…But Not With The Storey County Commission

I often write about the topic of Public Comment in the Storey County Commission Meetings. My most recent article (not a blog post) about the matter drew some interesting chatter on the Virginia City Highlands email discussion board (not a blog).

The reason I continue to chew this bone is that at the most basic and fundamental level, forcing the public to wait to the end of the Commission Meeting discourages public participation.

The chatter on the email board was great. Among the highlights were:

• Just an FYI, there are seat cushions available at the front of the courthouse
• Public Comment should be at the front of the meeting. The Commissioners and all county employees work for us – the taxpayer – the PUBLIC.
• Admit it, Sam, you just want an audience. You need to call attention to yourself and if it hurts the county so much the better.
• Some of us work for a living. Comments before, during or after are irrelevant if we can’t make the meeting because it is held for the county’s convenience, not the taxpayers’.
• As late as June 2012 Public Comment was at the beginning of the meeting.
• I used to cringe listening, knowing that their (the public commenters) whole point was to embarrass the county. They made us all look like a bunch of goobers in front of folks we needed to do business with.
• Keep ranting about dumb stuff and nobody will read. Start talking sense and gain viewers. Get it together, man.
• Then why have public meetings if they just provide a forum for us wackos? Do all of the county’s business behind closed doors. No members of the public allowed. They just get in the way of doing the County’s business.
• You want everyone’s attention, but not because you want the commissioners to listen to you. You are seeking a wider audience.
• I just miss the Squid!!!!
• How long have you been doing what you do, the same way, over and over, with the same failed results? The definition of insanity, right?

Small Potatoes?

In the grand scheme of things, this just may be small potatoes. Teeny ones, perhaps.

However, the reason I won’t drop this bone is because of what it screams in the face of every person in Storey County: You don’t matter.

In fact, since I have been attending Commission Meetings since returning to Gold Hill in 2016, there has been a troublesome recurring theme. Special Interests and the business interests of Commissioner Lance Gilman come way before the interests the residents of Storey County.

Commissioner Gilman likes to remind us that it is because Good Old Boys do things differently Storey County that we are (and he is) successful. Sadly, this is not one of the places where we are worse off than every other constituent in Nevada.

In August, 2019, Storey County is the only County In Nevada that does not put public comment at the very beginning of each meeting. Even the Cities of Las Vegas and Reno have the guts to let the dignitaries see the dirty laundry. See the Agendas of all Counties, Reno and Las Vegas below.

Public participation should be encouraged, not discouraged.

In Storey County, our Commissioners don’t just discourage it, they punch it in the face.

¡Hasta la Victoria, Siempre!

And now a word from our Sponsor:

Actually, you are our sponsor. We here at The Teller would like you to know it takes a lot of work to keep up with things here in The Richest Place On Earth. Please take a moment to subscribe to receive new articles automatically via email when they hit. If you already do, thank you, and please ask a friend to do the same. Like us on Facebook if you are feeling generous, consider making a donation to our legal defense fund.

The Teller – keeping it real in the 847 since 2017.

All Nevada County Commission Meeting Agendas for August 2019.

I took the time to check every County Commission Agenda in Nevada as well as the agendas of Reno and Las Vegas. Of all the public meetings in Nevada in the month of August, everyone except Storey County wants their constituents to come first. Screen shots and source pages are provided for your viewing pleasure. These images are screen shots. In some cases, the screen shots were modified for clearer illustration.

All source documents can be viewed by clicking on the link below each image.