Part 1 in a special two-part series
By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
The election year 2010 could very well bring significant change to the face of governing bodies all across the country and throughout the state. Of course, that is to be determined on November 2. But one thing is certain: a major change will come to the local Moapa Valley Water District (MVWD) board.
In a strange turn of events, all five MVWD Board seats are up for election this year. Three of the current board’s most long-standing members (Glen Hardy, James Robison and Guy Doty) are not seeking re-election because they have reached their state-mandated term limits. The other two board members (Ken Staton and Jon Blackwell), both relative new comers to the board, are faced with contested elections to keep their seats. Thus, it is certain that a majority of the board members will be complete newcomers in the upcoming term. And it is even possible that the entire board will change.
The MVWD board has two seats representing Overton, two representing Logandale and one representing Moapa. Usually elections for the seats are staggered every two years. But because of a series of curious events in the election of 2008, this year all five seats are on the ballot: some being two year seats and others being four year seats. Overton and Logandale residents will vote for one candidate in each of the two separate races for seats representing their respective communities.
The upcoming dramatic changeover in the MVWD board has attracted a multitude of candidates for each seat. Where the water district board has been, in the past, something of a forgotten race, often board members even going uncontested, this year there are plenty of candidates for voters to choose from: a total of 17 to be exact.
Following is a summary of recent interviews that were conducted with each of the candidates:
Moapa Seat (2 years)
John Blackwell has served on the MVWD board since June of this year. He was appointed after long-time board member Bob Jones resigned from the board to serve an LDS mission.
Blackwell has spent the time serving with board veteran James Robison on the board’s Personnel Committee. This committee is tasked with studying and developing changes to the district staff plan: making recommendations on adding new positions or consolidating existing staff spots. Blackwell said that this is not too far removed from his job at Stewart and Sundell Concrete where he has worked for over 16 years.
“I’ve done a lot of hiring….and a lot of firing…in my time,” he said of his work experience.
If he is re-elected, Blackwell feels that he can help maintain consistency between the old board and the new members.
“There will be a lot of new faces on the board in the next year,” he said. “There will be a steep learning curve. My little bit of experience could help.”
Blake Stratton actually appears on the ballot twice this year. He is running for the Moapa seat on both the MVWD and also a nely created at-large seat on the Overton Power District board. But he said that he could do the job without a problem even in the event that he was elected to both boards.
Stratton is a Nevada native who was born in Henderson and moved to Moapa Valley as a youth. He has worked for NV Energy for 10 years and is currently a Lead Combined Cycle Operator at the Silver Hawk Power Plant near Apex.
Stratton has become concerned by the way that the state has been allocating water resources.
“It is disturbing to me to see that the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) is allowed to come in as a public entity and gobble up all the private resources in the rural parts of the state,” Stratton said. “They have said that they need it to satisfy growth in the city because we get our tax revenue from growth. It is sad that there is no sustainable economy in Southern Nevada so we have to take over all these resources to just grow, grow, grow.”
Stratton said that he was against any partnering between the MVWD and the SNWA.
“SNWA is looking after the needs of Las Vegas,” he said. “They don’t have Moapa Valley’s best interest in mind in what they do.”
Logandale Seat (4 years)
Scott Carson brings an extensive business background to the table as a candidate. In 1978 he began a health insurance agency licensed in Arizona and Nevada which he has continued to operate for 33 years. He was a founding partner in Horizon Health PPO, begun in 1988 as one of the first such organizations in Las Vegas and eventually sold it to John Alden Insurance. Carson was the owner CEO of Tiffany’s Pies, the largest pastry bakery in the state, for many years. He is currently still the owner of Tiffany’s Pies and Subs in Logandale.
“I believe that a quasi-public entity, like MVWD, needs the same type of oversight and restraint that a private business has to live under,” he said. “If you can successfully manage a private business you learn a certain fiscal restraint and you should be able to take the same principles and apply them to a utility.”
Carson feels that the biggest problem facing the district is that the past few years have brought virtually no growth to the area.
“The district is faced with declining or stagnant revenues and increasing expenses,” he said. “So how do we come through that? We can’t pretend that it is still 2003. We have to live with the resources that are available and if that means finding areas to reduce expenses then so be it. In my private sector experience I have had to make tough choices. And you can’t be everybody’s friend in those cases.”
Stan Hardy has a solid knowledge of the vital territory that is the Moapa Valley’s water source. For many years he managed the Warm Springs ranch and became a recognized expert on the springs and water sources in that area.
He has also had previous experience on the MVWD board. He served on the Moapa seat in the mid-1980s.
One of the things Hardy would like to do on the board is start a discussion that would reconsider the MVWD Water Dedication Ordinance, a policy that requires developers to bring adequate water resources to the district to supply homes or developments; or pay fees in lieu of such resources.
“That ordinance was enacted during boom times when we were in very different circumstances,” Hardy said. “But it was outdated before it was even implemented.”
Hardy points out that the district has been very effective in acquiring water resources for future growth.
“But we are not going to have an influx of 3,000 homes anytime soon like the ordinance was planning for,” Hardy said. “We have had virtually no growth in the past couple of years and, with the way things are going, I don’t think we’ll have more than 30-40 homes in the next five years.”
But with the ordinance requiring several thousand dollars in water dedication fees, not to mention the cost of other utility hookups and county building licenses, it makes it all the more difficult for people to start building again.
“The way things are, it is cost prohibitive for young people to be able to buy a water meter and come back here,” Hardy said. “And I don’t think that it is necessary right now.”
Penn Leavitt lists his chief qualification as a desire to serve the community on the board.
“I’ve always been taught that, if you don’t like something, get involved and help change it,” Leavitt said. “So I figure this is a way to get involved and help things go in the right direction.”
Leavitt works as a heavy equipment mechanic for Caterpillar at Cashman Equipment in Las Vegas. He has done this for the past 31 years and describes the job as what he really likes to do.
In the community, Leavitt has served as a Boy Scout leader for nearly 20 years.
This is his first time running for public office. “I admit that there is a lot that I don’t know,” he said. “But I see this as a good area to get my feet wet and to help out a little bit.”
Leavitt feels that it is important to work to keep water here in the Moapa Valley instead of going away to serve another community.
“I don’t know all there is to know about the various agreements that have been made with SNWA,” he said. “But I think it is important to make sure that the water does not leave the valley. If we limit the water available here, we can’t grow.”
Mark Whipple was not available for an interview.
Logandale Seat (2 years)
Lindsey Dalley is a small business owner with a successful dental practice in Las Vegas. He has also been active in the Moapa Valley community. He serves as Chair of the Moapa Valley Community Education Advisory Board and has served for ten years as Chairman for the non-profit Partners in Conservation.
Dalley has deep roots in the Moapa Valley community. He was born in Overton and raised in the community.
“My whole identity is tied up with the Moapa Valley,” he said. “I take that very seriously. I have tremendous interest in the future of the community.”
As a board member, Dalley says that his emphasis would be on ensuring that access to culinary water is affordable for young start-up families. “When the economy was booming, there was a worry of not having enough water to meet the need and cost of infrastructure,” he said. “The policies created then were appropriate in that situation. But now if young families want to come back to live in the community, the cost becomes very high. I think that is a fundamental issue.”
Dalley would also work to maintain the autonomy of the MVWD. “The district has entered into water agreements with SNWA which I believe have been beneficial,” he said. “In fact, (such agreements) are just the reality. We live in Nevada and water is already apportioned before it even hits the ground. But I do think we need to be able to play ball in the regional arena and not have to roll over to larger urban interests. I would like to maintain our independence.”
Rik Eide has been closely involved in representing the community to the various agencies of Clark County. He served for many years on the Citizens Advisory Committee which helped plan the community-wide sewer line which is now under construction. He also spent time serving on the Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board.
“I think that I can listen to the community and express concerns in a way that people can understand,” Eide said. “And I bring an ability to solve problems instead of argue with the public.”
Eide feels that it should be important to the district to keep resources and spending in the community.
“My priority would be keeping as much water local as we can,” he said. “There is an opportunity here to keep water in the valley. We should take that opportunity and work toward increasing our water reserve.”
Eide points out that the district owns a substantial number of irrigation shares in the community which have been made available at rates for people to water their pastures.
“I think that we should utilize some of those resources for developing a secondary water source to irrigate parks, schools and even people’s yards,” Eide said.
But the idea of keeping MVWD resources locally also extends to financial resources for Eide.
“I think that we should make sure that (the district) is utilizing businesses here in the community to purchase necessary supplies or services,” Eide said. “The district should keep ratepayer dollars spent in the local economy and not send them off to St. George or Las Vegas or even Mesquite.”
Part two of this feature will be published in next week’s edition of the Progress and will cover the candidates from both Overton board seat elections. These will include 4 year seat candidates Derek Campbell, Richard Jones, Lance Robertson, Kelby Robison and Randy Tobler. Also the Overton two year seat candidates Aaron Jessen, Matt LaCroix, Todd Robison and Ken Staton.
