 2

Republicans

Maurice Washington

Under the leadership of Washington, a state-funded charter school in Sparks was cited by school district staff for failing to record financial transactions, failing to pay payroll taxes and the withdrawal of $150,000 in school money to secure a bank loan to purchase a building for the Center of Hope Christian Fellowship where Washington is a minister. A staff report also expressed concern over conflicts of interest as three of four members of the school’s governing board were church leaders and a $6,000 per month lease between the school and church give the appearance that the school is subsidizing church operations. Washington does not have a candidate’s statement posted online.

Wanda Wright

“We need someone in office who doesn’t have [his or her] hand out for [his or her] needs,” says Wright, the owner and operator of WW Ranch Supply. Wright has gained renown for her dealings with Sierra Pacific Power Company, including collecting signatures to protest the most recent rate hike requested by the utility. She writes on her candidate’s statement: “We need our goverment (sic) to remember ‘by the people—for the people.’ “ Wright has a veterinary tech degree from Mount San Antonio College in California.

William Yacobozzi

Judge, real estate broker, attorney, instructor and a felon whose rights were restored by the Superior Court of Orange County, Calif., Yacobozzi says that he hopes to take his “extensive years of experience and apply them to improving the quality of life” in Nevada. Yacobozzi is a tribal judge for the Pyramid Lake Paiutes. On his candidate’s statement, he writes that he a “business administration decree (sic)” from the University of California-Fullerton and a “jurist doctorate decree (sic)” from Western State University, Calif.

State Assembly District 26

Democrats

Jan Gilbert

Education, health care and the environment are important to Gilbert, a resident property manager and northern Nevada coordinator for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. Gilbert, a former elementary school teacher, has received numerous awards for her community involvement. “We must improve our education system by providing adequate funding so Nevada is brought up to the national average,” Gilbert says. “We must commit to improving health care for all Nevadans … and ensure a healthy environment by making the most of our renewable resources [while] protecting our clean air, water and land.” Gilbert has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA.

David Love

School modernization, recycling legislation and investigation of Nevada’s cancer clusters are important to Love, a retired professor of radiation/health sciences. Love has served as a community ombudsman for the Nevada Division for Aging. He’s worked as a docent for the Nevada Historical Society and the National Automobile Museum and served on a citizen advisory board for the Regional Transportation Commission. He supports legislation for the balancing of different types of transportation “whether private vehicles or mass transit.”

State Assembly District 30

Democrats

Debbie Smith

As a wife, mother and incumbent state assemblywoman, Smith feels she listens to and understands the lives of those she represents. “Education, health care and traffic issues are only a few of the issues the residents of my district tell me they are concerned about,” she says. Smith has worked as a benefits representative for Operating Engineers Trust Funds for 20 years. She’s served as a parent coordinator for the Washoe County School District, a Lander County School Board member and is a former president of the Nevada State Parent Teacher Association. She’s a graduate of Battle Mountain High School.

Gerald Neal Wilson

Wilson says he’s running for office to encourage younger individuals to be part of the political process. “I’ve never had any political ambitions before,” the 26-year-old says. “My No. 1 priority is to get people involved. Young people care what’s going on.” Wilson is a graduate of Galena High School. He works in the warehouse at Caterpillar Logistics. Wilson’s been walking door to door in his district, letting people know that you don’t “have to be a rich person or take money from anyone” to run for office.

State Assembly District 30

Republicans

Sharron Angle

Because Angle wants to represent “the people of Nevada, not special interest groups,” she says she doesn’t accept campaign contributions from casinos, unions or political action committees. As a state assemblywoman, she says she’s worked to secure $26.2 million for literacy efforts in the 2001 session. She also pursues lower taxes, fewer government regulations, tort reform related to medical malpractice and construction defects and “demand reduction for drugs.” Angle, the manager of a small business, has worked as a teacher, sexual harassment investigator and Nye County School Board Trustee. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Greg Brower

Brower, an attorney, says he’s seeking re-election so that he can “continue to be a leader in the legislature on issues of concern to the people of Washoe County.” Brower was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy from 1987 to 1989. He has degrees from George Washington University and from the University of California, Berkeley.

Washoe County Commission District 2

Republicans

Jim Covert

The current regional plan, says Covert, “dilutes city resources, destroys suburban and rural communities and promotes urban sprawl.” That’s why he wants to work toward a different plan that’s agreeable to all interested parties. “Projects have been approved that are straining the available resources. I want a plan to manage the available resources [that will be] adhered to when approving additional growth.” Covert is a retired corporate financial executive who’s worked as a controller, director of finance, vice president and chief financial officer of large automotive and aerospace companies. His education includes a master’s in business administration from Pepperdine University. He’s been a member of the South Truckee Meadows General Improvement District’s managing board and of Connected Communities.

David Humke

If you haven’t noticed, relations between the city and county aren’t exactly exemplary. “I want to bring some positive attention to that,” Humke says. “We can work with the city of Reno, resolve some of the lawsuits and work together to improve the region.” Humke has represented Nevada Assembly District 26, serving as the co-chair of the Assembly Judiciary and a member of the Assembly Ways and Means and Government Affairs. Humke, who has a law degree from the former Old College in Reno, works at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Washoe County Commission District 5

Republicans

Bonnie Weber

Weber, who’s lived in the North Valleys for 19 years, believes so strongly in cooperation between the city and county governments that she turned it into her campaign slogan: “CommUNITY.” Weber has served on the Stead Citizen Advisory Board, which is now the North Valley Citizen Advisory Board, for about nine years. Her job history includes spending 11 years working for the administrative arm of the Washoe County School District and, until recently, working as a recreation leader at the North Valley Regional Sports Complex. She’s campaigned heavily during other Republicans’ campaigns in Nevada, including those of John Ensign and Lonnie Hammargren. “When I’d walk door-to-door and talk with people about what was important to them, they’d say to me, ‘You should be the one running for office',” she says.

Wayne Adam Logan

The people of Washoe County deserve a proactive, interactive government, Logan says. “It’s time for leadership that’s willing to change as circumstances merit it.” Logan is a court clerk/interpreter and Web designer for Sparks Justice Court, a moderator of Northern Nevada DUI Task Force’s Victim Impact Panel and a DUI instructor at Basic Recovery Associates Inc. “I promise to outwork and outwit every other candidate because hard work is what I do best,” Logan says.

Gary Feero

Working for the unity of the community, protecting the water supply, forestalling damage from floods and ensuring tax increases, if any, are needed, understood and accepted are the fundamentals of Feero’s campaign for county commissioner. Feero is a licensed painting contractor who specializes in log homes. He’s been on the Washoe County Board of adjustment since June 2000, and does property management. He has also served as chairman of the North Valley Citizen Advisory Board, as a basketball coach and as a member of other planning committees and advisory groups. “In being a part of the community, I have helped to promote good ideas and to fight the bad influences,” Feero says.

Joanne Bond

Incumbent county commissioner Bond, a former school teacher, counselor and school district liaison for the Children’s Cabinet, has voted for several controversial projects, including the approval of the regional plan, a kitty litter mine and the Alturas power line. Bond has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a bachelor’s degree in education from San Francisco State College. She’s served on Nevada’s indigent health care advisory board, the governor’s board for aging; a school district oversight committee, a county investment committee and on the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitor’s Authority. Bond is the vice president for the National Association of Counties and would become president of the national group next year if re-elected.Non-partisan

Sheriff

Non-partisan

Dennis Balaam

Balaam began his law enforcement career in 1971 as a reserve deputy. In 31 years, he’s progressed through the ranks of patrol detectives, narcotics, detention, administration and internal affairs to be appointed sheriff in 2000. Balaam has a bachelor’s degree from UNR, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute at Harvard University and the Southwest Command College. He says he’s committed to providing the citizens of Washoe County with the highest quality public service while running the sheriff’s office using “effective and efficient” business principles.

William “Bill” Bowen

“When I am elected sheriff, I will never forget where I came from or who I work for—you, the citizens of Washoe County,” Bowen writes in his campaign literature. Bowen’s history includes 30 years of law enforcement experience, duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and experience as a small business owner. Bowen is being endorsed by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Deputies Association, the Reno Police Protective Association, the Reno Police Supervisory and Administrative Employees Association, the Peace Officer Research Association of Nevada and the Nevada Highway Patrol Association. He says he’ll pursue public safety and public education while working for fiscal accountability.

Daniel Nightingale

A chiropractic physician for 21 years, Nightingale writes in his statement at the Registrar of Voters Web site that “a strong sheriff can protect the God-given rights of citizens in his county against accidental or deliberate (sic).” Nightingale graduated from Wooster High School in 1965 and was a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Jay A. Small

Just after the deadline to drop out of the primary elections, Small changed his mind about running for Washoe County Sheriff. Though his name is on the ballot, he says he’s supporting William “Bill” Bowen.

Washoe County Recorder

Non-partisan

Becky Artemis

In addition to attempting to “eliminate the backlog and increase the overall efficiency” of the Washoe County Recorder’s office, Artemis would like to explore technological innovations that would make recording more efficient and convenient. To do this, Artemis plans to create a focus group of citizens and to initiate and guide legislation that would fund these changes. “Overall, I believe that customer service should always be a top priority,” she says. Artemis has 10 years of experience working in the county recorder’s office. She spent eight years in the finance industry, working with local title companies and worked four years with Pan American World Airlines.

Kathryn L. “Kathy” Burke

Burke points to several accomplishments during her first four-year term as county recorder, including the implementation of an automated recording system that includes Internet access to public records and a partnership with the county assessor’s office to eliminate duplication of work between departments. "My commitment is to provide excellent customer service with fiscal accountability," she says. Burke has 20 years of experience in the recorder’s office and three years as a deputy recorder/auditor in Mineral County.