Perea Bests Lemich, Baldwin Beats Field
The odds of White Pine County voters electing the Nevada’s first woman sheriff increased dramatically Tuesday with the shocking upset victory of Penny Jo Robison in the primary election.
Robison with 692 votes came out on top in a three way race besting fellow challenger Steve Marquez 461 votes and incumbent Dan Watts with 643 votes. Robison and Watts will face off again in the November general election.
While her victory was a slim 50 vote margin in an off year primary it was still a surprise and could foreshadow a very difficult race for Watts this November.
Traditionally, two term sheriffs have a particularly hard time winning a third term in rural Nevada for a combination of reasons including voter fatigue and ironically for training his potential political rivals. Good sheriffs after all attract and retain good deputies who themselves would make good sheriffs and formidable candidates.
Primary voters are also just as likely to vote against an incumbent rather than for challenger. While Robison can reasonably hope to attract much of Marquez support, Watts could have a much harder of sell.
That may also hold true for the other second place county incumbent Commissioner Mike Lemich. Bested by Gary Perea in a three way race Lemich did get the ticket to the November general but the row Lemich has to hoe will be even tougher than the one before Watts.
With his strongest base coming from White Pine’s older ethnic Democrats Lemich has always done better in the primaries than the general. The younger more energetic Perea on the other hand enjoys much more bi-partisan support and in a county that is increasingly skewing Republican his victory in the primary could portend good things in November.
The increasing dominance of the GOP also meant that whoever won the Republican primary for County Clerk would have a major leg up on Debra Rivero the lone Democrat in November.
Those spoils went to current Chief Deputy County Clerk Nichole Baldwin with 305 votes beat Patrice Lytle at 289 and Beth Rose’ 259.
Baldwin, the chief deputy county clerk, received the nod from her boss and out going County Clerk Lin Burleigh and also from now retired County Clerk Donna Bath.
“I am very happy to publicly give my support to Nichole,” Burleigh said. “She is the only one of the candidates to have the experience of all the facets of the county clerk’s position and I believe she will maintain the integrity of the office.”
Bath also gave Baldwin her unequivocal support and said that she was the only candidate in race who was qualified to run the office.
While Baldwin had the strong public support of two county clerks, Lytle matched her with some White Pine County Commissioners. Lytle’s support could have been be doubled edged. Her current job as the Commission Manager was over the vigorous objections of Burleigh and Bath who claimed that the position usurped the duties of County Clerk.
Originally a part time position with the pay of about $20,000 in 2011, Lytle was made a full time county employee in 2012 with annual pay and benefits of close to $70,000.
According to Bath the extra expense was completely unnecessary and politically motivated.
“Everything the Commission Manager does such as keeping minutes of the commission meeting can and should be done by the County Clerk from the budget of the Clerk’s office.” Bath said.
