By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The Clark County Board of Commissioners certified the Election Department’s official Statement of Votes in a meeting held on Wednesday, June 22. This document breaks down the county-wide voting results by precinct. It thus allows a specific analysis of how resident in the Moapa Valley communities voted in the 2016 Primary election.
First Anniversary Of Overton LaFonda
Next week, La Fonda Mexican Restaurant is celebrating its first anniversary of opening in downtown Overton. On July 6, 2015 the family-owned and operated business first opened its doors. Since that time, the restaurant has become a favorite for local diners.
To celebrate, the restaurant is introducing a cool and refreshing summer favorite to its customers. La Fonda’s Ceviche Tostadas are the perfect dish to ease the blistering heat of Moapa Valley summer.
Ceviche is a traditional Latin American recipe using choice seafood marinated in refreshing citrus juices, mainly lime. The dish also includes chopped tomato, cilantro, cucumber and just a touch of hot sauce and seasonings. Then it all is served chilled, atop a tostada shell and topped with avocado slices.
The variety of seafood in the dish is entirely up to the customer. “Some people like only shrimp ceviche,” said LaFonda owner Rosa Kundev. “Others like a mixed ceviche including shrimp, fish, octopus and scallops. We can serve it however they like it.”
Kundev said that LaFonda’s Ceviche has already become a popular dish for summer customers. “A lot of our customers didn’t know anything about it,” she said. “But when they try it they love it. It is perfect for summer when you just don’t feel like eating something hot.”
So come in and try something new. Celebrate LaFonda’s first anniversary in Overton by asking for Ceviche Tostadas. You will love it!
La Fonda Restaurant
461 N. Moapa Valley Blvd. Overton, NV
Moapa Valley voter turnout was somewhat low at only about 25 percent of registered voters casting ballots in the primary. That amounted to a total of 1,006 voters across the six local precincts. There are a total of 4,086 voters are registered in the community.
Nevertheless, the low local turnout number was signficantly higher than the statewide voter turnout which was at 18 percent in the election; and the county-wide number which was even lower at 16 percent.
For the most part, Moapa Valley results went along fairly closely with the statewide results, with a couple of interesting exceptions.
First off, there were no surprises on either side in the race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by the soon-to-retire Harry Reid.
On the Republican side, Congressman Joe Heck easily won in Moapa Valley with 72 percent of the vote. Tea Party opponent Sharron Angle only garned 20 percent of the local vote. Statewide, Heck won with 65 percent of the vote vs. Angle’s 23 percent.
The Democratic ballot was equally decisive. Moapa Valley Democrats preferred former Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, giving her 75 percent of the primary vote. Statewide, Masto took nearly 81 percent of the Democratic vote.
In the race for Congressional District 4, Mesquite resident Cresent Hardy received a huge show of support from local voters. Hardy received 90 percent of the vote from Moapa Valley Republicans. Statewide, Hardy fared well also, getting 77 of the GOP vote statewide.
In the Democratic race for District 4, however, Moapa Valley voters dissented slightly from the statewide results. The statewide primary victory went to State Senator Ruben Kihuen, who was able to take 40 percent of the vote.
But if only local Democrats were deciding, Kihuen would have been edged out of the victory. Instead, Assemblywoman Lucy Flores and philanthropist Susie Lee would have locked in a tie with exactly 57 local votes each, or 29 percent of the total votes cast. Kihuen came in third with 48 votes, or 25 percent of local Democratic votes.
Overton Republicans were in virtual lockstep with their fellows across the state in the results of the race for Assembly District 19. Incumbent Chris Edwards won decisively with 60 percent of the Overton GOP vote. Mesquite resident Connie Foust received 40 percent.
But Logandale and Moapa voters played a vital role in getting Assembly District 36 incumbent James Oscarson beyond his tough primary. Oscarson squeaked by with a win taking 46.49 percent of the district-wide vote. But Oscarson had actually fallen short in his hometown of Pahrump where he received 42 percent of the Nye County Republican vote. His Pahrump opponent Tina Trenner had won Nye County with 49 percent of the vote.
Moapa Valley voters helped offset some of those Nye County returns, though. Oscarson received 77 percent of the GOP vote in Logandale and Moapa. That, along with positive results in Lincoln County was enough to send Oscarson on to a general election bid.
Things were less dramatic in the Democratic primary for Clark County Commission District B. Incumbent Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who won her primary against Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross with a district wide vote of 65 percent, was able to capture 73 percent of the Moapa Valley Democratic vote.
On the Republican side, District B candidate Kevin Williams had no problem winning against opponent Chris Dyer, taking 78 percent of the Moapa Valley vote. Williams won the primary with 76 percent of the district-wide GOP vote.
In the race for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District B, incumbent Chris Garvey was still the Moapa Valley favorite. She took 53 percent of the local vote. That closely parallels the district-wide result where Garvey won 54 percent of the vote. With a majority of support in the primary, Garvey will not have to run in the general election in November.
Overton resident Judy Metz enjoyed huge local support for her re-election bid for Overton Power District Board at-large seat. Metz received 80% of the local vote, a total of 780 votes. Candidate Dave Bennett of Mesquite received 10 percent of local votes while Chuck Hanson, also of Mesquite, garnered 9 percent.
Metz had a fairly strong showing in Virgin Valley as well, receiving 720 votes there or 29 percent of the Virgin Valley vote.
But it was Bennett who had the strongest showing in Mesquite with 1,099, or 45 percent, of Virgin Valley votes.
Hanson came away with 636 or 26 percent of the vote in Virgin Valley.
In the final overall results, district-wide, in the OPD race, Metz received the most votes at 1500 (44 percent). Bennett had 1200 votes (45 percent). And Hanson ended with 728 votes (21 percent).
