In recent years, we have been reminded that elections determine far more than who holds public office.

When we elect a Governor or Mayor, we are also choosing who will have the authority to appoint people to boards, commissions, agencies, and other public bodies where important policy decisions are made.

These appointed positions rarely receive the same public attention as elected offices. Yet appointees can influence everything from electricity rates and professional licensing to housing, education, land use, public health, environmental protections, and criminal justice.

The names of these appointees may never appear on our ballots, but the people who select them do.

Appointments by the Governor

Nevada’s Governor appoints citizens to nearly 250 boards and commissions. These generally fall into three categories:

• Advisory bodies that study issues and recommend policies.
• Regulatory boards that adopt regulations, issue licenses, investigate complaints, and impose disciplinary action.
• Task forces created to address a particular problem or policy goal.

Some of the most influential areas include:

Energy and Utilities

Appointments to bodies such as the Public Utilities Commission, Nevada Clean Energy Fund, and energy-related advisory groups can influence electricity and natural-gas rates, utility planning, renewable energy, consumer protections, and infrastructure.

Health and Human Services

The Governor makes appointments to bodies involving public health, behavioral health, patient protection, aging, developmental disabilities, autism, food security, and health-care licensing. These boards can influence access to care, professional standards, and how services are delivered.

Education and Workforce

Gubernatorial appointments help shape the State Board of Education, Commission on School Funding, State Public Charter School Authority, Commission on Professional Standards in Education, and workforce-development bodies. Their decisions can affect school funding, educator requirements, charter-school oversight, academic standards, and workforce programs.

Housing and Homelessness

Appointments to housing, community-development, and homelessness councils can influence state housing strategies, funding priorities, supportive services, and coordination among state and local agencies.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

The Governor appoints members to bodies such as the Board of Parole Commissioners, Nevada Sentencing Commission, Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission, juvenile-justice bodies, and indigent-defense boards. These appointments can affect parole, sentencing policy, law-enforcement standards, juvenile justice, and access to legal representation.

The Governor also selects judges to fill midterm vacancies on the District Court, Court of Appeals, and Nevada Supreme Court from candidates submitted by the Commission on Judicial Selection.

Water, Wildlife, and Creation Care

Appointments to the Environmental Commission, Wildlife Commission, Sagebrush Ecosystem Council, Board for Financing Water Projects, Colorado River Commission, and other conservation bodies can influence water policy, wildlife management, environmental regulation, public lands, and climate resilience.

Gaming, Cannabis, and Business Regulation

The Governor appoints members to the Gaming Commission, Gaming Control Board, Cannabis Compliance Board, Tax Commission, Transportation Authority, and numerous professional licensing boards. These bodies regulate major industries, issue licenses, adopt rules, investigate complaints, and enforce standards.

Civil Rights, Ethics, and Community Representation

Appointments to bodies such as the Equal Rights Commission, Commission on Ethics, Nevada Indian Commission, Commission for Women, and regional behavioral-health boards help determine whose experiences and concerns are represented in state government.

An appointment does not mean the Governor controls every decision made by a board. Once appointed, members have legal and ethical responsibilities to carry out the duties of that public body. But the Governor’s choices determine who is present when those decisions are made.

Appointments by Mayors and City Councils

Mayoral appointment authority varies significantly among Nevada cities. Depending on the city charter, a Mayor may make appointments directly, nominate someone for confirmation by the City Council, share appointments with individual council members, or have little independent appointment authority.

Local appointed bodies may include:

Planning Commissions and Boards of Adjustment

These bodies consider zoning, housing developments, subdivisions, special-use permits, master plans, and land-use appeals. Their decisions can determine where housing is built, how communities grow, and whether development serves the needs of current residents.

Civil Service Commissions

Civil Service Commissions establish or oversee hiring, promotion, discipline, and appeal systems for many city employees. In Reno, for example, members are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council.

Housing and Redevelopment Bodies

Housing, redevelopment, and community-development boards can influence affordable housing, neighborhood investment, redevelopment districts, tax-increment financing, and the use of public land.

Parks, Recreation, Arts, and Historic-Preservation Boards

These boards help establish priorities for parks, trails, recreation programs, public art, cultural resources, and historic preservation.

Charter Committees

Charter committees review the structure and powers of city government and recommend changes to the Nevada Legislature. Their work can influence elections, representation, appointment authority, and how local government operates.

Regional Boards

Mayors and councils may appoint or designate representatives to regional transportation, planning, water, flood-control, homelessness, and other regional bodies. These appointments matter because many local challenges cross city and county boundaries.

Vacancies and Executive Leadership

Some city charters allow the Mayor to nominate a city manager or appoint someone to fill a vacant elected office, subject to City Council confirmation. In other cities, those decisions belong to the full council. Most department heads are appointed by the city manager—not directly by the Mayor.

Carson City is again different. Its Mayor is one of five members of the Board of Supervisors, and many appointments are made by the Board as a whole. The Mayor also has certain individual appointments specifically established by the Carson City Charter.

Why Appointments Matter

Public policy does not end when a law is passed. Appointed officials help write regulations, distribute funding, issue licenses, hear appeals, oversee agencies, and determine how laws are implemented.

That means voters should ask elected candidates:

• Whom will you appoint?
• What qualifications and lived experiences will you prioritize?
• Will appointments reflect Nevada’s geographic, racial, economic, and cultural diversity?
• Will appointees disclose conflicts of interest?
• Will vacancies and applications be publicly advertised?
• Will appointees be accessible and accountable to the public?

The names of appointed officials may never appear on our ballots, but the people we elect determine who receives a seat at many of Nevada’s most important decision-making tables.