Gary R.Schmidt Biography
Born July 26, 1943,
Gary R. Schmidt was raised on a rural Alabama farm and then moved to Iowa.
Gary’s family moved to Santa Clara County, California in the 50’s where he
witnessed first hand the birth of sprawl and the resulting degradation of the quality of
life in his community. Gary started his professional career with a B.A. degree in
Economics as a computer software designer in Silicon Valley. Gary also did post
graduate work at the University of California in Real Estate and studies in Computer
Applications. In the mid 60’s he went into business for himself.
Gary
successfully became an entertainment concert producer for well known music festivals and
concerts. He was the co-producer of the 1968 Newport Pop Festival, the first outdoor
music festival to draw over 100,000 people! Some of the acts Gary presented were:
The Grateful Dead, Elvin Bishop, Jefferson Airplane, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, Country
Joe & The Fish, Chambers Brothers, Byrds, Sonny & Cher, Tiny Tim and others.
He moved to Washoe
County in the early 70's. He produced The “Labor Day Music and Arts
Festival” in 1973 at T-Car speedway featuring the Doobie Brothers that drew over
30,000 people and was the third largest city in Nevada for a day. Gary is the longtime
owner of the Reindeer Lodge and has been involved with tourist and recreation activities
including various special events; snowmobiling and other winter activities; various
recording artist concerts and restaurant operations. Gary has been in the wholesale
stationary business, owned and operated a pistachio processing plant and distribution
business, and owned a video game route with over 400 units. Gary has developed, owned and
managed his own real estate properties (agricultural, commercial and residential) for over
40 years. In the early 80’s Gary was the first non Californian ever elected to the
California Pistachio Commission. He had assignments to the marketing and
horticultural committees and activities in Washington D.C. lobbying U.S. Senators,
Representatives and the Secretary of Agriculture. Gary’s father, Al, was a small
business owner/operator including farms, a monument shop, a motel, a lumber yard, a bullet
manufacturing plant, and a retail stationary store. He also did wildcat oil
exploration. As a boy and a young man Gary worked with his father on most of these
businesses. Gary comes by his entrepreneurial sprit by heritage and understands
business!
As an active member
of the Washoe Co. Board of Equalization for the past several years, Schmidt reformed the
BOE procedures to be more Citizen friendly. The County received hundreds of letters
and emails in support of Gary’s service and performance on the BOE. In
2004 he received a Commendation for that Service!
As a community
activist and noted public records and open meeting law advocate, Gary is responsible for
the adoption of “Policy by Resolution Procedure” in Washoe County. He was
also responsible for forcing the County to obey the law by lowering the Public Records
costs from 50¢ to 4¢. Reno also adopted Gary’s procedures. Gary
regularly attends and speaks out at the Washoe County Commission and many other meetings
throughout the community and the State. He stands up for Citizen’s Rights and
has successfully brought actions in the District Courts and the Nevada State Supreme
Court against government officials for flagrant violations of the law.
Gary has farmed and
ranched for over thirty-five years. He is a strong advocate for the
preservation of rural lifestyles and the protection of property rights that have
historically been foundations for our quality of life in Nevada.
Gary
has fought sprawl in both California and Nevada and is concerned about the direction of
the current out of control development and regularly speaks out against run away
growth—and its resultant uncontrolled sprawl!”
Please email Gary at nobullschmidt@hotmail.com
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