Porter: Nevada leaders need nonpartisan approach to issues

Jeffrey Libby

Friday, Aug. 25, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

State Sen. Jon Porter, R-Henderson, a front-running congressional candidate in the Republican primary, says Nevada leaders need to drop their isolationist attitudes and adopt a straight-talking, nonpartisan approach to issues in order to better serve constituents.

"The way you get things done is you sit down and explain things the way they are," Porter told host Mark Shaffer Thursday during the Sun's news discussion show, "POV Vegas," which airs on Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable channels 1 and 39. "You can't call (lawmakers) names and send them home."

Those remarks came after Shaffer asked Porter how he could justify hosting Republican proponents of a proposed nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain. Porter is against the Yucca Mountain site, one of his few departures from the Republican platform.

Porter is the likely challenger to incumbent Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who is running unopposed for her party in the 1st Congressional District. Porter is facing two opponents in the Sept. 5 primary.

He is more concerned about his race with Berkley. On several occassions Porter mentioned Berkley's "mean-spirited campaign tactics," saying that he would do his best to shield his wife and children from personal attacks.

Porter said he will attempt to focus the campaign on issues of leadership style, improving state education, and providing prescription drug benefits for senior citizens.

Past congressional leaders, Porter said, have consistently displayed adversarial attitudes in Washington, D.C., which have hurt the people of Nevada. If he is elected to Congress, Porter said, he will work to bring as many lawmakers as possible to the state.

Porter attributes inadequate federal support for education to the same isolationist attitude he sees in the issue of nuclear storage.

"Our isolationist attitude, by pointing fingers and laying blame in Washington, is shortchanging our kids. We're receiving 40 cents back for every dollar when it should be closer to a dollar."