Rusty Jardine has served Rural Nevada in various capacities throughout his professional life and, now in retirement, aims to bring that experience and sense of service to the Churchill County Commission.
In a race for the open seat vacated by Bus Scharmann that has drawn four candidates, Jardine brings his deep base of legal knowledge, experience with water issues, and love of the community.
“I suppose I was born to serve,” Jardine said, “maybe it’s to repay our debt to the greatest generation. I’m just compelled to serve.”
And serve he has. Jardine has retired from serving 12 years as General Manager for the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District and eight years as a Deputy District Attorney, where he was assigned as the civil deputy, advising the county commission on issues as diverse as land use and water rights to social services and human resources.
“I’ve talked to Pete Olsen and Assemblyman Koenig, as well as Commissioner Heath, and they’ve all encouraged me to run,” Jardine said.
“I’ve spent the last 12 years participating with the federal government, and I know how important water is to this community. Having developed a real understanding of the need to sustain irrigated agriculture in our valley is one of my main focuses. I have an understanding of the laws associated with water rights and have a real understanding of the need to sustain irrigation in this valley to protect the groundwater and the rights of the owners.”
He sees housing as an essential issue facing the community and recognizes there has been conflict over where to locate housing developments. “It is important to maintain our rural atmosphere and balance that with the constitutional right of owners to sell and develop their property. It has to be done in the proper way.”
Jardine started his career in Elko as a juvenile probation officer and a hearing master before going to law school and returning to Nevada to clerk for Judge Richard Wagner in the Sixth Judicial District Court. He then worked for the Attorney General’s office in Ely and later was a deputy District Attorney in White Pine County before coming to Fallon where he’s served for the past twenty years.
“Two great things happened when I was at TCID,” Jardine said. “First, the Big Dig, and being a part of that. It was a major collaborative effort to bring all the entities together quickly and responsively, and it was an honor to be a part of that. And the settlement of the Fernley flood mitigation, to be a part of that and to keep the district alive was very important.”
Jardine has also served as an instructor of law courses at Great Basin College and Western Nevada College, as well as an alcohol and substance abuse counselor, and has passed through the Peace Officer Standards Training. He has appeared to testify before the Nevada State Legislature and has visited Washington D.C. on behalf of TCID, Nevada Water Resources, and Family Farm Alliance in support of irrigated agriculture.
The Jardines have four children, three of whom live in Fallon, and 16 grandchildren. He can be reached at [email protected].
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