Monday, Oct. 7, 2002 | 11:13 a.m.
John Lusk
Senate District 9 stretches along the northern portion of the Las Vegas Beltway all the way to the Nye County line and down to Primm.
But Democrat Terry Lamuraglia is referring to a part of Nevada 500 miles away to force voters to think about who should replace retiring Sen. Bill O'Donnell.
Lamuraglia, 48, is telling anyone who will listen that the real race for Senate District 9 isn't about him or Republican Dennis Nolan, but about which party should control the gavel in Carson City.
"Southern Nevada has not had a voice," Lamuraglia said. "This is about voting for change. If you vote for Dennis, you're voting an R: not for Republican, but for rural and Reno."
Republicans control the Senate by a 12-9 margin, and Democrats are eyeing both the Clark County District 9 race and Washoe County District 2 as the two seats they think they can win to make Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, the majority leader.
Nolan, 41, a four-term assemblyman seeking the higher house, was highly critical of Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, before Nolan's surprise upset of gaming lobbyist Richard Bunker in the primary.
"It sounds like he's stealing my material," Nolan chuckles about Lamuraglia's platform.
Taxes: Inclined to raise property tax. Initially not in support of gross receipts business tax.
Education: Wants to raise starting teachers' salaries, but wants to see justification of other education needs.
Medical malpractice: Supports tort reform, lowering existing $350,000 cap and getting rid of exemptions.
Nevada Power: Does not support Southern Nevada Water Authority purchase.
Yucca Mountain: Supports funding to the degree that Nevada is "getting defined results" for the money.
Nolan also said that if Raggio keeps the majority leader job, he would stand behind him.
But Lamuraglia said that no matter which issue concerns a voter -- whether it's taxes, health care, education or the environment -- it's better to vote for him, because Democrats will be more favorable to Southern Nevada.
"The chairmanships of all those key committees are with rural northern legislators," said Lamuraglia, currently special projects manager for Clark County. "They have not paid attention to our needs down here, not because I think they're malicious, but because I really believe that there's no interest."
Lamuraglia would like to see more funding for education, provided the Clark County School District submits to an independent audit.
He believes the state needs to raise additional revenue, but he said he does not, at this time, support raising the cap on property tax. Lamuraglia supports raising cigarette and liquor taxes, but said he does not yet have enough information about the proposed gross receipts business tax to support it.
On the issues, Nolan said he supports increased funding for starting teachers' salaries, but said he wants additional education needs justified.
He supports a statewide property tax as a "fair and equitable" solution. Nolan said he does not support the proposed gross receipts business tax, because there are too many ways business can use to avoid paying it.
Political observers point to Nolan's upset of Bunker to show that anything can happen Nov. 5. Bunker was ahead 30 percentage points in one poll late in that race, causing his campaign to pull his television ads. Nolan won by 147 votes.
The district has about 3,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, and 52 percent of district Republicans turned out in the primary, giving Nolan hope for a strong GOP turnout Nov. 5. There was no Democratic primary in the district.
Lamuraglia said he has been bolstered by support in the rural parts of the district, specifically in Blue Diamond, and believes his message is resonating among Republicans and Democrats alike.
The primary upset also gives hope to Independent American Party candidate John Lusk, a 31-year-old network engineer, who is making his first stab at politics.
In a questionnaire, Lusk said he wants to reduce the size of government to help decrease the individual tax burden. He also opposes Yucca Mountain. He did not respond to the Sun's requests for an interview.
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