Carson City mayoral hopeful Tom Tatro went on the offensive Wednesday to point out how he would have handled recent issues, such as Costco and the 911 dispatch system, differently from incumbent Ray Masayko.
Tatro told a group of about 30 members of Soroptimist International of Carson City that morale among city employees has never been lower and that "life and death" decisions are often not treated with a proper sense of urgency.
Tatro criticized Masayko's consistent "no" vote on the Costco land deal, saying while the move to sell city land to the warehouse store may not have met the letter of redevelopment law, legal opinions upheld the sale.
He also said the city moved too slowly toward approving an updated dispatch center. Supervisors in December 1999 delayed for three weeks a decision to fund the new $900,000 dispatch system.
"It should have been worked on like our lives depended on it," Tatro said. "We can't drag our feet on things that are life and death issues."
Asked about Tatro's comments after the luncheon, Masayko countered that it wasn't responsible to handle the nearly $1 million dispatch decision in a "pell-mell fashion," and that city supervisors didn't cause a delay.
"He's entitled to his opinion," said Masayko. "I'm running for the job, not against Tom Tatro's comments. That's were I started this race. That's where I intend to end it."
On other issues, Tatro said the city is pouring money into the sheriff's office, a building contaminated with mold and lead. A new building would be less expensive and reduce the health risk to employees, he said.
In another shot at the incumbent, Tatro, 43, fiscal manager for the Department of Motor Vehicles, gave credit for the state's agreement to build the freeway by 2008 to state Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City. He has accused Masayko of letting the freeway fall from the state's priorities.
He was also critical of Masayko's willingness to accept maintenance of Carson Street upon the freeway's completion without an in-depth look at the potential $1 million annual cost. The idea of transferring Carson Street maintenance to the city was presented by Gov. Kenny Guinn in a recent State Transportation Board meeting.
For his part, Masayko, 55, retired senior manager of Sierra Pacific Power Co., continued to talk about the time it takes to be mayor. Masayko said while he thinks Tatro has the "qualities and abilities to do the job, the defining issue is which one of us will do the best job."
"I'm totally committed to being mayor. In fact, it's my only job," Masayko said. "The people of Carson City have high expectations of their elected officials. It doesn't matter what's written in the city charter, what matters is what you want from your elected officials. The job of mayor is more than meeting with the Board of Supervisors on the first and third Thursday of the month. The mayor is the city's leader. I have the enthusiasm. I have the time. I have the ability."
Masayko noted a need for more regional cooperation.
"We need to think regionally," he said. "We are perceived in this region to be one of the leader counties. We have common goals, but we have differences. I put in the time to deal with the surrounding counties. Four years from now, you'll see a different regional system."
Asked how he would divide his loyalty between the state, his boss, Guinn, and the city's needs, Tatro said he sees no conflict.
"I was a state employee for nine years when on the Board of Supervisors, and I never had a conflict with the governor's office," Tatro said.
"Kenny Guinn is an honorable man, and I believe he would deal with me in good faith. He wouldn't take advantage of my position as a state employee. He wouldn't force me to compromise my values."
Tatro said his job does not affect his ability to lead.
"I don't have all day to be mayor, but I do have the ability to make priorities, dig in and delegate," Tatro said. "I don't have all day, but I have the ability to be effective."
