Pahrump seniors upset over bylaws
by Mary Ann McNeUl
C, auneSU
OLD FASHIO.NED FUN-PV Squares celebrate their 19th annual Hoedown last weekend with guests from Las ]
Vegas, Arizona and California. The three day event was attended by 125 dancers. For more on the hoedown see page I
AA10. ]
..... photo by Patti Babcock ]
Nye public safety compromised?
by Mary Ann McNeill
GazeUe Staff
NYE COUNTY--Will public safety be compromised in
Nye county if the currently proposed budget is adopted.
Many citizens seem to be asking that question lately. The
county commissioners are still grappling with that question
and didn't make much progress during the Monday, May 19
commission meeting in Amargosa Valley. There will be
another budget meeting on May 29 in Tonopah to finalize the
document.
Undersheriff Bill Weldon and several other Nye county
sheriff" s department personnel questioned the commissioners
several times at the Amargosa meeting to clarify statements
made about the sheriff's budget cuts.
"If we accept a pay freeze, that means I will be making the
same this time next year as now. Is that the issueT' Weldon
asked at the meeting.
Sergeant Ray East of the Round Mountain district asked,
"If our union gives these concessions, you will agree that not
one person in the sheriff" s office will be let goT' Commissioner
Cameron McRae answered, "Yes. I meant we will not have
a reduction in force due to the budget." Commissioner Bob
Davis stated that each personnel question "will be dealt with
on an individual basis," both commissioners leaving open the
possibility of the sheriff's department losing personnel because
of attrition or other personnel problems. Budget Director
Geneva Neuhauser stated that the total Nye county budget
will be $18,423,266 and that the sheriff's department will
Continued on page 2
PAHRUMP---Some Pahnmap senior citizens are upset and it
involves a question about their fundamental rights. They want to
vote!
As stated by Ruth Weidenheimer at the Nye County commission
meeting in Amargosa Valley Monday, May 19, many of the
Pahrump seniors fought in World War il to uphold this nation's
freedoms and they feel that a new "operations manual" for the
Pahrump Nutrition Advisory Project Council gives bylaws that will
take away their fundamental right to vote.
The new bylaws, as presented to the commissioners by Les
Bradshaw, Nye County manager, and as adopted by the
commissioners on May 6, allow for the appointment of project
council representatives instead of holding an election to vote for
them like the other nutrition centers in Amargosa Valley, Beatty and
Tonopah do.
The project council is the advisory body of the senior centers that
raises funds and provides tertalnment and other functions and
activities for the participants.
There has been a question as to the legality of the bylaws that the
project council has been working under for several years. The old
bylaws provide for the election of 4 members and the appointment
of 3 members. The 4 elected members were to be senior center
participants and the 3 appointed members were to be "members of
the community, broadly representative of major public and private
ag, ar00orgmmiomrclatmg toads, in 00local
business persons, or citizens who are knowledgeable orexperienced
in the special needs of the elderly."
The new bylaws state that all 7 members shall be appointed,
presumably by the commissionersorcounty management. This point
is what has upset many seniors. Tbere appear to be several "factions"
or groups within the senior center community participants who are
either happy with the management and services or are unhappy with
them. If the council representatives are appointexl, this is another
reason that one group or another may feel the appointees are wofldng
against their goals and best interests.
As Weidenheimer stated Monday, this one action of adopting
these new bylaws by the commissioners "has made our groups more
united" than any other action in the recent past.
When Commission Chairman Dick Carver asked how many
seniors traveled from Pahrmnp to voice their protest overthe bylaws
action, approximately 50 seniors stood up.
"All those old people, can't be here today because they have
medical appointments and recent surgeries," Weidenheimer said.
"Yon know that if all these seniors came here today there am many
more who would have come ff they could. They chose me to
represent them here."
Weiaskedthecommissione toletthe seniorsthemselves
write an operations manual and give them 3 months to dolt. "rhis is
a sham " she said, talking ahout the already adopted
operations manuat "Yon tried to shove it down our in'96 and
we rejected it then and we are rejecting it now. This council dnesn't
even represent the participants anymore."
'qlle word participant is mentioned only one time and the word
manager is mentioned 23 times," she said. "It's easier to manage
people under this type of controL.it's a dictatorship," she said.
I.es Bradshaw was new on the job as county manager and there
Continued on page 21
Fri. & 8nt.
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