McCord, Shaw run for seat as southern commissioner

Editor's note: In order to help voters make a more informed decision this election year, the Nevada Daily Mail has compiled some information on the candidates for seats on the Vernon County Commission. Following are profiles of the candidates for southern commissioner.

Nevada Daily Mail

Bonnie M. McCord --

Incumbent, Democrat

Bonnie McCord, 44, is a lifelong resident of Vernon County. She graduated from Nevada High School in 1977 and from Missouri Southern State University in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She is also a member of ODE, an international honor society in economics. She has served as the southern commissioner for Vernon County since 1993 and also has served as the Deerfield Township clerk and trustee.

McCord feels that she is the best candidate for this position because she has, "Experience, experience, experience," she said. "I hope the actual work I have done while in office speaks volumes."

She said she enjoys every aspect of the job and has worked to improve her ability to do the job.

"I have completed 240 hours of mandatory training and well over 150 hours more in training I voluntarily took believing it would help me do a better job."

One of the top priorities while serving on the commission has been the improvement of county bridges. It's a task, she is proud to add, that has been done during her tenure while still maintaining a balanced budget.

McCord feels that the biggest challenge facing the commission is the rising cost of meeting the needs of the community while revenues are not increasing. She feels that it is important to find ways to bring in revenue without raising taxes and to make every dollar stretch as far as it will go. She believes that grants are a way to do this and notes that the commission has applied for three grants already.

On top of her priority list for the future is to place advance warning sirens in communities around the county that do not have them.

McCord said she is running for office again because she feels that she has helped improve many areas of the county government, but still sees more where she can be of help.

She said, "The issues we face as a commission are complex and many ... (I am running for office) because I think I have something to bring to the table and I like the people I work for. It's that simple."

David Shaw -- Democrat

David Shaw, 39, is a life long resident of Vernon County.

He is a graduate of Bronaugh R-7 schools and also completed a construction technology course at a Nevada Area Vo-Tech. Shaw currently owns and operates a local construction company. He has served as a Bronaugh city councilman; was president of public water district No. 1; has served two terms on the Bronaugh R-7 school board -- the last two years as president; and is a member of the Vernon County Youth Fair Board.

"I feel that my background in construction as well as administrative positions will be a definite asset to the people of Vernon County," said Shaw.

Shaw said that the biggest challenge facing the position is meeting needs of the county, on a limited budget, while maintaining day-to-day operations. He feels that an enhanced 911 system, general maintenance of roads and bridges, and encouraging business growth are some necessities for Vernon County. Shaw is running for Commissioner because, "I have a concern for the county as a whole and the direction it is headed ... I feel I have a lot to offer the county if I am allowed to serve them as their Southern Commissioner."

The Republican candidate for southern commissioner, Rob Sewell, who is uncontested as the Republican nominee in the Aug. 3 primary, did not respond to a questionnaire sent to candidates.