Our choice for supervisor

What should voters look for in a supervisor to replace a 12-year veteran on the board.

With Kay Bennett giving up her Ward 4 seat after three terms, her successor should have a keen familiarity with the city's long-standing issues as well as a fresh, energetic presence on the board.

Carson City has both in the race - unfortunately, those qualities are in two different candidates.

Verne Horton, with his 18 years of experience on city boards, including chairmanship of the Carson City Planning Commission, gives him the solid background needed to make long-range decisions on Carson's future.

Richard Staub, a long-time resident whose background as an attorney and businessman gives him skills important to the job of supervisor, has demonstrated a willingness to attack issues with vigor and enthusiasm.

Horton continues to talk about the need for the city to plan for its economic future by identifying the areas best-suited for development, while at the same time finding the most suitable open-space parcels that will allow us to retain what we like best about the capital city.

Staub has impressed us with his call for periodic city audits and, more recently, the need to tackle Carson Street's traffic backlog while we wait for the state to build a bypass.

Issues such as those seem to summarize the contrasts between Horton and Staub, who generally agree on many issues facing the city. Horton's emphasis seems to be long-range, while Staub's taking a problem-solving approach.

In assessing what this Board of Supervisors needs to replace Bennett, it's our conclusion that Staub's action-oriented, aggressive approach to seeking solutions would make him an outstanding supervisor.

It's no knock on Horton, and we would be trust him in the seat as well. Staub has shown himself, during the campaign at least, to be capable of the kind of leadership that can truly make a difference at City Hall. We recommend him to Carson City voters.