Could the whole of Nevada’s future come down to one race in 2010?  That might not be far from the truth with the battle for Senate District 5 between Joyce Woodhouse and Michael Roberson.  If you’re like me, you might not believe that a state senate race could be so important.  Wait until you hear about this one.

The party that controls the Nevada Legislature after this election cycle will decide the whole redistricting of the state in 2011.  Gerrymandering is the process of redistricting to ensure that your party wins as many seats as possible every year.  This year, as with most, the majority of the races are already decided because of redistricting from the last go around.

If Democrats are able to pick up two more seats in the senate, they will have a super-majority in both houses of the Nevada Legislature.  That would give them full control over the process of redistricting.  If that happens, the Democrats will have a solid political advantage for at least the next ten years, and likely for much longer.

There are four notable senate races this year.  Two of the seats are open, one because of a surprise loss by incumbent Republican Sen. Dennis Nolan in the primaries to newbie Elizabeth Halseth.  Here’s the lineup:

1. Senate District 8: Incumbent Republican Barbara Cegavske vs. Democrat Tammy Peterson. Registered voters: 41 percent Democrat, 39 percent Republican, 20 percent other.

2. Senate District 5: Incumbent Democrat Joyce Woodhouse vs. Republican Michael Roberson. Registered voters: 41 percent Democrat, 39 percent Republican, 21 percent other.*

3. Senate District 9: Democrat Benny Yerushalmi vs. Republican Elizabeth Halseth. Registered voters: 41 percent Democrat, 38 percent Republican, 22 percent other.

4. Senate District 12: Republican Assemblyman Joe Hardy vs. Democrat Aaron Ford. Registered voters: 39 percent Democrat, 40 percent Republican, 21 percent other.

Conservative commentator Chuck Muth points out that Republican incumbent Sen. Barbara Cegavske and Elizabeth Halseth are the two most likely to lose to Democrats.  That’s the two seats Democrats can realistically pick up.

The more difficult question is can the Democrats keep their seat in District 5 with Joyce Woodhouse?  Some suggest she’s vulnerable.  However, her party has a registration advantage in that district.  No doubt she’ll be working hard to solidify her base and get them to the poles.

Senator Woodhouse served as an educator here in Nevada before taking on responsibilities as our representative.  Her background and commitment to Nevada schools is appealing for those supporting education.

Michael Roberson moved to Nevada in 2000.  He is an attorney with the law firmKolesar & Leatham.  He has his own plans for education.  He wants to “cut the education bureaucracy” and expand private charter schools**.

So this is it!  This is one of those races that you should focus on.  Students and members of the community at large should pitch in and help whatever side they believe in, because there is a lot at stake here.

To find what district you live in, or to register to vote, go here.  The registration deadline is October 2nd.  Don’t procrastinate.

Update: 9/7/2010

1) **Charter Schools are privately owned, but are publicly funded and do not charge tuition.  Some say charter schools are more effective and efficient.  Because they are publicly funded, they are more heavily regulated than a traditional private school.

2)*Voter Registration Numbers: See Glenn Cook, August 22, Las Vegas Review Journal.  Up-to-date voter registration numbers can be found on the Nevada Secretary of State’s website here:  http://www.nvsos.gov/index.aspx?page=709

Meet Scott Kelley.  He first attended a political/ community meeting as a member of the CSN Capitol Club back in 2005.  From there, he has gone far.

In 2008, he was elected to the Washoe County School Board for District E.  To my knowledge (Correct me if I’m wrong) he is the first member of the Capitol Club to obtain an elected office, outside of student government.

He ran for Reno City Council in 2006, losing in a close race.  He has been active in several community organizations since his days in the Capitol Club.

You can read more about him on his Facebook page here, or on the Washoe County School District site here.

He isn’t up for re-election this year, but says he is eager to get back out there and talk to people.  Scott told me, “I love campaigning, it’s such an exciting process and I’m getting better at it.”

The Capitol Club is proud to have one of its own out there serving the public.  Congratulations Scott!  You have set a good example for us.  Keep up the good work!

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Can anyone tell us who is Brian Sandoval? Mike Montandon offers up a few suggestions in his smear website, created to paint an unsavory picture (at least for the far right) of the apparent front runner of the GOP for Nevada Governor. Take a look here.

Who is Mike Montandon? The recently retired Mayor of North Las Vegas is also running for the GOP nomination for Nevada Governor. Polls indicate he is behind the rest of the pack.

WhoIsBrianSandoval.com states Sandoval is a “Liberal Republican.” Under a Jeopardy board, statements come into focus like “pro-choice Catholic” then “Who is Brian Sandoval.” Among other things, it says he is “against traditional marriage,” “supports civil unions,” “quit two most recent jobs,” and “Harry Reid supported him.”

Brian Sandoval was “hand picked by the establishment” says the website. What does that even mean? You decide.

Right now Republicans have some choices to make, notwithstanding the inherent irony in that statement. They must choose whether they keep the promiscuous, libertarian and often absent incumbent Jim Gibbons in office, go with the “Liberal Republican hand picked by the establishment” or try for the lesser known Mike Montandon, the self-proclaimed “real conservative.”

Who is it going to be?

March 1st passes as candidates in Nevada make their bids official. The talk of the town is the governor’s race. The incumbent governor Jim Gibbons has been all over the news lately, and his poll numbers are rising.

The Nevada Primaries will be on June 8th, 2010. The final fate of the Republican candidates will be decided. Brian Sandoval leads that race and the general so far.

Rory Reid has some obstacles. The stigma of his father’s name, and the impatience of the American People, have the Clark County Commissioner trailing in most polling so far.

What will these two candidates mean for Nevada? No one can say for sure how either of them will act in any given situation. Nevada faces a 3 to 5 billion dollar budget shortfall next year. This year’s was only around 900 million. Imagine the controversy next year will bring.

Thus far, Brian Sandoval refuses to sign the tax pledge (which would restrict him to never raising taxes under any circumstances). He said it would not be smart.

Brian Sandoval appears to be a moderate, and I think he is. However, Brian will have to deal with his party in this state. I can assure you that his party in Nevada is most recently more on the ultra conservative side. Members of his own party are already on the attack, pointing to Sandoval’s history.

His stance as Attorney General in Nevada wherein he demanded that the state legislature fund education or violate their duties under the state constitution has many conservatives in an uproar.

Oddly enough, this issue of the constitutional requirement to fund education was not brought up this go around. Its as if the decision in Guinn vs. Legislature never happened.

Rory Reid has publicly supported making education a top priority. Now, the public must deal with the question of who will be more prepared to face next year’s massive budget deficit. Do we want a “no-taxes” guy in there? Or do we want to slash funding to our most basic services of education, and public heath & safety by 30-40%?

The Las Vegas Sun is reporting that Jim Gibbons is willing to raise taxes (oops, fees) to balance the State of Nevada’s budget deficit. Are fees the same as taxes? How about removal of tax deductions?

With a roughly $880 billion projected deficit, the governor and lawmakers have their work cut out in the 2010 Special Session of the Nevada Legislature. The Nevada Constitution grants the governor the power and authority to convene a special session to address the specific agenda he outlines. After realizing the brevity of the situation, it now appears the Governor is now prepared to put more on the table than was expected by many.

Raising fees is now an option, despite the governor’s previous positions. A spokesman for Gibbons said “If the group that pays the fee agrees to pay the fee, and the group that pays the fee gets the advantage of the fee, then the governor won’t stand in the way.”

Chuck Muth argues that these fees are taxes and violates the “tax payers pledge” that Gibbons signed. Others argue that Gibbons should not be bound by pledges that have no meaning in the real world. Committing to principles is one thing. Committing to action before an event unfolds is ludicrous.

If the governor demonstrates moderate rationale, I’ll have to give him more credit than previously thought was deserved. It would take great courage to put the “right things” first, and the signed piece of paper second. It would no doubt disappoint some of his core followers.

In addition to increasing fees, the governor is now discussing the removal of tax deductions for the mining industry. Again, Burns defended that removal of a deduction is not a tax increase.

This crisis may find a resolution, but it will take cooperation, and clarity of priorities in Carson City. Perhaps our message was received by the governor’s office. I want to read in the paper in a few weeks that:

“Governor Gibbons and law makers worked together to balance the budget with only small cuts to appropriations from the general fund.”

Governor Gibbons gave his state of the State address tonight. Here is the complete transcript.

Hello, I’m Governor Jim Gibbons. I am always honored to speak directly to you. But the truth is, I would rather that the circumstances did not compel me to address you tonight.

The great inventor and statesman Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.” This insight means a lot to me. My staff has been hard at work reviewing the state budget, the services our state government provides and the dramatic shortfall in state revenues. We are working on solutions to turn this recession into an opportunity to reinvent our State’s government. We may never have an opportunity like this again. The dire economic situation we are facing now requires immediate action.

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Dr. Joe Heck paid a visit to the Henderson CSN campus on 10/27/09 and gave a brief lecture to students and community members.

See the rest of the videos here, or watch them in High Definition on CSN Capitol Club’s Youtube channel, here.

Meet Congresswoman Dina Titus of 3rd District Nevada. She is making several appearances in the community, including a health care forum tonight in Henderson. Republican opposition is starting to mount, and things just got a little more crowded in that primary race. Read more, see video, pictures and read a biography of Dina Titus below.

Congresswoman Dina Titus

Real estate investor and Republican Rob Lauer recently announced his candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District. This after John Guedry dropped out of the race, which may have left Brad Lord-Leutwyler as potential front runner. Then add Joe Heck, who came over from a very crowded gubernatorial primary race. He is now widely considered the front-runner in the media, likely due to his name recognition, and previous experience as a Nevada State Senator.

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Meet Paul Aizley, Nevada Assemblyman from District 41 in Clark County. At the beginning of the month, he announced his bid for re-election in 2010, so we are providing our readers with some useful information about the man. Read more, see photos, and a biography below.

Assemblyman Paul Aizley

Assemblyman Aizley began the 2008 year as a freshman member of the state assembly. He defeated Republican Tim Rowland for District 41. The seat was previously held by Democrat David Parks, who decided to run for Dina Titus’ state senate seat that year. Democrats took solid majorities in both houses, and all across the country during this election cycle.

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Meet Joe Heck, Republican candidate for congress. He recently announced that he will be challenging Congresswoman Dina Titus for her re-election bid for U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd Congressional District in Nevada. Pundits say this could be interesting. Read more, see photos, video, and a biography below.

Dr. Joe Heck

We will be meeting with Dr. Heck here at the College of Southern Nevada’s Henderson Campus, Room C-133, on October 27th at 5PM. We will look forward to hearing about his experiences serving the public, and how people can make a difference. This event is open to everyone.

Early polling suggests that Joe Heck is favored over Dina Titus. With the recent withdrawal of GOP candidate John Guedry from the race, Joe Heck left the gubernatorial race to enter this one.

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