2020 primary voting guide for candidates seeking Carson City offices

Ballots have been sent (or will be sent soon) to Carson City residents for the local upcoming elections. These are your candidates, who they are, and what they stand for.

Voters are reminded that absentee ballots must be dropped off in person by the close of polls on Election Day, or postmarked by Election Day. Ballots that are postmarked by Election Day and received no later than seven days after the election will be counted.

In order to accommodate same-day voter registration, as well as assist voters who have issues with the ballot that was mailed to them, at least one in-person polling location will be available in each county for the June 9, 2020 primary election.

These polling locations will be set up to ensure the safety of voters and poll workers alike. Because in-person voting opportunities will be extremely limited for the primary election, Nevadans are encouraged to register to vote now and not rely on the same-day registration process.

For more information you can visit the Carson City Elections Department’s website here.

Mayoral Candidates (alphabetically by last name):

Lori Bagwell is currently on the Carson City Board of Supervisor’s. She has lived in Carson City since 1966 and graduated from Carson High School. She has worked in public service for 30 years through various state and city departments.

Her platform includes economic development, efficient government, organizational culture, quality of life and community, safety and sustainable infrastructure.

To learn more about Lori, visit http://www.loribagwell.com

Tod Jennings graduated from Carson High School in 1976 before joining the U.S. Air Force. After, he received his teaching degree from UNR. He has taught math and science to children in Fernley, and in Carson City at St. Teresa’s and Carson High School.

His platforms were not listed.

To learn more about Jennings click here.

Nathaniel Killgore is the owner of Caterpillar’s Hookah Lounge in Downtown Carson City. He moved to Carson City 15 years years ago and started the Hookah Lounge 3 years later. Killgore is interested in education reform, rental caps, and improving public safety.

To learn more about Killgore, click here.

Jim Shirk served as a Carson City Supervisor from 2012-2016. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1968-1972 before working in construction. His attended Pierce College in California.

His platforms can be found here.

Aaron Sims was born and raised in the Central Valley of California. He moved to Nevada at the age of 11. He has worked in politics since the age of 7, when he volunteered for a presidential campaign. Since then, he has ran campaigns with the Republican Party and became Vice Chairman for the Carson City Republican Party. He is now affiliated with the Democratic Party. His platforms include housing, including providing foreclosed housing to homeless families who need them, bringing smaller class sizes to schools by increasing “building space” to schools, updating water pipes, and protecting open space.

To learn more about Sims, click here.

Board of Supervisor’s Candidates Ward 2

Ronni Hannaman is running for Ward 2 for the Board of Supervisors. Hannaman moved to Carson City in 1998 and was one of the first business owners when Telegraph Square was dedicated in 1999. She became the executive director for the Carson City Chamber of Commerce in 2006, which she still holds the title of today.

You can learn more about Hannaman here.

Lorne Houle is also running for Ward 2 for the Board of Supervisors. He previously ran for Cason City Sheriff in 2014 and 2018. Houle grew up in Carson City and served in the marines. He attended a police academy in Orange County, CA. During his run as Sheriff in 2018, he was concerned with the crime and drug usage he saw in Carson City.

Houle has no website or facebook page dedicated to his campaign.

Maurice “Mo” White is also running for Ward 2 and describes himself as a Constitutionalist registered as a Republican. He says that, when elected, he will “consider what the founders would do” in each issue presented. He worked as a diesel and gasoline mechanic. He also worked as an automative parts outside salesperson and was a department manager for a company supplying engines for electricity. He is now retired.

You can learn more about White here.

Stacie Wilke-McCulloch is also running for Ward 2. She was born and raised in Carson City and has dedicated over 20 years to public service. She served on the Carson City School Board from 1999-2003, and again from 2009 until the present. She has served on various PTAs in many capacities, Children's Museum board, Food for Thought board, Carson City Parks and Recreation board and Carson City Pop Warner. In 2017, she was awarded the Executive Director's award for her service on the Legislative Advisory Committee during the 2017 session. Wilke-McCulloch is also serving on the Governor's Council for Family Engagement and representing Region 2 on the NIAA Board of Control. She is also a member of the Nevada Association of School Board officers, and the National School Board Association.

You can learn more about Wilke here.

Carson City Board of Supervisor’s Candidates Ward 4

Ronald Bratsch is running for Ward 4 of the Board of Supervisors. He describes himself as a Carson City Veteran, Security Manager and longtime fiscal conservative. He began his career in the National Guard before enlisting int he marines. He began his own security business and after selling the business, moved to Northern Nevada and worked as a correctional officer in Carson City. He received the Governor’s appointment to the Board of Public Employees Benefit Program.

To learn more about Bratsch, click here.

Lisa Schuette is running for Ward 4 of the Board of Supervisors. She is a retired Carson City school teacher and a longtime animal welfare advocate. She graduated from Carson High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. She first served as a deputy with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, and then later as a probation officer. She then became a health teacher with the Carson City School District and was named Educator of the Year in 2013. She founded the Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI) in 2012, which spearheaded the effort to build a new animal shelter. She is also the board president of the Ron Wood Center and in 2018 was named as one of Northern Nevada’s Top 20 Powerful Women.

To learn more about Schuette, click here.

Michael “Mike” Smith is also running for Ward 4 of the Board of Supervisors. His three tenets are caring cooperative leadership, always being available to address your concerns, and keeping your best interests in mind when voting to spend your tax dollars. Smith is a native Mississippian and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Rust College in Mississippi, and his M.A. from the University of Mississippi in Educational Administration and Supervision. He moved to Carson City in 2017. His wife is a fifth-generation Nevadan. He serves as a board member on the Carson City Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee (RAC) and he is a trustee with the Carson City Symphony Association. He currently serves as the Program Manager of the American Job Center of Nevada. He was previously employed with JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) as the Northern Nevada Education to Employment facilitator.

To learn more about Mike Smith click here.