And here are two articles that provide some background about the Mayor:
New Mayor Van Camp wants to ‘clean up’ Ely (March 21, 2014)
That article says that she did not win an election, but was instead appointed Mayor by the City Council:
Quote
Melody Van Camp was sworn into office as the new Ely mayor outside of City Hall on Friday. Van Camp was selected from a pool of four candidates who applied for the position by the City Council at their meeting on March 13.
The council reached a 2-2 tie after councilman Randy Lee nominated Van Camp for the position. Lee and Bruce Setterstrom voted in favor of Van Camp, with Marty Westland and Sam Hanson voting no. Mayor Pro Tem Dale Derbidge stepped in and broke the tie with a yes vote.
And here is another article says that the Mayor is trying to be the subject of a "reality-television" program:
‘Small Town Mayor’ shoots in Ely (June 6, 2014)
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A Las Vegas based television crew are hoping they might have found the next big reality television show in Ely. Following around Melody Van Camp for four days, the crew shot hours and hours of footage to be edited down into a three-minute “sizzle reel” to pitch a new show called “Small Town Mayor.”
The concept is rather simple. Find a small town with personality that has a Mayor that viewers would want to spend an hour of their time watching each week. With Van Camp, they think they have found a winner.
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Chris Webster