Dayton advisory council future uncertain; meeting still on

The saga of what will happen to the Dayton Regional Advisory Council will continue at the group's meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Members will decide what they can do to challenge a decision by the Lyon County Commissioners to reduce DRAC from a seven-member board to five members, redraw the districts, and prevent any current board member from serving on the new council.

DRAC will be dissolved on Jan. 1, and none of the current members will be considered for the new five-member board.

In July, DRAC did not forward the name of a nominated resident to the commissioners because the motion to do so was not seconded. The action angered commission chairman Bob Milz, who represents Dayton, and he moved to immediately reduce the size of the board by two members and dismiss those currently serving. Milz accused DRAC of not following its own bylaws, acting illegally, and behaving like a clique.

The commissioners declined to go that far, however, and decided to reduce the size of the board to five as of the new year.

DRAC vice chairman Richard Foley opposes the action and took exception to the clique characterization. He said regular split votes on development proves there is no clique.

"We have gone through I don't know how many board members," he said. "There's never been a clique on that board. This is not a clique that gets together and decides what we're going to do based on our own personal agenda."

At the commission's Sept. 21 meeting, the resignations of DRAC board members Teri Harris and Dorothe Johannes were not accepted because commissioner Don Tibbals was uncertain if the commission's previous action led to the resignations.

In addition to Harris and Johannes, the board includes Richard Foley, Mabel Masterman, Nancy Sbragia and Joe Sawyer. Dee Scott resigned in July, leading to the unsuccessful nomination and to more turmoil for DRAC.

Foley blames Milz, who once tried to keep Foley from being nominated, for the problems with DRAC.

"It's basically a personal vendetta by Mr. Milz and his total intolerance of anyone who has a different vision of Dayton," Foley said. "I'm trying to hold the commissioners accountable for their actions."

Foley has also accused fellow board member Masterman of falsifying minutes, but was more focused on Milz.

"I do have an animus toward him," Foley said of Milz. "If he performed in Dayton as he does for the rest of the county, we would have no complaints. But as far as the Dayton area, he has been performing as the employee of a couple of developers."

Masterman denied Foley's accusation regarding the minutes.

"It never was a falsification," she said. "I do the minutes from my notes. I am not perfect and have had to change minutes before."

Masterman said other board members had the minutes several weeks before the next meeting, and she never received a call saying there was any inaccuracy.

Efforts to reach Milz was unsuccessful.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 351.

If you go

WHAT: Dayton Regional Advisory Council meeting

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: 34 Lakes Blvd., Dayton