Guinn, Jones early favorites

Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998 | 11:20 a.m.

Pundits would have Nevadans believe the race for governor will match retired businessman and educator Kenny Guinn against Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones in November's general election.

To make that happen Guinn still needs to beat three fellow Republicans in the Sept. 1 state primary. Jones must defeat eight other Democrats.

The new occupant of the governor's mansion for the next four years will replace Gov. Bob Miller, the Democrat whose 10-year reign will have made him Nevada's longest-serving chief executive. The state constitution prevents him from running for re-election.

Guinn, a 62-year-old Las Vegan, began campaigning more than two years ago in hopes of becoming the state's first Republican governor since 1982. He became the overwhelming GOP favorite thanks to support from the gaming industry and many of the state's key power brokers. Guinn, in fact, has had to quell criticism that he is the establishment candidate.

State Sen. Joe Neal, a North Las Vegas Democrat, was the early favorite for his party's nomination but that changed when Jones made a last-minute decision to enter the race. Jones, now in her second mayoral term, lost to Miller in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1994. She attacked Miller then for being part of the "good ol' boys' network" but now finds herself as the Democrats' establishment candidate.

Guinn's resume includes stints as superintendent of the Clark County School District, chairman of both Southwest Gas Corp. and Primerit bank, and interim president of UNLV.

He has proposed that school districts meet specific annual goals to make better use of educational funding. He also would institute a cash bonus program financed by the private sector to reward deserving teachers and school administrators.

Guinn also would expand the property tax refund program for low-income seniors by raising the existing $500 tax rebate cap and accelerating rebate increases. He also plans to cut the size of state government if necessary, and would oppose the shipment of high-level nuclear waste to Nevada.

His chief GOP rivals are Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren and Aaron Russo, both of Las Vegas. Both are considered colorful personalities capable of attracting protest votes.

Hammargren, a 60-year-old neurosurgeon, was elected to the state's number two post in 1994. As lieutenant governor, he presided over the state Senate for the 1995 and 1997 legislative sessions. He was also on the Nevada State Board of Education from 1985 to 1988 and Nevada Board of Regents from 1989 to 1994.

Hammargren would create a citizen medical and hospital task force to plan for future health needs in Nevada, advocate portable health insurance between jobs and recruit retired medical professionals to provide voluntary wellness education for seniors. He supports a property tax freeze for the elderly, and believes the sales tax and gaming tax should be the same percentage.

The candidate also favors early retirement buyout plans for educators who teach at at-risk schools, "catch up" funds for inadequate schools and a driver's license ban for high school dropouts until they establish a plan to finish school or receive a GED.

He would challenge the federal government in the U.S. Supreme Court to clean up nuclear contamination at the Nevada Test Site, but he wants more information on the risks involved before taking a position on the possible transport of nuclear waste to the state.

Russo, a 54-year-old movie producer and former rock concert promoter, has drawn heat from GOP regulars for having been a Nevada resident only since 1996. But he's also made considerable effort to raise his name identification with voters, including the most prolific use of television advertisements among all candidates. He also caused a stir at state and county Republican conventions earlier this year.

Russo would lower property taxes by instituting a state lottery, reduce vehicle registration fees to $35 and allow schools to be controlled by parents, teachers and principals.

He also vowed to fight the federal government to prevent nuclear waste from coming to Nevada, prohibit pre-wired "tapping" of all telephones and eliminate taxes on tips. Russo also opposes proposals to establish federal identification cards.

Rounding out the Republican field is Bruce Westcott, a 60-year-old Las Vegas businessman. He would appoint a special committee to oversee the state's education budget, give all first- through sixth-graders access to computers and require those youngsters to wear school uniforms.

Westcott also would reduce privileges for incarcerated violent criminals and negotiate for benefits if Nevada is chosen by the federal government to store the nation's high-level nuclear waste.

On the Democratic side, the 48-year-old Jones is pressing forward with her campaign after successfully completing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Like Guinn, Jones has extensive business experience, having served as president of the Fletcher Jones Management Group, a car dealership company. She has also served on numerous boards, including Community Bank, Public Education Foundation and Lied Discovery Children's Museum.

As mayor, she has supported downtown redevelopment while raising concerns about the spread of neighborhood casinos. She supports further class size reduction, safer classrooms, increased parental involvement in schools and a more open dialog on the future of education in Nevada.

Jones also would push for economic diversity by involving schools in a coordinated statewide effort to attract jobs that pay $15 to $20 per hour. She also supports stronger regional government in Southern Nevada to better manage growth and mass transit. Jones also would oppose the storage of high-level nuclear waste in Nevada.

Neal, who boasts the most political experience of all gubernatorial candidates, has served in the state Senate since 1973. The 63-year-old senator, who spent 25 years in personnel administration, retired as assistant to the general legal counsel of Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co.

Considered one of the state Legislature's mavericks, Neal has been outspoken on civil rights. During his campaign he has touted the need for higher gaming taxes and elimination of a controversial tax break that can be used by resorts that purchase and display expensive art work.

Neal also would repeal the business activity tax because he said it prevents small businesses from adding new workers. He favors making banks more responsive to consumer needs, wants to control health-care costs, and wishes to protect ratepayers from subsidizing the costs of proposed utility deregulation.

However, Neal has said there isn't much a governor can do to prevent nuclear waste from coming to Nevada if the federal government deems Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as an appropriate storage site.

Other Democrats in the race include:

* Jim Champagne, 55, a small-business owner from Reno, who would implement a state lottery to help pay for education, law enforcement and programs benefitting seniors, veterans and victims of child and spousal abuse. He opposes the shipment of nuclear waste to Nevada and advocates more federal funds for school construction. He also would create a commission to help the state Legislature revise disbursement formulas to better serve counties and cities.

* Carlo Poliak, a 58-year-old trash collector from Las Vegas, who has run unsuccessfully for governor, mayor of Las Vegas and Clark County commissioner. Poliak would support a gaming tax increase, a state lottery to support education, a property tax freeze for all seniors on fixed incomes and voter approval for legislative pay raises. Poliak also would establish a state bureau to investigate allegations of police misconduct and would reorganize the Nevada Highway Patrol.

* Barbara Scott, a 43-year-old Las Vegas exotic dancer. She advocates abolishing Nevada's right-to-work status, arguing that employees' rights are being violated. Scott also would decriminalize marijuana for medicinal use, make counseling more accessible for drug addicts, raise gaming taxes and increase teachers' pay.

* John Geremia, 48, the owner of a lawn maintenance company in Laughlin, would require entertainers who advertise in the yellow pages to carry health cards. He would replace computerized voting machines with optical-scan paper ballots, and crack down on political action committees named after individuals. Geremia also believes casinos are violating federal law in the way they calculate tips for tax purposes.

* Caesar D. Adamson, a 42-year-old North Las Vegas truck driver, said he would require apartment tenants to pay a renters' tax to help support schools and hold down property taxes. He also believes state employees should be paid on par with Clark County workers.

* Burvle "Ed" Swindle, a 66-year-old Las Vegas businessman, said he would eliminate state government waste by preventing agencies from getting budget increases without merit. He would seek to increase exports of Nevada products overseas and require thorough budgetary audits of all municipalities. Swindle, who has served as a voluntary emissary in the lieutenant governor's office, said he opposes the shipment of nuclear waste to Nevada.

* Patrick Matthew "Pat" Fitzpatrick, 69, a retired Nevada Department of Taxation employee from Silver Springs, said he entered the race because of a run-in with the Washoe County judicial system. Fitzpatrick, who said he is appealing a misdemeanor battery conviction for an assault on a state social worker, said he is upset at authorities because they placed his wife in an alternative residential setting over his objections.

The winning Democrat and Republican will be joined in the general election by Independent American candidate Chuck Horne of Mesquite and Libertarian Terry C. Savage of Incline Village.

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