Donald Tatro was appointed to fill the vacant senate seat for Nevada Senate District 16 in a joint meeting between Washoe County Board of County Commissioners and the Carson City Board of Supervisors.
The seat was vacated in October when Sen. Ben Kieckhefer resigned. District 16 spans two counties – Carson City and Washoe County – so the Carson City Board of Supervisors and the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners must select the replacement.
The Carson City Board of Supervisors nominated Robert Weise, and Washoe County Commissioners nominated Donald Tatro. In a joint meeting, Carson City Board of Supervisors and Washoe County Board of County Commissioners cast their votes for the appointment to Senate District 16. Votes from each county is based on the population represented by that county within the district. For Senate District 16, Carson City represents 38 percent of the population and Washoe County represents 62 percent of the population.
Donald Tatro grew up in Carson City and now lives in Washoe County. He currently serves as first vice chair of ACE Charter High School Board, chairs Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve’s Housing Task Force, sits on the Washoe County Manager’s Advisory Committee, and serves as first vice chair of the Reno-Sparks Association of Realtors. Tatro is the former executive director of the Builders Association of Northern Nevada and worked as deputy press secretary for U.S. Senator John Ensign and press secretary for U.S. Senator Tom Coburn.
Washoe County Clerk Janis Galassini certified the appointment, which is effective immediately. The appointment was made just in time for a special session of the Nevada State Legislature, which is expected to occur this month to vote on redistricting of election districts. Tatro will serve the remainder of Kieckhefer’s term, which ends in January 2023.
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