Highlights
of Gary R. Schmidts Community Contributions Over The Last Two Decades
MEMBER OF FRIENDS
OF NEVADA WILDERNESS
Gary Schmidt joined Friends of Nevada Wilderness because he is very
concerned with the natural habitat of Nevada and believes in their goals for restoration
of wilderness and educational projects which strive to keep Nevadas wild places
wild.
Wilderness will help
protect important wildlife habitat for elk, mule deer, antelope, sage grouse, and many,
many more species.
Wilderness helps protect important
watersheds and helps to sustain the delicate balance of natural resources in an arid
climate.
Wilderness helps protect the rural
lifestyle and traditional uses of the land.
* * * * *
Schmidt
participated in Washoe Board of County Commissioners meetings for over two decades,
offering commentary and evidence related to a great variety of issues that have faced the
Community over the years.
* * * * *
Contributed
significantly in the demotion of Mike Harper, Development of Community Development.
Contributed
significantly in the passing over on Dean Deterich for promotion to Department Director,
Department of Community Development.
* * * * *
Contributed
significantly to the termination of County Manager John McEntire.
* * * * *
Caused the
County to modify their Transition Period policies and regulations so that all
effected property owners could participate.
* * * * *
Caused the
County of Washoe to extend the Transition Period from 5 to 6 and ½ years for
these property owners that had previously been denied participation.
* * * * *
Caused
the County of Washoe to restore the Commercial Zoning of the historic Tannenbaum Ski
Resort property thus allowing for an appropriate Commercial Use that can bettor serve the
Public and provide a gateway to the south end of the Galena County Park.
* * * * *
Along
with the Mt. Rose Ski Resort and Bud Schoenfield, successfully organized and promoted to
fruition the Mr. Rose Sewer Interceptor bringing sewer to the Sunridge/Christmas
Tree/Tannenbaum area of the Mt. Rose Highway while providing sewer service to Galena Park
and bringing the sewer line ½ the way up to the Mt. Rose Ski Area.
* * * * *
Caused
the District Attorneys Office to intervene in matters in the Assessors Office
to halt a substantial measure of Public Records denial that they had been engaged in for
over a decade.
* * * * *
Caused
the Assessors Office to update a significant portion of their files in regards to
current zoning of parcels and the appropriate Land Uses of same.
* * * * *
Caused the
County of Washoe to lower the charge for Public Records copies from $.50 to $.04 (or no
charge) to comply with the NRS, the law, which they had been violating for 22 years.
*
* * * *
Caused the
District Attorneys Office and the County of Washoe to reexamine and modify the
manner in which they deal with and react to persons that bring civil actions against the
County to more comply with the law and to avoid prejudicial treatment of such persons.
* * * * *
Was the main
impetus that caused the dismissal of Robert Sellman, the director of Community
Development.
* * * * *
Caused the
County of Washoe to adopt a detailed resolution encompassing treatment of Public Records
Requests so that they appropriately comply with State Statutes that they had been
violating for years. Contributed substantial
detail and language to that resolution/policy passed in April of 2003.
* * * * *
Was responsible
for several Court rulings including at the level of the State Supreme Court that clarified
and/or enhanced the public rights to the access of Public Records.
* * * * *
Received public
acknowledgement from individual Washoe Board of County Commissioners and County Management
Personnel during WBCC meetings for my contributions to the Public related to Access to
Public Records issues as well as from the Nevada Press Association.
* * * * *
Caused the
Attorney General Opinion to be rendered in conjunction with issues I raised with the
County of Washoe that An ordinance is not a law for the purposes of declaring a
government record to be confidential pursuant to NRS 239.010(1)."(Opinion A.G.
No. 2002-32)
* * * * *
Was significant
contributor to the forced resignation of Water Resources Engineer that had given false
testimony to the Washoe Board of County Commissioners and had denied access to Public
Records.
* * * * *
Twice forced
the Regional Planning Agency and Commission to reverse erroneous rulings in regards to
Conformance Denial for Land Use Changes.
* * * * *
Formed the Mt.
Rose Historical Society to preserve, gather and preserve personal commentary, documents
and artifacts related to the history of The Mountain, Old Rosie.
* * * * *
Personally
preserved public lands accesses and/or potential access through controlled and access
permissive land/development planning to the south end of Galena Park and the LaBord BLM
exchange property south of Andrew Lane in Pleasant Valley with access to Virginia City.
* * * * *
Participated
very actively in the unsuccessful efforts to save the Mapes and prevent the
construction of the Train Trench without a vote of the people.
* * * * *
Participated in
the Downtown Consolidated Courts Committee meetings.
* * * * *
Attended
numerous Airport Authority meetings and participated and contributed substantially to
discussions on noise and flight pattern issues.
* * * * *
Successfully
brought a civil action along with neighboring property owners against the Regional
Planning Agency in regards to the 5 year plan update and indiscretions engaged in by the
Regional Planning Agency.
* * * * *
Was a
substantial participant in the successful effort lead by Commissioner Galloway to require
paper trails on the new electronic ballet machines. Twice
testified live and in person directly to Dean Heller, the Secretary of State, at County
hearings. Had other direct contact with the
Secretary of State. The example set in Nevada
is leading a nation wide movement for Federal Legislation to require paper trails of
voting equipment in all States.
* * * * *
Contributed
significant commentary and testimony on and actively supported Public Land Access issues
on many such action items within the greater Truckee Meadows Community.
* * * * *
Caused the City
of Reno to comply with State Law and lower their charges for copies of Public Records from
25 cents to 5 cents per page. Also caused
Reno to adopt as Policy the same Public Records Requests resolution that I had previously
caused the County of Washoe to adopt.
* * * * *
Assisted many
persons in the public domain that have requested his advice and direction as to how they
could best deal with public records and Open Meeting Law Violations that they have
encountered in their dealings with Government. Several
of these persons were directed to me by Public Officials including some of the Washoe
County Commissioners.
* * * * *
Was appointed
to the Washoe Board of Equalization in 2003 and there upon became the principle impetus
and energy force behind wrestling control of the BOE away from the Assessors Office
and the District Attorneys Office and reversing the rubber stamp regime
of the Assessors Office image that the BOE had had for decades and established a new
respect for and confidence in the BOE by the general citizenry.
* * * * *
Received a
Resolution of Commendation from the Washoe Board of County Commissioners along
with other BOE members for our work during the year of 2004 on the Board of Equalization.
* * * * *
Was the
principle impetus and energy force behind several well received improved policy
implementations by the BOE including the 10 day noticing to all petitioner/appellants of
their hearing dates.
* * * * *
Participated in
state Department of Taxation, State Board of Equalization and State Tax Commission
hearings on various issues and proposals related to their authorities and areas of review.
* * * * *
Organized a
group of citizens that successfully opposed the County Managers stealth attempt to
give the retiring Civil D.A. a $50,000 lobbying contract just four days after retiring
from the County without public dialogue and discussion or a public bid process.
* * * * *
Forced the
Washoe Board of County Commissioners to began complying with the Open Meeting Law in
regards to the content and nature of their published Agenda for their pre-regular meeting,
the Caucus meetings, along with raising Public Awareness as to the continual
Open Meeting Law Violations of the Washoe Board of County Commissioners during their
Regular Meetings and filed multiple Open Meeting Law complaints against them
in said regards.
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