Commissioner Poulsen Selected as New Water District Manager Wade Poulsen of Alamo was chosen to be the new General Manager of the Lincoln County Water District (LCWD). The LCWD general manager’s office, to begin with, will be located at the Building and Safety Department in the basement of the Courthouse in Pioche. The choice was made by the Board, at their regular monthly meeting November 19. Glenn Zelch, of Pioche was the other finalist. Nine people applied for the position, with some applications coming from out of state. Eight of the nine, were given a personal interview with the Board during the search process. LCWD Secretary Joanne Dixon said one person did not show up for the initial interview and apparently withdrew. Mr. Poulsen and Mr. Zelch were called back for final interviews before the Board November 19. Following the discussion, Board members made their selection of Wade Poulsen to be the new LCWD General Manager at an annual salary from water district funds, reportedly in the neighborhood of $60,000 plus benefits. Mr. Poulsen, 45, recently won re-election to a second term, as a Lincoln County Commissioner, in the November 4 election. He must resign his position on the County Commission, as well as his seat on the Water District Board, before he can accept the position as Water District General Manager. He is expected, to do that at the next regular Commission meeting December 1st and at the next scheduled Water Board meeting. To fill Poulsen'’s seat on the County Commission, fellow Commissioner Tommy Rowe said the Lincoln County Republican Committee will make a list of three names of interested persons from the Alamo district to submit to Governor Jim Gibbons, who will make the choice to fill the vacant seat. The appointment will be for two years, after which time the person would have to run for election. Attorney Dylan Frehner has been serving part-time as the general manager of the water district (LCWD), as well as serving as legal counsel to the Board. He tendered his resignation as General Manager at the November 19 meeting, to devote more time to his law practice; however, he will remain as legal counsel to the Water District. Mr. Frehner, for many months, has advised the Board there is more than enough work for a full time position of General Manager. He presented the Board with a list of basic daily tasks he thinks a General Manager should be doing, a few being, preparing to attend meetings and dealing with management issues.  “This (list) is just off the top of my head, this could be much more extensive,” he said. Mr. Frehner stated the General Manager should attend almost all meetings in the towns relating to water in the county. In addition, there will be meetings with the City of Mesquite, developers, Southern Nevada Water Authority, Lincoln County Water Planning Group, the Joint Task Force, etc. “Just the list of meetings alone can fill up a month,” he said. Mr. Frehner said he felt the current slowdown in the economy is useful to allow LCWD to catch up on the two years they are behind, “in regards to planning when it comes to water issues in this county.  By having an economic slowdown with the developers, it is actually to our benefit because it allows us a chance to catch up.” He said when things pick up again, then Lincoln County will be ready because they have been preparing well in the down time. Board members Bill Lloyd and Tommy Rowe said they favored waiting until after the first of the year, when economic times hopefully improve, before hiring a general manager. Mr. Lloyd said some people had even expressed to him they did not want the County to hire a Water District General Manager. However, Paul Mathews and Ronda Hornbeck each presented strong arguments that now is the best time to hire a general manager. They said looking ahead to all the work the Water District needs to be involved with, both presently and in the near future, almost demands a general manager. “We are just falling further and further behind as far as having a plan. This is a huge planning job and we are behind the eight-ball as far as planning right now,” said Mr. Mathews. “We’re getting more reactionary to other things that are happening, instead of being in charge or in the lead or deciding what we want the Water District to be, how we want to service people, and on and on.”  He said, “People in this county, who have concerns about private water rights, need a resource, they need somebody they can go to, they need an office where they can get help with maps and GIS work, water application protests, etc.” Without such a resource, Mr. Mathews stated, “There will be millions of dollars of water rights lost in this county from agriculture and other private individuals who need somebody to stand up and help them defend themselves against the pressure and the onslaught that are on water rights in this county.” Board member Ronda Hornbeck said the situation Lincoln County faces with Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) demands the need for a local representative to stay on top of what is happening with, and being planned by, the SNWA. “It was mandated (by the state legislature) that we have a Water District and we need to have someone running it for us,” she said. Board Chairman Tommy Rowe said he thought Mr. Poulsen “Knows what Lincoln County’s are, and I think he is someone in that position that will be there for years, and will plan to make this a career for the rest of his life.” Rowe said he felt Mr. Poulsen is well acquainted with the people of the County, “the ranchers the businessmen, etc.” Poulsen will also work closely with Vidler Water, who is a partner with the County in developing water sites. Dorothy Timian-Palmer, Chief Operating Officer of Vidler said, “We look forward to working with him.” Vidler has known Poulsen as a member of both the County Commission and the LCWD Board. By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer