In 1997, Keith Boone and his wife Brenda, along with their young son, Tanner, made a move from Helena, Montana to Fallon, Nevada to teach school. With offers of employment also made to them by Douglas and Elko Counties, the couple chose the Lahontan Valley. In no time, Fallon was no longer just a place to work, but a place they would continue to call home ever since. Now, Keith Boone is running for Churchill County Commissioner in district 3.
Boone earned his master’s degree in Education Leadership at the University of Nevada, intending to pursue an administrative career with Churchill County School District, which he has done. After serving in several administrative roles, Boone found his home at E.C. Best Elementary and has served as principal there since 2009.
During his years in the area, Boone has developed strong ties to the community and a passion for its home-town culture. With a love for the area’s young people, he has invested a great deal of time in local youth programs, even starting the Youth Basketball Program. Outside of the school building, Boone has been an integral part of the UNR Alumni Association and proudly wears Nevada silver and blue. He has also been a long-time member of the Nevada Association of Elementary School Principals and was recently elected as the 700-member organization’s president. He will start his term advocating for educator and students in Nevada on July 1st.
It’s no secret to those who know him how much Keith Boone loves his hometown. “Fallon has a spirit in its community and I have seen this community come together so many times over the years,” he states. “I love the weather, the rural flavor, and the location. But what I love the most is that Fallon is a community that really loves its kids.” Not to be overlooked is Boone’s other passion – golf. According to this candidate, “You can golf twelve months a year!”
A member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, and a card-carrying member of the Fallon Golf Course, Keith Boone has always had a strong interest in government. Ultimately having to decide between a degree in education and one in political science, he now hopes to get to pursue the passion he left behind. “I have always wanted to serve in public office – even in high school,” Boone explains. “I think Carl Erquiaga has done a great job, but as his term is expiring, so I decided to run.”
According to Boone, his decision to run for County Commissioner was largely based on the opportunities and challenges he sees for Churchill County in the next five years. “The next years are critical for our area,” Boone states. “With Fallon’s geographic location and the continued growth in surrounding areas like Fernley and USA Parkway, we need to be aggressive and pursue economic opportunities.” In addition to his desire to see a strong and robust local economy, he feels that there are some beautification opportunities in Lahontan Valley and would like to see some focus given that type of a project. “It’s such a beautiful area, “says Boone, “We can make it appealing and really sell the quality of life we have here.” On the same lines, Boone would also like to see Parks & Recreation receive additional support and be able to enhance and expand their programs. “Jorge is doing a great job over there, but it’s kind of a two-man show.”
Regarding social issues like the rising number of homeless in the county and the number of residents experiencing addiction and mental health problems, Boone feels that these issues are serious need a great deal of attention. “As a state, we are really behind the eight-ball in these areas,” according to Boone. Even though Churchill County is making some strides to address these concerns, it’s not something that we can ignore. “The area is very economically diverse, and we need to be looking at all needs.”
COVID-19 is not far from the minds of anyone, including Boone. “I believe in many ways this will be like 911 – it will change how things are done,” he states. “We must continue to be vigilant and err on the side of caution.” The candidate also foresees many long-term ramifications that will need to be addressed as a community. In addition to the predicted outfall from the virus, Nevada faces some unique challenges. “Nevadan’s are very independent,” states Boone, “We pretty much have a live-and-let-live mindset here.” Boone believes the process of maintaining health and safety while rebuilding economic stability will be cumbersome, but critical. Most importantly, however, is that in light of such weighty challenges, Boone feels prepared to take them on.
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