OPEN LETTER #13 TO THE COMMUNITY FROM A TOWN BOARD MEMBER
Here is the Open Letter #13. Feel free to contact me at twaters@pahrumpnv.org or 775-764-0949.
As a DISCLAIMER, please understand that I speak ONLY for myself as a Town Board member and will provide accurate information as I see it through my research. All information is reviewed by several entities to ensure there are no NRS violations.
The Pahrump Town Board Vs. The Nye County Commissioners
I thought that would get your attention. J
I thought that would get your attention. J
However, if you know me at all, then you know that I have never (and will never) belittle or speak negatively about our Board of County Commissioners in their positions as commissioners. I will always attempt to clarify some of their actions if I disagree with them but I will not criticize our County Commissioners for doing the jobs they were elected to do just because I may have chosen to do it differently. I have discussed issues with each of our Commissioners and I appreciate their perspectives. With that said, I will continue to discuss or provide logical or factual information to our commissioners as long as it is beneficial to the County of Nye, the Town of Pahrump, our community and its progress, and my commitment to you specifically as a Town Board member.
So, this Open Letter is not to “bash” the Board of Nye County Commissioners (BoCC). It is merely to speak “openly” to only ONE Commissioner in his position away from the Board of County Commissioners. I will speak to Dan Schinhofen about some of his statements in his weekly Pahrump Mirror Newspaper column entitled, “Ramblings of a Madman.” I hope to clarify some of the mis-information or slanted information he has printed in his column about the Pahrump Town Board. Although I read his column, I do not respond because, as the title indicates, it really is the ‘ramblings of a madman’ and should not be taken seriously. It seems evident that other Town Board members feel the same way since I’ve seen no response to his ‘slanted’ information that he prints as fact. However, since some of our residents actually believe some of the ramblings, I felt I should attempt to set the record straight. No, I have no intention of writing a column to offset his column and this will probably be the last Open Letter about anything in his column. Please remember that he has stated that his column is controversial … a ploy often used by individuals to gain a “following” based on radical or twisted statements which insights prejudices. And, controversial it is. However, when he chooses to bash the decisions of the members of the Pahrump Town Board without knowing specific information regarding our research or asking us why we voted a certain way, he unleashes an assumption that he “knows all” and we (the Town Board) do not.
Dan Schinhofen also mixes fact with fiction to make his points more believable. His political views are well known and everyone has a right to their political opinions. I must applaud him for managing to state most of the historical facts correctly from our ‘Founding Fathers.” Unfortunately, in his column, he has views from A to Z and sometimes he crosses the line into the “twilight zone” where fiction is reality only in his mind. Let me give you some examples from his August 2, and August 23, 2012 columns. I will summarize his statements as I understand them since I do not plan to reprint his column.
Let’s begin with the August 2nd column. Dan Schinhofen stated that the Town has made NO progress on the Fairgrounds without mentioning the progress that has been made such as the approval to proceed with the soccer fields. Again, he insinuates that he knows more than anyone else without checking with the people in charge of the progress. I would ask that he check with Mr. Bill Kohbarger (the Town Manager) or Mr. Matt Luis (the Town’s Building & Grounds Manager) before stating erroneous information as fact. Personally, I always check with a Commissioner or Mr. Dave Fanning before I state anything about Blagg Road to ensure I report information accurately.
Then, he stated that the Town Board raised property taxes two years in a row without explaining the details. I shall provide you the facts. The state of Nevada reviews the tax situation state-wide. Then, the state makes recommendations of the “tax rate” needed to maintain the SAME LEVEL of services. This tax rate can ONLY be raised if the county, city, or town has not reached their maximum allowable rate. Since the Town of Pahrump had NOT reached the maximum allowable rate, we had to make a decision to maintain the SAME LEVEL of services or reduce the level of services. Please remember that the Town of Pahrump has responsibility ONLY for the Parks (including the Fairgrounds), the Cemetery, the Swimming Pool, and the Fire Department. Yes, we could have kept the same tax rate and closed one or two of the parks or fired some Fire Department personnel; however, we chose instead to provide the SAME LEVEL of services to the citizens of Pahrump by accepting the state-recommended tax rate. Of course you can ask Dan Schinhofen if the county is already at the maximum allowable tax rate and has nowhere else to go. As I stated, the Town of Pahrump is NOT at our maximum rate because we chose to accept the state-recommended tax rate and maintain the SAME LEVEL of services.
Now, let’s look at the August 23rd column. Again, Dan Schinhofen displays “selective amnesia” when he stated that “The Town Board could have come to the County Commission and asked for the question (of Incorporation) to be put on the ballot,” when this was actually done in 2011. According to the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) Agenda dated January 11, 2011, under Other Business, item number 32a., quoted here for accuracy:
OTHER BUSINESS
32 Town Boards/Town Advisory Boards
a. Action – Discussion, deliberation, and possible decision on placing an Advisory Question on the November 2012 General Election asking the voters of the Town of Pahrump whether they wish the Town of Pahrump to be Incorporated.
32 Town Boards/Town Advisory Boards
a. Action – Discussion, deliberation, and possible decision on placing an Advisory Question on the November 2012 General Election asking the voters of the Town of Pahrump whether they wish the Town of Pahrump to be Incorporated.
According to Dan Schinhofen during the January 2011 meeting, he stated that the District Attorney told him that the BoCC had NO authority to place Incorporation of the Town of Pahrump on the ballot. I guess we shouldn’t remind him of that but maybe he should review BoCC agendas and meeting minutes before writing his column.
The NRS is clear that the BoCC can only place removal of an elected Town Board on the ballot if they “determine” that the Town Board form of government is no longer beneficial to the Town. He made that determination in July 2012 and pushed to place it on the ballot and then attempted to tie it to an Incorporation effort. Whether you are ‘for’ or ‘against’ Incorporation for Pahrump, just state the facts and tell the truth. Then, in his column, he takes a “leap into the twilight zone” by condoning and supporting a poorly written Town Ordinance which violated Nevada State Law where repealing this ordinance had absolutely nothing to do with Incorporation. It was merely a poorly crafted and poorly written ordinance that violated Nevada Law and should have never been passed. The Town Board had the responsibility and authority to repeal it.
When or if you read his column, you can readily and easily see that it truly is the “Ramblings of a Madman.”
Since Commissioner Schinhofen is the person who initially PUSHED for the BoCC to take over the Town’s Local Government, his ramblings in his column is all I will mention. He clearly insinuates that he could run the local government better when your elected Town Board becomes an Advisory Board under the Board of County Commissioners. Please remember that the Pahrump Town Board is YOUR local government and you need people on the Board to represent your best interests in an honest and ethical manner. I will continue to ask that you retain control of your Local Government by electing experienced citizens to serve your Local Government as members of your Town Board. It is up to you to take a positive stand for yourselves and the direction which you choose for Pahrump.
Please know that your vote in November has NO impact on my term of office. My term of office, according to Nevada Law, ends on December 31, 2014. However, to retain control of your local government beyond that date: Remember to vote NO in November when you see the BALLOT QUESTION, “Shall the Pahrump elected town board form of government be discontinued?” Vote “NO” so you can retain your local government.
If you choose to reduce your Town Board to ONLY an “advisory board”, you will have LOST your option to control or participate in decisions within our community. We would then be governed by the Nye County Commissioners … NOT by your local Town Board. Therefore, I encourage each of you to retain your local government by voting “NO” to the above question.
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