Emily Is Pinocchio, Casey Is Mighty

While most West Wendover candidates stuck mostly to the facts in Monday’s candidates forum, mayoral challenger Emily Carter told two huge whoppers to win that evenings Pinocchio award.

The first was Carter’s implication that Mayor Donnie Anderson broke a campaign promise to bring a hospital to Wendover during the last campaign four years ago.

“I never made that promise,” Anderson said Wednesday night. “I did say that the $10 million on the new city hall could have been used for more worthy causes like getting a small urgent care center. And I still stand by that statement.”

A search of the Advocate’s archives supported Anderson’s contention that no hospital promise was ever made by Anderson or anyone else during the campaign of four years ago in either political ads or statements in news stories.

Carter’s second nose was earned by her claim that during her reelection bid two years ago Advocate Publisher Howard Copelan called her names during a candidates forum the newspaper hosted.

That also was not true. Carter did not attend that forum.

“Maybe she misremembered,” said Copelan. “But she simply was not there. We have never attacked her personally although we have criticized her for her actions and votes as a councilwoman particularly over the City Hall and for the Rusty Palms and for what many perceive as her antibusiness agenda.”

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The Advocate story run October 29, 2010 read:

All three incumbents the so called Peppermill Councilmen were no shows at the Advocate’s Candidate forum Tuesday night.

“They (Emily Carter, Allan Rowley II and Roy Briggs) were all notified by phone and e-mail,” said Publisher Howard Copelan. “At least two said they were coming, I guess they lied.”

Two other candidates Bosco Pereira and Beth Bellio also did not attend but did inform the publisher two days before the forum that both would be away from Wendover on personal business.

“Too bad they missed it,” Copelan added. “But the video of it is up being webcast now. It is one of the more popular current items on our page in just 24 hours it has been downloaded 40 times, not bad for an hour long political video.”

The five candidates who did make the forum answered ten questions regarding West Wendover budget, business climate and their plans for the future. To see the video of the event go to www.coyote-tv.com.

Monday’s candidate forum where Carter made her charges can be seen in its entirety at: http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/25624/3810474?wpid=10912.

While Carter’s unique take on history may have cause mild outrage and eye rolling, it was council candidate Casey Snyder who came out head and shoulders above the rest for the night from his opening statement reprinted below the owner of the Wendover ambulance service pulled no punches and gave no quarter.

Some of you who’ve met me, it’s been under less than ideal circumstances.  I’ve been invited into your home to care for you or your loved ones in your time of need, and for that I am humbled and honored.

For those who’ve not met me, I not only manage the ambulance service, I am actively involved in caring for our patients, too.  I believe when you’re tasked with managing and overseeing an operation, large or small, the best approach is to be directly involved, hands-on.  It allows you to engage with your employees, be there side-by-side with them.  Know what’s working, what needs changed, and what doesn’t work.  Simply managing from an office, behind a desk, looking at reports causes you to lose touch with what’s really happening.

Before moving to Wendover, I owned a computer and networking business.  I contracted with an agency of the federal government for 8 years, providing support for their information technology systems.  After that, my wife and I started an adult probation business.  We alleviated the workload on the state’s corrections system by providing supervision of adult offenders.  After selling our probation business, I moved to Wendover in 2007 to manage the ambulance service.

• I’ve watched the city build the Taj Mahal.

• I’ve seen new business come to town and fold, never opening their doors, due to the city

• I’ve watched the city’s workforce take pay cuts, and the public works dept. lose employees

• I’ve seen the city spend tens of thousands of dollars to recruit a CFO, only to end up hiring a friend of the council.

• I’ve watched the council bring shame and embarrassment to the city through blatant ethics violations, and those same council still serving today.

• I’ve seen the city send “extortion” letters to Newmont, only to bring shame and embarrassment upon the city regarding water issues with Big Springs.

• I’ve watched the city threaten my business, the ambulance service, directly with bullying tactics of taking over the ambulance service.

• And, of course, the latest saga is seeing the city attempt to get into the gas business by buying the troubled Wendover Gas Company.

While certainly the most impassioned Snyder’s criticism of the city was echoed by Mayor Donnie Anderson and fellow council candidate Gerado Rodriguez.

Almost running as a challenger rather than as an incumbent Anderson has continually blasted the city council led by Carter as being anti growth and for wasting money on so called beautification projects.

But while earning the title as Mayor veto, Anderson has much more often than not been on the losing side of the veto override vote.

His one victory, against the city bailout of Wendover Gas came not by a stroke of the pen but rather in a series of telephone calls.

Anderson thwarted at least temporarily the city’s takeover of the financially trouble Wendover Gas Company by making a half a dozen phone calls.

With the item on the agenda calling for the immediate takeover of the company on an emergency basis, Anderson along with councilman Izzy Gutierrez, his only political ally on the council called over a half a dozen local and regional propane suppliers to determine if private enterprise could come to the rescue rather than the publicly funded city takeover.

“I saw this as kind of a back door effort by some to buy the gas company,” Anderson said. “And I also wanted to see that if there really was a crisis coming and the city was the only option. We must have made at least a half a dozen if not more phone calls and every single company we contacted said they were willing and able to supply Wendover Gas Company customers should it go bankrupt.”

After Anderson and Gutierrez presented their findings to the council the item was tabled but not before harsh words were exchanged between Anderson Wendover Gas Company owner Nancy Green and councilmen Johnny Gorum and Emily carter.

Both Gorum and Carter have pushed for the city bailout of the Wendover Gas company, estimated to cost between $2 million to $2.5 million. Anderson has vigorously opposed the idea, going so far to veto a feasibility study earlier this year. The veto was overridden but the mayor made his point clear.

“I don’t like to see any local business fail,” he said. “But I don’t think the city should be in the business of bailing out failed companies. I sympathize with Nancy and a lot of her problem were caused in part by the city but tax payers money should not be used to bail her out. There is no crisis, if she goes under there are companies ready to come in to service her customers.”