2020 Primary election: Carson City Board of Supervisors, Ward 4

RONALD BRATSCH
Occupation: Security Manager
Age: 57
Contact: ronbratsch4cc@gmail.com; https://www.facebook.com/4brat

Record of Service:
I began my career in the National Guard and later proudly served in the Marine Corps. I owned a Security Business in the Los Angeles area with 130 employees. I am a fiscal conservative willing to make the tough decisions. I worked as a Correctional Officer at the Nevada Department of Corrections. Due to concerning work conditions at the prison, I joined AFSCME. I became a Regional Vice President and Lobbyist where I testified in a joint 2010 Legislative session. I also traveled to Washington, D.C. on several occasions to work with our Nevada Senators and House of Representatives. I volunteered on the Administration Regulation Committee. I was appointed to the Board for Public Employees Benefit Program by Gov. Sandoval. I volunteer at my church and have coached youth sports. I volunteer at Friends In Service Helping assisting with people in financial shortfalls and homeless in our community. I am currently a member of the American Legion Honor Guard.

Education: Graduated high school with College credits in Business Management.

Platform:
I have taken the oath to protect and defend the Constitution of United States many times. I will continue to protect and defend the United States, and Nevada constitutions as your Carson City supervisor. I will support our Sheriff’s Office whenever they are called to protect and defend the oath they have taken. I am a fiscal conservative and will do everything I can to maintain the budget and keep spending down. I enjoy life, you will usually find me with a cheerful smile, I will continue to look for the positive in everything. The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis “Always Faithful” and brings to heart teamwork and esprit de corps. The terms I live by are “Honesty and Integrity.” I have been known to be brutally honest and to the point. I do not like to waste time and I will not waste your time with nonsense. As a previous business owner, I have an understanding and passion for supporting local businesses. I have demonstrated the ability to meet realistic goals and operating within a budget. I understand that our community needs to work together to bring unity to the forefront. All voices and opinions need to be heard.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?
With COVID- 19 closing the country down, there has been a significant loss in tax revenue. Carson City Supervisors will need to re-evaluate all Capital Improvement Plan projects and all money going out. All active contracts need to be reevaluated. Most of these projects may need to be postponed or abandoned. I am willing to make the tough decisions to balance the Carson City budget.
I have been informed there is no money to fix the roads. Due to excessive spending there has been some shortfalls. We will need to prioritize the road issues and really evaluate not spending money on special interest groups. Spending needs to be reevaluated. Carson City can flourish without placing additional tax burdens on our community. I believe that being pro-active to community necessities is more effective than resulting to last minute, expensive bond measures. Let’s work together and plan a future that will not have to burden our Carson City residents.

LISA SCHUETTE
 Occupation: Retired – Education, Law Enforcement
 Age: 56
Contact: electlisaschuette@gmail.com, www.electlisaschuette.co

Record of Service:

Carson City Sheriff’s Deputy, Juvenile Probation Officer, Health Teacher
2013 – Carson City School District Teacher of the Year
Founder and Chair - Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI) – the non-profit spearheading the building and equipping of the new animal shelter. Shelter opened 2016, new vehicle donated 2018, CASI continues to help the community through its Critter Fixer program.
Board Member and Chair - Ron Wood Family Resource Center
Past Chair – Carson City School District Family Life Advisory Committee
Co-founder - John and Nancy Gaskill Memorial Nursing Scholarship (WNC) 2009-present – scholarship to assist 2nd year nursing students
Chamber of Commerce Leadership 2014
Named as one of 2018 Sierra Nevada’s Top 20 Powerful Women by Northern Nevada Business Weekly

Education: Carson High School
Western Nevada Community College – Associate in Arts
University of Nevada, Reno – Bachelor of Science in Education

Platform:
My platform is one of communication and collaboration, working to address challenges not through a lens of either/or but instead looking at how different approaches will affect our community. Through my experience establishing CASI, working with the school district, and in law enforcement, I have had the opportunity to interact with the citizens of Carson City and make a positive impact. I’ve seen what our community can accomplish when we set clear goals, listen, collaborate, and act. As we begin to rebuild following COVID-19, our priorities must be safety and getting our businesses and economy back on track. My platform focuses on five key issues: Innovation, Employment, Opportunity, Resources, and Communication. It is critical that we help our small businesses and tourism recover through innovation and create training opportunities to support local industry. It is essential that our first responders and the medical community have sufficient resources as they work to keep us safe. We need to address pressing issues such as utility costs, road repair and affordable housing through honest, frank and respectful communication. Finally, it’s important to protect the recreational opportunities that both locals and visitors enjoy for our wellbeing and to benefit our economy. The Coronavirus pandemic has brought great challenges and we are facing a difficult road ahead. But difficult is doable, collaboration is necessary, and I’m the right person for the job.

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?
Following the COVID-19 crisis, the top two issues for Carson City fall into two categories: response and recovery.
City Response – We have a big job ahead of us. Carson City leadership will be tasked with overseeing the response effort brought on by COVID-19. Thankfully, Staying Home for Nevada has reduced the spread of infection and saved lives, but the economic impact has been huge. Reworking the budget for the tough years ahead, managing resources in short supply, and providing city services despite reduced revenues will require tough decisions, teamwork, cooperation and innovation. As restrictions are lifted, we need to continue to ensure the safety of our citizens by being both proactive and responsive to community threats, be they pandemics, wildfire, floods, etc. More than ever, Carson City’s leadership must possess the ability to work well with city staff and community members to listen carefully to determine our most pressing needs, collaborate openly with clear objectives and move forward decisively, understanding that sound decisions will help us recover faster. Our city employees are dedicated and up to the challenge and leadership must be as well. As a lifelong resident of our beautiful town, there is nothing I want more than for our community to thrive. My years of community service are evidence of my dedication.

Economic Recovery – City leadership must possess the mindset to lead with commitment and focus during these difficult times. The pandemic has disrupted the economy in unimaginable ways. To meet the recovery challenge, we must establish clear goals consistent with the city’s strategic plan, and we do this by asking the right questions: How do we best get back on track without undermining people’s safety? How do we restore confidence to invest in business? How do we fill the necessary jobs with a skilled workforce after so many have been displaced? How do we continue to meet our community’s infrastructure needs while balancing people’s ability to pay and reduced revenue? How do we encourage tourism at a time when so many are struggling?

Answering these questions will be crucial to economic recovery. Addressing the real-life consequences of our current situation and building the needed momentum to offset the damage is going to take innovation, creativity, and a shared commitment to revive our city and businesses. It will be essential to prioritize long-term financial plans that reflect the lessons learned during these past weeks. Our community has been through tough times before, and while nothing compares to this, I am confident that with diligence and discipline Carson City will recover. Leadership is my skillset; I am ready to get to work.

MICHAEL "MIKE" SMITH

Occupation: Retired High School Principal (Memphis, Tenn.)
Currently the Program Manager, for the American Job Center of Nevada-Reno
 Age: 65
Contact: smithm410@yahoo.com; vote4mikesmith.com

Education: High School Diploma- Hernando High School (Miss.); Bachelors of Science in Education Rust College (Miss.); Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership, the University of Mississippi

Platform:
My campaign platform is very simple “to serve the community.” This will be done by listening to the constituency concerns, I want to make a positive impact by keeping the best interest of citizens in mind when it comes to spending your tax dollars. It goes without saying it is not my goal to gain, and maintain personal power; but elected to serve. If elected I realize I will have an enormous responsibility. I want voters to be properly informed, I’m asking for your vote to join a team realizing I only have one vote. When I’m elected as your next Ward 4 Supervisor, I will do my homework by keeping my self informed of the issues, debate the issue, carefully consider the information, opinions and positions of my fellow supervisors, vote, and accept the decision of the group. Like you I care about Carson City and want to make a positive impact. When I moved here three years ago from Mississippi to be with my wife, (Margaret) a 5th generation Nevadan. I didn’t want to just live, shop, pay taxes, and enjoy the amenities of Carson City, I wanted to become integrally involved by serving on community boards. This was achieved through my appointment to the Carson City Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee (2018) and a Board of Trustee with the Carson City Symphony Association. In 2018, I implemented a series of monthly interactive conversations addressing issues, and concerns germane to Carson City called “Ideas on Tap” allowing citizens to listen to panel discussions, and ask questions. I’m fully committed to serve for the good of the community!

What are the top 2 issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions?
The two top issues facing Carson City and how do we work toward solutions in my opinion are:
(1). Fiscal responsibility-encompasses all of the integral issues to local governance such as safety, quality of life, quality schools, and parks. One way to be more responsible is to forecast for a multi-year budget. Being more proactive and prepared for possible future revenue changes. If I’m elected as Ward 4 Supervisor, I would focus on the perception from residents how taxpayers’ monies are used by posting on the city’s website, and making available select budgetary line items allowing the citizens to see how and what the monies are used for. Let me make it abundantly clear I am a fiscal conservative, making sure we stay and adhere to the budget. This can be achieved by cutting waste, don’t we all want a more efficient government that does what it is supposed to do while spending as little of our tax money as possible. Why would we want to spend more than is necessary?

(2) Infrastructure development- If elected I will focus my attention on priorities such as improving the five-year strategic plan; improve and advocating to keep improvement projects within budget, upgrade maintenance, repairing our city streets and focusing on the needs of our infrastructure just to name a few. Secondly, I will pursue economic progress and development of our community through civic engagement with an outcome of action and unity.
Like you, I see the number of vacant buildings, and store fronts in Carson City. In order to help eradicate this dilemma their needs to be robust dialogue between city leaders, business owners, and community stakeholders to come up with a strategy to diminish blight in the Capital City. More than 1/3 of Carson City’s general fund money comes from the consolidated tax primarily made up of sales tax from city businesses, in order to increase this, we need to inoculate more business opportunities into the community. A solution for this is to develop a strong marketing campaign for Carson City, with support from the Carson City Chamber of Commerce telling and branding our story by aggressively seeking out businesses, and other national chains that would like to be part of Carson City’s future.