Mary Ann Gantvoort Nevada Tolladay Advertisement

Nevada Tolladay was reappointed to the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission by a 3-2 vote of Nye County commissioners Tuesday.

County Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos, participating in the video conference from Pahrump and Commissioner Butch Borasky, in Tonopah, both attempted to start speaking at the same time, to nominate a candidate.

Liakopoulos prevailed and suggested appointing Mary Ann Gantvoort, who opened Royal Canine Villa, a dog boarding facility in Pahrump, two years ago. But he achieved only the support of Commissioner Gary Hollis in his motion.

Gantvoort checked the box on the application form indicating she worked in the real estate profession. But she said her real estate license is not active.

"We have two real estate people on the board already. To put a third on there I believe may be overloading the board," Borasky said.

Liakopoulos said Gantvoort doesn't currently practice real estate, and Gantvoort told Commissioner Roberta "Midge" Carver she doesn't plan to go back to the field.

Prior to moving to Nevada, Gantvoort lived in Spain from 2003 to 2006, where she was a liaison between family members and military authorities. Gantvoort began her real estate career in Georgia in 1987.

Gantvoort worked in new home sales for master planned communities by Del Webb, Trident Homes, Lewis Homes and D.R. Horton Homes in Las Vegas.

"I haven't practiced real estate in over four years. I just maintain the education on it in order to keep my license active," Gantvoort said.

Commissioner Joni Eastley said the RPC chairman, Mark Kimball, endorsed Tolladay as "relentlessly fair" and "reasonable." Borasky's motion to reappoint Tolladay to a full four-year term passed 3-2.

The other applicant for the position was Robert "Darce" Wilson, a mortgage consultant and real estate agent since January 2000.

The RPC makes recommendations to the Nye County Commission on planning matters, but the commission has the authority to reject those recommendations.

Tolladay, a Nevada Test Site worker who moved to Pahrump from Winnemucca four years ago, was first appointed May 15, 2007, to fill the unexpired term of Garry Warner. Gantvoort also sought appointment to the RPC for that opening.

During an interview Wednesday, Liakpoulos said, "Nevada Tolladay has consistently gone against business."

He charged Tolladay hasn't approved requests before the RPC, causing more expense for local businesses.

"Commissioner Hollis and I have done whatever we can for the town of Pahrump, but when people are so flagrantly anti-Pahrump on the (planning) commission, it's very hard to get anything done," Liakopoulos said.

Tolladay strongly denied the accusations and any inference he somehow wouldn't render a fair and impartial decision. He challenged Liakopoulos to prove his allegations.

"That's nonsense," he said of Liakopoulos' remarks. "First of all, I consider it an absolute honor to serve on the Regional Planning Commission, and I view that body as being absolutely essential to the orderly development of our community, and I take those responsibilities seriously.

"It's very rare that I found myself in the minority as we deliberated and come up with our votes."

A review of RPC votes dating back to last July shows most votes were unanimous.

Tolladay has expressed his desire to reject spot zoning and conform to the comprehensive zoning map enacted last June and the master plan passed in 2004.

During a December 2007 meeting, he criticized developers who wanted to change zoning to fit their projects instead of building a project to fit the appropriate zoning.

Tolladay refused to address a political feud that led to his removal from the Nye County Republican Party Central Committee executive board.