Five Questions for Carson City Ward 3 Supervisor candidate Curtis Horton

In March, all candidates for local and state positions filed their intention to run for office, in everything from the senate to the school board.

The 2022 Nevada Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, June 14.

Early voting begins on Saturday, May 28 and runs through Friday, June 10.

The 2022 Nevada General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Early voting begins on Saturday, Oct. 22 and runs through Friday, Nov. 4.

Each candidate will be asked five questions relating to their position as a part of the Five Question series from Carson Now.

Curtis Horton is running to represent Ward 3.

1) What in your background do you believe makes you a great candidate for Carson City supervisor?

I have 35 years of experience working in city government as a respected leader, solving problems large and small daily, responding to emergencies, and developing solutions in critical situations. In my career, I have been challenged with making tough decisions regularly, which I am comfortable doing.

I have worked with our citizens and dealt with every complaint and concern imaginable throughout the entire city. Working with people in the community who are in difficult situations has given me a unique perspective of our citizen's needs and concerns. I have always made sure that I listen to people and understand their issues, and as we all know, some problems do not have simple solutions. However, dealing with those complex challenges and making hard decisions has helped make me a strong leader.

In my position, I was fortunate enough to have assisted and worked with every department in the city at one time or another, some more frequently than others; this has allowed me to understand the operational needs and concerns in completing their task. In addition, I have worked with outside agencies, sharing my expertise and experience helping to build regional relationships.

Over the years, I have developed programs, policies, and procedures to improve operations and enhance our ability to provide a higher quality of service to the community. I have assisted many other internal and external departments and agencies in doing the same.

2) What do you believe is the biggest issue facing Carson City currently?

All of the issues are big issues; the biggest one is funding. There's nothing simple about the challenges we face in the operation of our city. Infrastructure repair and maintenance and maintaining our assets, the possible expansion of the courts, potential relocations of city hall, the Juvenile facility are just a few challenges. Making sound decisions about how we utilize our funding is critical; understanding how all the city departments work and their actual needs is essential in prioritizing and making sound decisions.

3) What do you think the solution to that problem is?

We have to continue seeking funding opportunities through the state and federal programs available to us when they make sense. We need to take a close look at our existing programs and support the departments in their efforts to be as efficient as possible while providing the services our citizens need. I feel like our city staff do a great job providing information and work hard to manage their budgets. Still, in the end, we all know there is never enough funding to do all the things we need to do.

All of the issues we're facing will require making hard and sometimes unpopular decisions on prioritizing and funding, but that's what it takes.

4)What would you like the board or the city to focus on in the next five years?

We need to continue improving our asset management program to help prioritize our maintenance and repair issues. In addition, I would like to see current corridor projects completed and plan and implement a project for the city's North end. I would also like to see how we can repurpose unused and vacant buildings in our community. We also need to update the city master plan.

Maintaining public safety in our community is essential. We need an additional fire station, emergency operations center, and a backup dispatch facility. We need to continue to encourage and support the development of small businesses. We should continue to enhance our outdoor recreational opportunities, and we need to ensure we keep the city clean, safe, and inviting.

5) What is one thing you would like the voters to know about you or your platform?

I love my town; I enjoy helping people. I like the challenge of solving complex problems.

I am a man of few words, but if it needs to be said, I will be the first to say it; I listen well, and I make good decisions. You can ask anyone who knows me or has worked with me, and they will tell you I am honest, trustworthy, and always out front when the going gets tough. I have always been a leader, and I would like to continue using my experience and skills to serve my community.

You can follow Curtis Horton on Facebook.