Pershing County voters chose two new county commissioners in the June 11 primary election - Connie Gottschalk and Charles (Chuck) Sayles. The outgoing commissioners are Larry Rackley and Shayla Hudson.
In April, the 11th Judicial Court disqualified Wendy Nelsen from the race, finding she did not reside in the county. She disagreed but accepted the decision. Nelsen threw her support to Gottschalk and Sayles.
Each commissioner's race split about 60 - 40. Six hundred and ninety voters decided between Gottschalk and Rackley. Gottschalk received 56.96 percent (393 votes) to Rackley's 43.04 percent (297 votes).
Six hundred and thirty-six voters decided between Sayles and Hudson. Sayles received 61.16 percent (389 votes) to Hudson's 38.84 percent (247 votes).
Clerk-treasurer Lacey Donaldson described the turnout as "very low - about 29.5 percent." In past primaries, participation hovered around 40 percent with a dip to 37 percent in 2022.
Business owner Lee Ann Gallagher hazarded a guess as to the reasons behind the low turnout.
"Heat, frustration with politics in general, the commissioners being decided in the primary and confusion," she said. "I had three people tell me they voted for Tina (Gallagher) for the school board. She's not on the ballot until November."
Larry Rackley vented his frustration with the results.
“This election cycle was poorly attended by registered voters in our county, and that low turnout resulted in the bad results we now face,” he said by email.
Both outgoing commissioners shared their accomplishments and concerns.
When he leaves office on Dec. 31, Rackley will have served eight years as commissioner. During Covid, he and his wife Barb kept the senior center functioning and cooked and delivered hot meals to the homebound.
"I delivered, and Barb cleaned up," he said.
Another of his major projects was Derby Field, the public airport nine miles southwest of Lovelock. Rackley obtained an FAA grant to install a taxiway for pilot safety.
"We now have water for fire safety and potential economic development," he says. Rackley lambasted a group he calls the "pitchfork crew" for failing to understand the importance of a rural airport.
"The 'pitchfork crew' are a group of local critics who complain about anything done that is not their idea," he explained. "They support what is important to them, and this is not necessarily good for the county."
"The airport serves as a fueling site for general aviation and a place for corporate aircraft to bring business passengers to our area. It will soon have aircraft hangar sites for those that want to invest in having their aircraft based here," he said. He envisions new county businesses and housing as a result.
On May 22, Gottschalk, a casino manager and former ER nurse, spoke to a group of voters gathered at the community center for candidate's night. The Lovelock Lions Club sponsored the event.
"Our budget needs an overhaul. We have a spending problem and our priorities are off," Gottschalk said. She called for less spending on "pet projects" and more attention to the police, fire department and streets.
Hudson served 12 years on the school board. After she termed out, Pershing County voters elected her to the county commission. At the end of her term, she will have served four years.
She and Rackley agree that lack of revenue is the county's biggest problem.
"Budget-wise, we do what we can with the revenue we receive from taxes and grants," said Rackley.
"Our revenue has been flat or declining the last few years. Yes, we have a couple of mines that may be coming in. That would be a significant source of revenue, but I'm concerned about the water," Hudson said by email.
“Nevada is the driest state in the nation. Every basin in Nevada is over appropriated and most are over pumped. If our local producers don’t receive the water, it costs the county millions of dollars along with the growers.”
During her time on the board, Hudson obtained three million dollars in funding for phases one and two of the Imlay water system. She hopes to get phase three funded this fall. The funding came from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) in the form of a principal forgiveness loan.
She sits on the State Water Engineer’s office working group. They coordinate with the Nevada Division of Water Resources (NDWR) to manage the Humboldt River system. Its management profoundly affects the Lovelock Valley.
“This was a great honor because I was nominated by other stakeholders. It was a significant step for the county because before I was nominated, our only voice was the Pershing County Water Conservation District,” she said.
Sayles, a retired miner, has long been a familiar face at the commissioner’s meetings.
On candidate’s night, he shared his impressions with the voters. “They make a lot of good decisions and a lot of decisions I don’t agree with. I’m not going to promise you the moon, but I do believe in listening to everybody. We want to hear your ideas. I have a different perspective on things I’d like to bring to the commission,” he said.
Gottschalk and Sayles will join Joe Crim as county commissioners at the first meeting in Jan 2025. Pershing County voters elected Crim in January 2023. He’s up for reelection in June 2027.
The Pershing County Commissioners meet at the courthouse the first and third Wednesdays of each month. They can be reached at 775-273-2342