3 last candidates make filing deadline for Boulder City elections

By Dylan Scott

Friday, Feb. 4, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

The last filing day for elections in Boulder City saw three last candidates throw their names in the hat: Lynn Goya and Sherman Rattner filed as candidates for City Council, and Zach Inman will run for mayor.

The final field for the two open spots on city council looks like this: Goya, Rattner, Linda Graham, Peggy Leavitt, Rose Ann Miele and Rod Woodbury.

Inman, meanwhile, will square off against incumbent Mayor Roger Tobler and Councilwoman Linda Strickland.

Inman, who owns the landscaping business Zach of All Trades, said he’s “learned a lot about people’s troubles and gripes” in 20 years living in Boulder City.

“I just want to make a difference,” said Inman, 38. “I’ve always helped out with anything. It’s what I like doing.”

Being new to politics, Inman said, he will focus his campaign on how he can help Boulder City. Pursuing solar energy leases in the Eldorado Valley is one step toward solving the city’s debt problem, he said, and he expects his honesty and experience as an entrepreneur will aid him in righting the city’s finances.

“I’m very open and honest with my opinions. I don’t blow smoke up anybody’s butt for no reason,” he said. “I hate the way everybody tip toes around this and that because they don’t want to look bad.”

Goya, 55, a freelance writer, is coming off a loss in her bid to represent District 20 in the Nevada Legislature to Cresent Hardy, who won 64 percent of the vote in November.

A 16-year resident, she has served on the Youth Advocacy Board, which was instrumental in opening the youth center in the late 90s.

While a number of issues are close to her heart — she singled out the school system, in particular, in the wake of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget plan that would cut education funding — Goya said her background in covering green energy and tourism will allow her to contribute toward fixing the city’s debt and rebuilding its economy.

“I’m really proud of how Boulder City is expanding its renewable energy investments,” she said. “That’s what Boulder City has always been about...We need to see some economic growth, and I’d like to improve our economic situation through green energy and tourism.”

Rattner, 64, who moved to the city in 2004, is a familiar face at Boulder City Hall. He frequently appears during public comment at council meetings, and he was an active proponent of a ballot question in 2006 to sell the land in Eldorado Valley.

He pledged to bring more accountability and transparency to Boulder City politics. Rattner has also advocated for including the public in major decisions — such as land sales — and said he wants to maintain the city’s integrity.

As the city grapples with more than $95 million in debt, the result of big ticket items such as Boulder Creek Golf Club and a new water line, Rattner said those responsible for racking up the debt should be held accountable.

“At some point, you have to look at who’s running the show,” he said. “They have to go if we’re going to start fixing this crisis.”