Concerned Citizens host town hall meeting

Around 40 people, including three city council candidates, gathered in the City/County Community Center Thursday night for a town hall meeting hosted by the "Concerned Citizens of Nevada."

Everyone attending the open forum was given the opportunity to express their concerns and questions about the community themselves or to submit them in writing for someone else to read.

We will present these questions to the city council during their April 4 meeting, Christina Davis, a member of the "Concerned Citizens," said.

A number of those in attendance took advantage of the format to anonymously express their concerns and questions about the city government and city council. None of the current city council members or city staff was in attendance. Russ Kemm, Bill Gillette and Dick Meyers were the only city council candidates in attendance.

The group had hoped for all six of the city council candidates to come as well as current council members and the city manager, the Police Chief and the Fire Chief, as well as, other city employees to attend and answer concerns about the current council and the city government.

"We hand delivered invitations to all the city council candidates," Christina Davis, said.

She said that they also delivered an invitation to the city hall and to the city council members.

However, when city council candidates Larry Bradley and Brian Leonard were contacted after the meeting they said that they had not received an invitation to the meeting and Robin Fisher could not be contacted.

"I was teaching a class and couldn't have come anyway," Bradley said.

Leonard, Nevada's current mayor, said that he did not know if any of the other city council members received an invitation. He also said that Bill Edmonds was recovering from an illness and would have been unable to attend.

The questions raised during the forum ranged from the petition audit to the animal shelter to youth activities.

Doug Larkin, who was one of the few people in the crowd to identify himself, wanted to know what was the status of the more than $30,000 of city money that is missing.

"If we get a new city council that question will likely be addressed," Christina Davis said, adding that his question would be presented to the city council April 4.

Other questions addressed concerns about the city adequately communicating issues to the public; does the city need another audit, which Kemm, Gillette and Meyers were against; what would these council candidates be willing to do to attract new industry to Nevada and a variety of other issues.

With no current council members or city employees present Meyers and Gillette were left on several occasions to provide an explanation of how and why the city does things in a certain manner.

For example: Meyers told the crowd that although he does not agree with the way it has been used in the past, the two-minute time limit for speaking at city council meetings was instituted so the council could conduct the business it must do in a reasonable period of time.