Candidates Night offers insight before early voting starts

It’s that time again— to cast votes and have a say. Early voting begins Oct. 22 for the 2022 General Election and regular voting begins Nov.8.

Candidates for Winnemucca City Council,Humboldt County School District Board of Trustees, Mayor, Humboldt County Hospital Board District Board of Trustees, Humboldt County Recorder, and District Attorney were at the Humboldt County Chamber of Commerce’s Candidate Night to shake hands and answer questions from the public.

Winnemucca City Council 

Candidates running for Winnemucca City Council Seat 4, which is currently occupied by Councilman Jim Billingsley who will be terming out this year, were the first to hit the stage. 

Both candidates—Jaci Jackson and Ashley Maden—were asked to identify major concerns within Winnemucca. 

Maden identified the lack of affordable housing, the need for support of local small businesses, helping people be informed, and the need for a new aquatics center for the community. 

“I am aiming to answer questions and be a voice and understand what the issues are going on in our community,” said Maden.

Jackson identified housing as well and added that she would like to see more revitalization of the downtown area to attract growth and would work to help keep Winnemucca clean. 

“I want the best for our City. I want to see our City do great things and continue to grow in a positive way,” said Jackson.

Humboldt County School District Board of Trustees

Candidate Lori Woodland- Echevarria, who currently holds a seat on the Humboldt County School District Board of Trustees, was the only candidate present and was asked some weighty questions about dress codes, transdenger restrooms, and autonomy for principles.

Woodland explained that she believes in enforcing a dress code to minimize distractions for students and she believes that the school district should provide all staff and students with the tools they need to succeed.  

“I believe in empowerment. Give someone a job and let them do it the way they want to do it… When you empower people you give them ownership of something… When someone has ownership they want to see it succeed,” said Woodland-Echevarria about autonomy for principles. 

Candidates Ron Moser, Patrict Stewart, and Robert Johnson were not present. Moser and Stewart sent letters of intent which were read as introductions to the forum for the School Board.  

Mayor 

Rich Stone, running for a second term as Mayor, and candidate Chauntall Jones were asked many questions, including what their main concerns would be as Mayor and how they might spend a million dollar grant if one was awarded to the City.

Jones explained that keeping the City safe and cultivating growth for recreation is very important to her. Beautifying the City would also play a key role in attracting new businesses for recreation. 

Stone said that he would put the money towards plans for a new aquatics center, which has been a main concern of the City Council for a long time now. 

Both agreed that a million dollars does not spend like it used to. 

Humboldt County Hospital Board District Board of Trustees 

Candidate Jill Stepper was present to answer questions from the public about general Hospital Board concerns. Dale Hartley is also running, but was not present. 

Stepper said one of her main concerns as a Board member would be to attract quality providers to Humboldt General Hospital.

“We have a beautiful facility and we need to be able to attract providers,” said Stepper. 

Humboldt County Recorder 

Candidates for Recorder are Tia Lange and Gene Hunt. Each have years of experience recording documents in different capacities. 

 Lange is currently one of the Deputy Recorders at the Humboldt County Recorder’s Office and wants to start new programs at the office that would get kids involved, do some restructuring and open the Office during lunch.

Hunt said he has gained managerial skills and is familiar with budget through his experience as an escrow Officer. He said would open the Office during the lunch hour that is currently closed to help out those that may need services at that time and apply his management skills to make the Office function efficiently.  

District Attorney

Kevin Pasquale and Massey Mayo-Case, the last to take the stage, are both running for District Attorney and had very polarized answers to questions from the public. 

“I have made a career out of holding people accountable for their actions,” said Pasquale, and explained an aversion to what George W. Bush called “soft bigotry of low expectations”.

“The less we expect of people, the less we are going to get…How do we beat this soft bigotry of low expectations?—Certainly not with more community/social programs. In those programs and community approach, crime is expected.” said Pasquale. 

“My primary goal in running for District Attorney is to ensure that my children have a safe community to grow up in and your children and your families also have a safe community to grow up in. This is about us—this isn’t about me—and what we can do to improve our public safety and our criminal justice system, ” said Mayo-Case.

“The public should be afforded the ability to hold the DA’s Office accountable and to do so through measuring results, that includes a conviction rate but it also includes something more than that. It includes the ability to know what the DA is bringing and doing to the community, what new programs are out there—Are they effective?— and where does the DA see the future of criminal justice and public safety going,” said Mayo-Case.