Lieutenant Governor

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2002 | 8:48 a.m.

Republican Lorraine Hunt faces competition in her primary and stiffer competition in the general election as she campaigns for re-election as Lieutenant Governor.

Also vying for the job are Republican Gerry Larrivee, Democrat Erin Kenny, Libertarian William Billy Oswald and Independent American Merrit Ike Yochum.

Hunt, a longtime Nevada businesswoman, served as a Clark County Commissioner before being elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor in 1998. In her position, she has served as president of the Nevada State Senate and chairs the Nevada Commissions on Tourism and Economic Development. A former chair of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Hunt said promoting tourism is a major concern. She said she also plans to continue working to attract high-tech, biotech and multimedia industries to Nevada.

Her primary opponent, Larrivee, is a small business owner and a retired fire department rescue captain. The Reno resident is currently president of the Pleasant/Steamboat Valleys' Landowners Association. He said he plans to bring more people to Northern Nevada and help Southern Nevada access more resources to keep up with the tremendous growth.

Kenny, in her second term as a county commissioner for Clark County District F, previously served on the State Assembly and recently graduated from the William S. Boyd School of Law. She said she will continue to work on quality of life issues such as education, health care, traffic congestion, air and water quality to strengthen the state's economy and attract high-tech industries to Nevada.

Oswald has been a small business owner for more than 20 years. A resident of Winnemucca, he said he wants to work to inspire new growth in smaller Nevada towns. He is also a proponent of smaller government and no new taxes, he said.

Yochum is a retired businessman from Carson City who founded, owned and operated several businesses. He is running for lieutenant governor to promote the Independent American party, which calls for a return to constitutional government.