Incumbency a rare blessing in Tuesday’s rural city elections

Tom Gardner

Tuesday, June 3, 1997 | 11:33 a.m.

Incumbency - often a curse in Nevada - was a blessing on Tuesday as voters rewarded officeholders handsomely in a handful of rural elections.

Except in Ely.

There, voters who recalled George Chachas when he was mayor in 1994 and denied him a seat on the White Pine County Commission in November ousted him from the City Council seat he took by appointment in February.

Fellow Council member Charlie Basso, who endorsed Chachas, got the voters' hook as well.

Basso, Council member Georgiann Timko and Dorothy Phillips were targeted for recall after backing Chachas' appointment. They prevailed in court, but Timko did not seek re-election and Phillips has two years left in her term.

Voters ended Chachas' latest tenure with 382 votes to 822 for challenger Randy Conner. Basso came out of the political waters with a 310-874 dunking by Jean Kneese. Timko's seat went to Lettie McLaughlin with 731 to 464 for John Ferrari.

Incumbency fared better in Elko, where Lee Hoffman returned with 1,088 votes and John Ellison received another four years with 1,736. Out of the running were Nora Hatfield, who served on the board from 1991-1995, with 738 and newcomers Jim Conner with 900 and Carl Meyer with 297.

A hotly debated issue technically was only an advisory issue and voters said absolutely not to a 1 percent increase in the sales tax for four years to build a new hospital. It was "no" from 4,251 and "yes" from 1,255.

It was the only county-wide issue on the rural ballots.

In another city race, Winnemucca Mayor Paul Vesco has held the job for 10 years and will keep on going. Voters returned him with 983 votes to 450 for his challenger, Humboldt County Republican Chairman Mark Allemang.

There was only one sitting Council member seeking re-election out of a quartet of races. Joyce Sheen easily won a full term after being appointed last year, collecting 1,118 votes to 278 for Clyde Bennett.

Paul Miller stepped down, and Sharlet Berentsen stepped up. She had 604 votes in that race to 436 for Don Smit and 384 for Dewey Huckaba.

Joann Standbury received 679 votes to succeed Tom Smith. That Winnemucca Council race saw Mike Loupas with 507 and Andy Toth with 179.

Another opening left by another Miller saw Patty Herzog succeed Terry Miller. Her 734 votes topped the 542 of Joe Echevarria and the 137 polled by Clarice Thompson.

Fallon's lone City Council race may have been decided as soon as the absentee ballots were counted.

It was incumbent John Tewell in a walkover. The former Elko Council member swept to his second term with 162 votes to 16 for Jeff Bowlsby and eight for Paul Marsh.

The only other Council seat was just slightly less close. Incumbent Willis Swan was unopposed.

Lovelock voters gave encores to Council incumbents Ron Hardy and Mike Giles.

Hardy had 224 votes to 139 for former Lovelock police chief Bernie Schneider and 72 for businessman Harold Baker. Giles had 278 to outpoll Lovelock Correctional Center employees Don Glover, with 104, and Kim Terry, with 51.

Yerington City Council member Jack Pursel did not seek another term, but Ross Whitacre, who was appointed two years ago, sought voters' endorsement and got it. Madeline Sanford had 294 votes and Whitacre 270 to fill the available seats. Teresa Linch finished out of the running with 112.