Election 2002: Regents

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002 | 11:05 a.m.

Armed with endorsements from a faculty group, Paul Aizley will square off in District 3 against incumbent Thalia Dondero, who had a strong lead coming out of the primary.

Dondero had a 15-percentage point lead over Aizley in the nonpartisan primary. But Aizley, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas administrator, has an endorsement from the Nevada Faculty Alliance.

Aizley, 66, a former dean of UNLV's College of Extended Studies, wants to examine how the University and Community College System spends state dollars and wants to take a look at the widening gap between administrative and faculty salaries.

Dondero, 81, wants to increase the quality and diversity of professionals at each of the state's eight institutions and supports the need to educate more teachers and nurses.

Dondero is a former Clark County commissioner who has lived in Las Vegas for 59 years.

District 5

Aldo Aguirre and Jack Scofield will face one another in the race for the newly created District 5.

Aguirre, 42, began his academic career as a tennis coach and later gained experience as a UNLV adjunct instructor before going to work for the state as an educational consultant.

Schofield, 79, is running for his third state seat. He served as an assemblyman from 1970 to 1974 and state senator from 1974 to 1978. He was a combat pilot in the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers, serving in China, Burma and India during World War II.

District 12

Running for the newly created District 12 are Stavros Anthony and Jeff Knight.

Anthony, 45, a Metro Police captain, wants to advance higher education and secure adequate funds toward that goal.

The 22-year Metro veteran also teaches at UNLV and the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Knight, 30, a small-business owner, is on the UNLV Alumni Association and Las Vegas Host Lions boards.

Knight says his goal is to increase the quality and access of higher education.

District 2

Former School Board member Robert Forbuss will square off against lawyer and accountant Bret Whipple.

The district lost its regent, Tom Wiesner, to leukemia this year.

Forbuss, 54, who started his career as a high school history teacher, hopes to be an advocate for faculty on the board.

Forbuss says he also wants to bring cutting-edge technology to higher education and bring adequate resources for institutions to function on their own.

Bret Whipple, 36, says he wants to ensure that a college education is affordable. He also wants to produce more teaching and nursing graduates and expand existing programs at the state's higher education institutions to fit economic needs to prepare students in relevant fields.

Whipple is both an accountant and attorney. He has also managed his family cattle ranch outside of Las Vegas for 25 years.