Ray Hagar News and Commentary

Washoe Commissioner Berkbigler says she'll run for 3rd term

News - August 15, 2019

Washoe County Commissioner Marsha Berkbigler said on Nevada Newsmakers she will run for re-election in 2020, seeking her third term.

Berkbigler said she would not run for re-election after her 2016 victory because of the death of her husband death. Yet she has been pondering a run for a third term for a couple of years.

In a 2017 Nevada Newsmakers interview, Berkbigler said she was seriously considering running for re-election. This week, she made it official.

"I really have some things I want to complete and get done that will be beneficial for our region and our citizens. So based on that, I have decided to run again," she told host Sam Shad.

Most importantly, Berkbigler wants to oversee the completion of a reorganized dispatch system during her time as a commissioner.
Emergency dispatchers coordinate police, fire and other emergency calls, including 911.

"I'm not sure that I'm comfortable that all of the issues that surrounded dispatch will be in place at the end of my term," she said. "And of course, I have to make the decision to file in March."

Berkbigler also cited four projects at Lake Tahoe that she wants to see completed.

"They really need continuity to continue on," she said.

Berkbigler said she would only serve two terms when she first ran for the commission in 2012.

She gave no indication about who her opponents might be in 2020.

"No one has come out and said they are going to run against Marsha," she said. "I've had a couple of people approach me say, 'I'd really like to run for your seat if you are not going to run.' And we've had a couple of other people who have mentioned they might run for the seat, but nobody (for sure) at all."

Berkbigler said she could be replaced, "if the right person comes along."

"I tell my people at Incline (Village) that if you're unhappy with what I'm doing, I hope you like your next commissioner because the truth is, I could lose easily. I know that," she said.

"I hope I don't because I think I've done well and would like to continue with some of the projects I've been working on. But you know, everybody is vulnerable, everybody is replaceable. So if the right person comes along, I could be replaced."

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