Highlights of Gary R. Schmidt’s 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 Nevada’s 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.

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 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.

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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.

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Contributed significantly to the termination of County Manager John McEntire.

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Caused the County to modify their “Transition Period” policies and regulations so that all effected property owners could participate.

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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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 Caused the District Attorney’s Office to intervene in matters in the Assessor’s Office to halt a substantial measure of Public Records denial that they had been engaged in for over a decade.

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 Caused the Assessor’s Office to update a significant portion of their files in regards to current zoning of parcels and the appropriate Land Uses of same.

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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.

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Caused the District Attorney’s 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.

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Was the main impetus that caused the dismissal of Robert Sellman, the director of Community Development.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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Twice forced the Regional Planning Agency and Commission to reverse erroneous rulings in regards to Conformance Denial for Land Use Changes.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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Participated in the Downtown Consolidated Courts Committee meetings.

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Attended numerous Airport Authority meetings and participated and contributed substantially to discussions on noise and flight pattern issues.

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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.

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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.

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Contributed significant commentary and testimony on and actively supported Public Land Access issues on many such action items within the greater Truckee Meadows Community.

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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.

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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.

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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 Assessor’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office and reversing the “rubber stamp regime” of the Assessor’s Office image that the BOE had had for decades and established a new respect for and confidence in the BOE by the general citizenry.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Organized a group of citizens that successfully opposed the County Manager’s 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.

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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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