Pahrump Town Manager Bill Kohbarger talked to five residents during his first meet and greet at Lois Layne's Deli and Ice Cream over lunch hour Monday, but no members of the general public showed up at the Last Chance Steakhouse Tuesday.

Four more meet-and-greet events were scheduled this week.

"The big issue everybody keeps talking about is communication is all it boils down to, getting people to talk. That's why I'm having these lunches. I was hoping people would come," Kohbarger said while munching on mozzarrella cheese sticks and, later, an Italian sausage sandwich.

"Let them come in and talk and complain, pout and scream or compliment. I want to give them an opportunity to get to know me, get to meet me," he said.

One couple wanted to talk about code enforcement, another voiced sentiments for getting public transportation to Las Vegas, while another wanted to talk about the planned federal detention center.

Before leaving Carlin, Kohbarger said he was a little initimidated by a column in the Elko Daily Free Press about Pahrump, written by Doug McMurdo, now the associate editor of the Free Press. McMurdo was editor of the Pahrump Valley Times until May 2006.

"I haven't seen the craziness people said was going to happen. Everybody's got their own square piece of cake, everyone's got their own issues," Kohbarger said.

Kohbarger said McMurdo was too negative in his column, published before he left Carlin, when in his typical, acerbic wit, McMurdo wrote, "Hell is in that direction and Pahrump is the shortcut."

McMurdo wrote:

"Pahrump is where public administrators go to die miserable deaths ... the town government functions about as well as wings on a cow. It is preschool government at best and quite possibly the most ineffective, dysfunctional political subdivision this side of Baghdad."

McMurdo complained about the "rude regulars," a takeoff on the Bob Ruud Community Center, complaining the "the same group of unemployed, disgruntled, heavily medicated citizens shows up at every meeting. This group of professional malcontents insults the town board, the town manager, the town clerk and the guy who mops up their drool at the end of the meeting."

Kohbarger said code enforcement will be his No. 1 priority in his new job as Pahrump town manager.

"I'd like to clean up (Highway) 160 all the way through. It needs to be cleaned up because that's the main thoroughfare through Pahrump and we want it to look good. We want people to drive through here, wanting to stop, wanting to move here and come back," Kohbarger said.

Economic development is another priority. Kohbarger said the town should seek grant money to build infrastructure to attract new business. "A lot of good things are happening and there's so much potential down here, so much potential, especially being this close to Vegas and California," Kohbarger said.

Kohbarger said he was told Pahrump officials need to build a better rapport with Nye County, something he's addressed by meeting with Commissioners Gary Hollis, Butch Borasky and another new official, incoming Nye County Manager Rick Osborne. He has also met with Nye County Planning Director Jack Lohman and code enforcement officer Dick Johnson.

"In order to have a good successful city, you've got to have a good relationship with the county, you've got to have a good relationship with the state and hopefully, a good relationship with the feds, especially in the state of Nevada," Kohbarger said.

He's encouraged Pahrump town board members to get more active in the Nevada League of Cities, to find out what's going on elsewhere. Kohbarger said he introduced Laurayne Murray and Nicole Shupp to officials from throughout Nevada at the recent league of cities convention in Fallon. Don Rust, Bill Dolan and Shupp will be attending the governor's annual tourism conference in Reno in December, he said.

The town board that hired Kohbarger already has lost two members. John McDonald resigned in early July, Dan Sprouse followed suit earlier this month.

Pahrump town board members were surprised to find Gov. Jim Gibbons appointed Dolan to replace McDonald without their knowledge. Kohbarger said he spoke with the governor Friday, who assured him a decision won't be made on Sprouses's replacement until the governor receives a list of candidates submitted by the Pahrump Town Board.