Although Douglas County is currently and historically a Republican stronghold, the Democrats smacked a deep dent into the conservative armor. In 2004, Douglas County voted only 34% Democratic. This year, it was an impressive 41.2%, with an 92.3% turnout! Woo-hoo!

Although Democrats did much better this year, the end result is that overall, Democrats still took a pounding in Douglas County.

Here’s a PDF of the county election results.

Here’s the brief breakdown of the affiliations of the Republicans elected to County Commissioners’ seats:

Greg Lynn -
Things to watch: Contractor since 1973. Appears to be tight with developers: Builders’ Association of Western Nevada states he squarely supports their agenda.
Good Deeds: Helped author the Sustainable Growth Initiative, limiting growth to 2%. Appears to listen to the voters.

Doug Johnson -
Things to watch: Nevada Off Highway Vehicle Committee. Consulted with developers for the Growth Management Ordinance, which quietly repealed the Sustainable Growth Initiative. Actively opposes the proposed Lyon Peak, O’Banion Canyon and East Sister wilderness areas.
Good Deeds: Does the will of the voters…albeit grudgingly.

From the Record-Courier, 2008-11-07:
Commissioner Doug Johnson said there were a lot of positives with the [Park Cattle Company] proposal, but he had an obligation to represent the public.
“We have to make a decision that represents the public even if we don’t agree with it,” Johnson said.
He added that his decision also was influenced by the overwhelming majority of voters who supported the county’s growth management ordinance Tuesday.

Mike Olson -
Things to watch: He wants to “work with reinventing, rebuilding or redeveloping the [Lake Tahoe] area.”  Supports the controversial “Hillbilly” casino development in North Douglas County, along with its huge, view-blocking, oil-derrick sign.  Is tight with developers: Builders Association of Western Nevada states he supports their agenda. (BAWN in Action, issue 18), plus he was a member of BAWN and head of their Pro Group Management committee.
Good Deeds: Seems to be moderate and open to input, expresses a desire for a bipartisan approach.  Would much rather see the gauche oil-derrick sign change to something more dignified (but still wants the casino). Willing to learn all aspects of issues before deciding on them.

It looks like the incredibly beautiful, rural character of Douglas County is at risk of being sacrificed for the benefit of the “If there ain’t a strip mall and 1500 condos on it then it’s wasted land” crowd.

Addendum: After reading through this again, I realized that it sounds a bit one-sided. There are developers and builders out there who are in tune with the character of the county and the area, and yes, I know that some growth is essential for the economic health of the county. Heck–all the empty storefronts and For Sale signs tell me that. It’s just that ever since I was a small tyke, I have had a healthy distrust of developers and a strong belief that most land looked much better in its natural state than plowed, plundered, and paved over. It was a couple of very specific events that formed that worldview. I’ll have to write another post about that someday.