Sean Lehmann for Ward 1 Supervisor
Issues
There are many significant issues facing Carson City today. During this campaign you will hear me talk a lot about "priorities first". I believe that the vast majority of concerns facing our community can be achieved using common sense and prioritization. I always welcome feedback from you, the voters of Carson City at sean@seanlehmann.com.
DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT
With the promise of a major partnership with the Nugget, this is a big issue at the moment. The preliminary plans are very intriguing. Plans include a new library, a business incubator, a digital media lab, urban housing, entertainment venues and a downtown "meeting center". I believe this project would provide direct benefits to many residents of Carson City and could provide a needed stimulus to our economy. However, as details emerge there are some elements that concern me. First and foremost is the huge amount of money that Carson City will be required to invest in the project. Secondly, a private developer/investor has not been identified. Third, I was originally under the impression that the Nugget was donating land to the city. That is not true, the Nugget will be leasing the land to the city. Make no mistake, the Nugget has always been a generous community member, but we need to learn more about the details of this project. I still support the vision behind the project, but every effort should be made to secure private financing before asking the city to make such a large investment. If this is not feasible, voters should have their say if additional tax revenue is needed. In fact, I believe voters should always have a say if it involves raising taxes.
There are still plans on the table involving reducing Carson Street to 2 lanes with parallel parking. I believe that the parallel parking part of the plan should be revisited. One option that I would still encourage is looking at eliminating all traffic through downtown and rather having a pedestrian plaza that could tie in nicely to the Nugget project. Any meaningful redevelopment downtown will always depend on completing the freeway.
Outside of the downtown area there are additional properties that need to be addressed. The old K-Mart and Ormsby House come to mind. I would like to see every effort made to get our vacant buildings occupied and put to use. If the city is going to give financial incentives to developers, there needs to be a commitment to finish these projects in a timely manner.
CITY BUDGET
Recently the city has proposed layoffs as a means to balance the budget. Being as personnel make up the great majority of the budget, it is inevitable that employees will be affected. I would much prefer to see salary reductions than layoffs. Myself and many other workers have seen salary reductions in this economy. By decreasing salaries, the City would maintain its current services and all employees would be allowed to keep their jobs. We should start salary reductions at the top. Not too long ago several of the top brass at the Sheriff's department received huge salary increases. Many top level managers make six figure incomes. I believe there is room to trim these salaries.
PUBLIC SAFETY
We all value public safety and as Supervisor I will do all I can to support both our Sheriff and Fire Department. However, the ballot question in the last election made it quite clear that voters would like to see these Departments live within their means without additional taxes being levied on citizens. One way to secure additional funding for Public Safety without raising taxes is to pursue grants.
STIMULUS FUNDS
The Federal Stimulus program is certainly something you love or hate. Regardless of your position on this program, we need to pursue it. If we are not in line for every last penny of stimulus funds, another city or state will be. Nevada already ranks near the bottom in return of our federal tax dollars. We should do all we can to secure stimulus money during this economy.
TAXES
I have and always will be financially conservative. As a small business owner I have to be. I know the value of keeping to a budget and cutting costs. In my own business, revenues are down significantly. The same is true at the government level. As tax revenue to governments continues to decline, some raise the possibility of raising taxes. I oppose this. There is always room to cut out waste before raising taxes. However, if citizens elect to tax themselves for any reason, I would support that. For instance, Carson City residents did approve a tax increase several years ago for parks, recreation and open space. Oftentimes citizens are willing to pay for projects that directly benefit them.
V&T RAILROAD
This was the issue that originally spurred my interest in local government. I was quite upset that the Board of Supervisors raised our taxes to pay for this project without our consent. However, now that we are all stakeholders in this project, I would most certainly like it to succeed. As Supervisor, I would work to see that this project provides an economic benefit to our community. Yet I will not support any more taxes for this project. It is not a local government's place to build tourist attractions. This is another area will stimulus funds and grants can be pursued, and have.
CARSON CITY FREEWAY
I was very happy to see the latest leg of the freeway opened to Fairview Drive. The citizens of Carson City have been paying a five cents per gallon tax for years in order to see this project to completion. It has not yet been completed, nor is there a firm date to do so. I don't think our financial commitment to this should be open ended. If NDOT can not give us an agreeable date to complete the entire freeway, we should seriously reconsider our continued financial support.
OPEN SPACE
I believe the key to preserving the remaining open space in Carson City is through the use of conservation easements. By buying conservation easements the city saves on the purchase price of a property. The development rights are stripped from the property and it remains open space into perpetuity. One area where the city has done a great job is in providing trails into many of these open spaces. These trails also run through many of our parks and into our neighborhoods. This is something I will continue to support.
FAMILY
As the father of two young sons, this will always be extremely important to me. Many have voiced their opinion that there are few family friendly venues in this town. I will always be a strong supporter of any project that will provide family oriented activities. As a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission I have vocally supported the ice rink as one such venue. It has been encouraging to me that many families and even teenagers have used the ice rink. There is also an urban fishing pond that will be completed this year. As Supervisor, I will continue to pursue a permanent ice rink that could also be used as a splash pad in the summer. This would be much more cost effective than renting a rink every winter. The ice rink was never intended to be a revenue generator for the city, but rather a recreational endeavor that residents have voted to fund in the past. I would never support using general funds from the city or tax increases for this type of project. The recent remodel of Carson Lanes is a fine example of private business stepping up to the plate.
UNDERAGE SMOKING
It is currently legal for youth of all ages to possess and use tobacco products in Carson City. At a recent meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the issue of Mills Park was discussed. Sheriff Furlong repeatedly said there was nothing he could do about students smoking there because it's not against the law. The only thing illegal for a minor is to purchase tobacco products. I find this to be absolutely deplorable public health policy. Although adults are free to smoke if they choose, we should do whatever we can to prevent youth from starting. With current policy, we are essentially encouraging smoking by our youth. If elected Supervisor, I will propose a city ordinance banning the possession and use of all tobacco products by minors.
WORKING TOGETHER
After living in Carson City for nearly a decade, I have noticed many groups that tend to polarize their views. Natives versus Californians, retirees versus current workers, and differences between various ethnic groups are some that come to mind. All of these groups have attributes that Carson City needs. Instead of focusing on our differences, I believe we need to work together to build a better community and not get hung up on trivial differences. As Supervisor, I will always be open to your comments and suggestions. I intend on discussing the citizens' concerns at Board of Supervisors meetings. We all share the Eagle Valley and the only way we will be truly successful is to involve everyone.
There are many more issues that are important to our community. Every candidate will agree that education and maintaining city infrastructure are important. I have tried to highlight here a few items that are unique to Carson City and how I would handle them versus other candidates. I look forward to detailed discussions involving all these issues and many more as the campaign progresses. Should you wish to further discuss any issue or make suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at sean@seanlehmann.com. You can also discuss local politics with myself and others at www.carsontalk.com.
**NOTE ABOUT PARTY AFFILIATION**
The race for Carson City Supervisor in nonpartisan. Candidates will not run on a party ticket or platform.
DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT
With the promise of a major partnership with the Nugget, this is a big issue at the moment. The preliminary plans are very intriguing. Plans include a new library, a business incubator, a digital media lab, urban housing, entertainment venues and a downtown "meeting center". I believe this project would provide direct benefits to many residents of Carson City and could provide a needed stimulus to our economy. However, as details emerge there are some elements that concern me. First and foremost is the huge amount of money that Carson City will be required to invest in the project. Secondly, a private developer/investor has not been identified. Third, I was originally under the impression that the Nugget was donating land to the city. That is not true, the Nugget will be leasing the land to the city. Make no mistake, the Nugget has always been a generous community member, but we need to learn more about the details of this project. I still support the vision behind the project, but every effort should be made to secure private financing before asking the city to make such a large investment. If this is not feasible, voters should have their say if additional tax revenue is needed. In fact, I believe voters should always have a say if it involves raising taxes.
There are still plans on the table involving reducing Carson Street to 2 lanes with parallel parking. I believe that the parallel parking part of the plan should be revisited. One option that I would still encourage is looking at eliminating all traffic through downtown and rather having a pedestrian plaza that could tie in nicely to the Nugget project. Any meaningful redevelopment downtown will always depend on completing the freeway.
Outside of the downtown area there are additional properties that need to be addressed. The old K-Mart and Ormsby House come to mind. I would like to see every effort made to get our vacant buildings occupied and put to use. If the city is going to give financial incentives to developers, there needs to be a commitment to finish these projects in a timely manner.
CITY BUDGET
Recently the city has proposed layoffs as a means to balance the budget. Being as personnel make up the great majority of the budget, it is inevitable that employees will be affected. I would much prefer to see salary reductions than layoffs. Myself and many other workers have seen salary reductions in this economy. By decreasing salaries, the City would maintain its current services and all employees would be allowed to keep their jobs. We should start salary reductions at the top. Not too long ago several of the top brass at the Sheriff's department received huge salary increases. Many top level managers make six figure incomes. I believe there is room to trim these salaries.
PUBLIC SAFETY
We all value public safety and as Supervisor I will do all I can to support both our Sheriff and Fire Department. However, the ballot question in the last election made it quite clear that voters would like to see these Departments live within their means without additional taxes being levied on citizens. One way to secure additional funding for Public Safety without raising taxes is to pursue grants.
STIMULUS FUNDS
The Federal Stimulus program is certainly something you love or hate. Regardless of your position on this program, we need to pursue it. If we are not in line for every last penny of stimulus funds, another city or state will be. Nevada already ranks near the bottom in return of our federal tax dollars. We should do all we can to secure stimulus money during this economy.
TAXES
I have and always will be financially conservative. As a small business owner I have to be. I know the value of keeping to a budget and cutting costs. In my own business, revenues are down significantly. The same is true at the government level. As tax revenue to governments continues to decline, some raise the possibility of raising taxes. I oppose this. There is always room to cut out waste before raising taxes. However, if citizens elect to tax themselves for any reason, I would support that. For instance, Carson City residents did approve a tax increase several years ago for parks, recreation and open space. Oftentimes citizens are willing to pay for projects that directly benefit them.
V&T RAILROAD
This was the issue that originally spurred my interest in local government. I was quite upset that the Board of Supervisors raised our taxes to pay for this project without our consent. However, now that we are all stakeholders in this project, I would most certainly like it to succeed. As Supervisor, I would work to see that this project provides an economic benefit to our community. Yet I will not support any more taxes for this project. It is not a local government's place to build tourist attractions. This is another area will stimulus funds and grants can be pursued, and have.
CARSON CITY FREEWAY
I was very happy to see the latest leg of the freeway opened to Fairview Drive. The citizens of Carson City have been paying a five cents per gallon tax for years in order to see this project to completion. It has not yet been completed, nor is there a firm date to do so. I don't think our financial commitment to this should be open ended. If NDOT can not give us an agreeable date to complete the entire freeway, we should seriously reconsider our continued financial support.
OPEN SPACE
I believe the key to preserving the remaining open space in Carson City is through the use of conservation easements. By buying conservation easements the city saves on the purchase price of a property. The development rights are stripped from the property and it remains open space into perpetuity. One area where the city has done a great job is in providing trails into many of these open spaces. These trails also run through many of our parks and into our neighborhoods. This is something I will continue to support.
FAMILY
As the father of two young sons, this will always be extremely important to me. Many have voiced their opinion that there are few family friendly venues in this town. I will always be a strong supporter of any project that will provide family oriented activities. As a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission I have vocally supported the ice rink as one such venue. It has been encouraging to me that many families and even teenagers have used the ice rink. There is also an urban fishing pond that will be completed this year. As Supervisor, I will continue to pursue a permanent ice rink that could also be used as a splash pad in the summer. This would be much more cost effective than renting a rink every winter. The ice rink was never intended to be a revenue generator for the city, but rather a recreational endeavor that residents have voted to fund in the past. I would never support using general funds from the city or tax increases for this type of project. The recent remodel of Carson Lanes is a fine example of private business stepping up to the plate.
UNDERAGE SMOKING
It is currently legal for youth of all ages to possess and use tobacco products in Carson City. At a recent meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the issue of Mills Park was discussed. Sheriff Furlong repeatedly said there was nothing he could do about students smoking there because it's not against the law. The only thing illegal for a minor is to purchase tobacco products. I find this to be absolutely deplorable public health policy. Although adults are free to smoke if they choose, we should do whatever we can to prevent youth from starting. With current policy, we are essentially encouraging smoking by our youth. If elected Supervisor, I will propose a city ordinance banning the possession and use of all tobacco products by minors.
WORKING TOGETHER
After living in Carson City for nearly a decade, I have noticed many groups that tend to polarize their views. Natives versus Californians, retirees versus current workers, and differences between various ethnic groups are some that come to mind. All of these groups have attributes that Carson City needs. Instead of focusing on our differences, I believe we need to work together to build a better community and not get hung up on trivial differences. As Supervisor, I will always be open to your comments and suggestions. I intend on discussing the citizens' concerns at Board of Supervisors meetings. We all share the Eagle Valley and the only way we will be truly successful is to involve everyone.
There are many more issues that are important to our community. Every candidate will agree that education and maintaining city infrastructure are important. I have tried to highlight here a few items that are unique to Carson City and how I would handle them versus other candidates. I look forward to detailed discussions involving all these issues and many more as the campaign progresses. Should you wish to further discuss any issue or make suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at sean@seanlehmann.com. You can also discuss local politics with myself and others at www.carsontalk.com.
**NOTE ABOUT PARTY AFFILIATION**
The race for Carson City Supervisor in nonpartisan. Candidates will not run on a party ticket or platform.
