During the last Mineral County Board of County Commissioner meeting, Commissioner Chris Hegg agendized an item regarding an update on economic development.
His agenda item read, “For consideration and possible action relative to approval of a letter addressed to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development requesting an update as to the status of economic development within Mineral County and a formal request to the Board’s March 15, 2019 letter.”
“With the accusations going around, I want…would like the board to send a letter to GOED (Governor’s Office of Economic Development), state GOED and request how we move forward with the transition. Get the information and who is our economic development authority . We announce that and we move on,” he explained to the board.
Commissioner Christine Hoferer asked for a copy of the original March 15, 2019 letter. Commissioner Garth Price stated that it was the letter requesting that we join with NNDA (Northern Nevada Development Authority).
Hegg explained that he wanted a document from GOED explaining who Mineral County’s economic authority is.
“I think it’s time to clarify,” Hegg said. He explained he would like the district attorney to draft a letter to GOED asking who our economic authority was given to, “That letter we can actually do something with.” This was after Hoferer asked if Sean Rowe, the district attorney would be present in the commissioner meeting.
“So we don’t know what officially happened on July 1st?” Hoferer asked her board members.
Rowe appeared in the meeting to explain that other than the letter from GOED that stated Mineral County would be included in their RFP (request for proposal), that is the only correspondence that the district attorney is aware of.
Hegg read the March 15 letter from the commissioner to Matt Moore into record as well as Moore’s response.
Hoferer stated she would rather have GOED be in attendance and give a presentation and answer some questions.
Sheri Samson explained that there was a motion made in March of this year to specifically move money to GOED and explained that she had called GOED. “As a taxpayer who has interest in this county and the right to ask you, who took oaths of office to represent us, how much of the GOED from July 1st has been spent? Show us the results since July 1st. Show me their literature and their advertisement in this county.” She went on to explained that Mineral County Economic Development Authority has been active representing Mineral County with “boots on the ground.”
Mary Knolls Bowen asked why both entities could not be used for the benefit of Mineral County.
Sheyanne Arrends, local businesswoman, said she would be behind anything that will get anything going in this town. She is tired of the personal attacks which don’t keep local businesses thriving. “I don’t want to live in a ghost town and I don’t want this place to die,” she said.
“This last event that the Motorhead’s and MCEDA put on, was fantastic. It was the greatest thing we have seen around here since previous Armed Forces Day. I think it even out performed that, in my opinion. And I know a lot of businesses came in and they did some recruiting and the recruiting has come through MCEDA’s office. If we have another economic authority that Chris – you say that we have, which you pulled our [MCEDA] funding from, which I think was not in the best interest of Mineral County and I think you should step down from your position as commissioner due to the fact that you don’t support the county in that respect, even piggybacking onto not supporting the Boys and Girls Club. I can’t believe that you don’t support Boys and Girls Club, in the event that you put on,” Rick Niedzwiecki directed towards Hegg.
Hawthorne born and raised Dana Tommila was done with the “snarky” comments and asked for public comment to stick to the agenda item.
Diana Hegg defended her open house and her businesses right to donate to the local care and share.
The commissioners voted unanimously to have a letter drafted asking where Mineral County stands with GOED.
