Primary Election 2022: Carson City Supervisor Ward 3 (nonpartisan)

Candidate Margaret Mello didn’t respond to multiple emails or a letter sent to her mailing address.

Curtis Horton
Occupation: Retired
Age: 61
Contact information: www.electcurtishorton.com  electcurtishorton@gmail.com www.facebook.com/electcurtishorton
Education: Carson City High School.

Briefly describe the core duties of the position you are running for
The Board of Supervisors is the community's decision makers. The Board enacts laws and are the key political policymakers. Supervisors are responsible for soliciting citizen views in forming policies and interpreting them to the public. They approve budgets, determine tax rates, prioritize major projects, capital financing, and perform strategic planning.

A brief statement about your platform
My platform is simple; I want to ensure that Carson City is a safe and well-served community where people want to raise their families, do business and enjoy all of the things our city has to offer.
To have this type of environment, we need to maintain our infrastructure, support public safety, and encourage a friendly business environment. We must maintain and improve our outdoor parks and facilities, keep the gateways to the city inviting, and keep our city clean so people want to visit our town. To accomplish this, we need to manage the budget well, seek funding opportunities at the Federal and State level, and make sound financial decisions. Finally, we have to maintain efficiency in all of our operations. These things will help make Carson City a great place to live.

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
My many years of experience working for Carson City, serving my community as a respected leader, and solving problems large and small on a daily basis. I know how to respond to emergencies, and develop solutions in critical situations. I have regularly been challenged with making tough decisions, which I am comfortable doing.
In my position, I was fortunate enough to have assisted and worked with every department in the city, some more frequently than others. This has allowed me to understand the operational needs and concerns in completing tasks. In addition, I have worked with outside agencies, sharing my expertise and experience, and helping to build regional relationships.  
Over the years, I have developed programs, policies, and procedures to improve operations and enhance our ability to provide a higher quality of service to the community. I have assisted many other internal and external departments and agencies in doing the same.
I have worked with our residents and dealt with every complaint and concern imaginable throughout the entire city. Working with people in the community who are in difficult situations has given me a unique perspective of their needs and concerns. I really listen to people, I want to understand their issues, and as we all know, some problems do not have simple solutions. However, dealing with those complex challenges and making hard decisions has helped make me a strong leader.


James ‘Jim’ Wells
Occupation: Retired
Age: 54
Contact: Email: Jimwells3@outlook.com
Website: www.Wells4Ward3.com
I started working for the State of Nevada in 1992 and held several management positions, including: Chief Deputy State Controller (2001-2002); Chief Financial Officer, Public Employees’ Benefits Program (2003-2006); Deputy Superintendent for Administrative and Fiscal Services, Nevada Department of Education (2006-2010); Executive Officer, Public Employees’ Benefits Program (2010-2015); Director of Administration/Finance and State Budget Director (2015-2018)
I retired from the State of Nevada in 2018. I also held the Accounting Manager position for the City of Roanoke, Virginia (2002-2003).
I have also served on several non-profit boards and committees, including:
Nevada Committee on Local Government Finance (2006-2010)
Association of Government Accountants: Northern Nevada Chapter President (2008-2010); Regional Vice-President (2011-2012); Northern Nevada Chapter Treasurer (2012-2013)
Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council (2016-2018)
Nevada State Prison Preservation Society – President (2020-2022)
Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway (2021 – present)
Carson City Audit Committee (2021- present)
Carson City Board of Equalization (2021 – present)

Education:
Valedictorian, Carson High School, 1985
University of Nevada, Reno – Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Accounting, 1989

Briefly describe the core duties of the position you are running for.
The Mayor and Board of Supervisors are responsible for the legislative and executive functions of the City, and for appointing a City Manager who is responsible for daily operations. Board responsibilities include, maintaining the municipal code by passing ordinances, approving the budget, and setting the City’s vision, goals and priorities.

A brief statement about your platform
Residents deserve a responsive government that is conservative in spending public resources, transparent in conducting its business and accountable for decisions made on the people’s behalf.
As a former State Budget Director, I understand the importance of conservative budgeting principles as well as having a sufficient Rainy Day Fund to weather the next economic downturn.
Aligning with the recently adopted five-year strategic plan, I would like to see the Board:

• • Review and, if necessary, update the City’s master plan to ensure it conforms to what residents want their City to look like.
• • Implement a comprehensive asset management plan to ensure there are sufficient resources to maintain City assets, including roads, water and sewer systems, and recreational assets.
• • Ensure the City maintains its emergency preparedness and addresses growth necessary for City Police and Fire departments to maintain adequate service levels, as well as ensuring information technology systems and personal data are safe and secure from cyber security attacks.
• • Look for opportunities to provide citizens easy to understand information related to City operations and finances.
• • Promote economic development by maintaining a simple, fair and stable regulatory environment that is attractive to both new and existing businesses.

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
I have over 30 years of government finance and operations experience. My management and government finance background provide me with a unique insight into how government works, and I will bring that experience and perspective to the Carson City Board of Supervisors.
I have experience creating and implementing government strategic plans along with measurable goals and performance objectives to ensure government is doing the right things. Measuring performance is an important component of a robust strategic plan. Only when a government measures its performance does it know where to apply limited resources to get the best return.
I have a track record of identifying and implementing process efficiencies to reduce operational costs and eliminate duplication.
Throughout my career, I challenged departments to make government more effective and efficient by tasking them with answering the following:
What activities does your department perform that you would stop doing if you could?
How would you reprioritize those resources to do something you should be but are not?
What new initiatives would you propose? What results would they achieve? How would success be measured?
What low-cost or no-cost policy or operational ideas would you propose?
These are the types of questions a government must ask as it tries to allocate its limited resources.
My goal is to work with the other Supervisors and staff to keep Carson City moving forward. Keeping the community informed about things that affect their wallet and quality of life is a priority for me. I believe the primary role of a supervisor is to analyze the data, ask critical questions and make sound decisions that benefit our community.