Q&A with Mayor Ray Masayko

I enjoy the job and I'm happy with the progression of Carson City. I believe in doing things right, and some things take a long time to get done. I want to continue work on the Carson City freeway, the V&T Railway and the storm drainage system.

We're talking about commercial growth, and that will be managed growth. That route has been planned for 15-20 years. It's zoned for commercial and industrial use and it takes into account the Carson City Master Plan. I believe we're ready for it. It's beneficial for Carson City.

There's a sunset on that. As far as I'm concerned, the people of Carson City are prepared to shoulder the burden of a 5 cent gas tax. Gas prices come and go. It's becoming common for agreements to be crafted to facilitate projects. This is a fair and reasonable contract. The governor says the contract guarantees the project will move forward.

The reality is material gives way and pumps fail. We haven't done the work we want to do on infrastructure. We want to extract water from Marlett (Lake). There's a production problem. We cannot pump enough. We have a pump out of function, and we need more horsepower on existing pumps. The whole system needs analysis and review. During the summer months we need to ensure we have enough capacity. We need to true up expectations versus capability. Raising rates makes sure the utility is solvent. We have 10 percent of the customers using 40 percent of the water. People want to use water. More power to them. It's just going to cost more and they'll have to pay.

Produce enticements. Craft an arrangement with tax revenue sharing. Businesses are coming here anyway. It's a good region to do business. We should not spend anticipated revenue. There should be cooperation between counties.

I don't get to make those decisions. That's the RTC (Regional Transportation Commission). I'm confident they will do that.

I like to think the public has looked at eight years of my style. I'm accommodating and transparent. I'm a public servant, serving as many people as possible. Humble, accessible and available. I'm a problem-solver and will work with people. I have a business background in management and customer service. I'm a fiscal conservative and I'm proud of that. You've heard that quote from Dr. Milton Friedman, "Nobody spends someone else's money as conservatively as they spend their own."

Look for mayoral candidate Marv Teixeira's Q&A next Tuesday in the Nevada Appeal.