Candidates Night slated for May 20 in Fallon

The Churchill County Republican Central Committee along with local media representatives will present Candidates Night on May 20 at the Fallon Convention Center. Featured candidates will include Churchill County Commission districts 1 and 3, Justice of the Peace and Fallon mayor.

Candidates Night begins at 5:30 p.m.

For those who can’t attend, Lahontan Valley Broadcasting Co., will broadcast the event over KVLV-AM Radio (980), KKTU (99.5 FM) and streaming over the internet on Network1Sports. The radio broadcasts and streaming began when the public couldn’t attend any candidate night because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The CCRCC has sponsored the event since the 2020 local elections. The Fallon Post and the Lahontan Valley News will serve as moderators for Candidates Night. Candidates will be asked questions pertaining to the role of their specific offices. A number of questions have been tailored to the Lahontan Valley.

The term for both partisan county commission races is for four years and mayor serves for four years. Justice of the Peace is for a six-year term. The races for mayor and JOP are nonpartisan with the two top candidates advancing to the general election.

Running for Commission District 1 is Julie Guerrero-Goetsch and Matt Hyde, and vying for the District 3 seat are Eric Blakey, John Caetano, Rusty Jardine and Todd Moretto. Since all the candidates are Republican, the winner of the primary election from each race will serve as commissioner for the next four years. The winners from each district, however, will still appear on the general election ballot.

Three candidates are seeking the New River Township Justice of the Peace, which is nonpartisan. Incumbent Ben Trotter is running for a second term, and challenging him are Brenda Ingram and Stuart Richardson. Mayor Ken Tedford is running for another term, and he is being challenged by Luai Ababneh and Jacob Robertson. The top two candidates from each race advance to the general election unless a candidate receives 50% plus one vote.

Councilwoman Karla Kent is running unopposed. The city races also are nonpartisan.

Three candidates are running for two seats on the nonpartisan Mosquito, Vector & Noxious Weed Abatement Board. They are incumbents Cynthia McGarrah and Marion Jonte and newcomer David Brown. They will appear on the general election ballot instead of the primary election ballot, reports the clerk’s office.

Dr. Greg Koenig, a Fallon optometrist, did not draw an opponent for Assembly District 38. Three candidates filed for three open Churchill County School Board seats. They are incumbents Greg Malkovich, Kathryn Whitaker and first-time candidate Wendy Bullock. Trustees run as nonpartisan candidates.

The Churchill County Clerk’s office reports Nevada is a closed primary election state. If residents register with the Democratic or Republican Party, they may vote only for candidates from their own party, but they may also vote in nonpartisan contests. If voters chose a party affiliation other than Democratic or Republican, they may vote only in nonpartisan contests.

For a list of statewide candidates who are running for U.S. Senate, Congressional District 2, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state, controller and the courts, go to www.nvsos.gov and search for 2022 Statewide Certified List of Candidates.

The primary will be held June 11. Early voting for the primary runs from May 25 and ends June 7 at the Churchill County Administration Building and May 25 and June 1 at the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe Community Learning Center. The polls will be closed Memorial Day.

The Churchill County Clerk’s office will be sending out sample ballots no later than May 11.

The clerk’s office encourages voters to check their registration by contacting 775-423-6028 or elections@churchillcounty.org Voters can also check their registration at https://www.nvsos.gov/votersearch/.

With the passage of Assembly Bill 321 during the 2021 legislative session, all registered voters in Nevada will receive a ballot by mail. Voters had 60 days prior to the primary election to opt out of receiving mail-in ballot.