Romanian politics’ gain called loss to Nevada

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2004 | 11:35 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Nevada's Republican Party chairwoman announced Monday she will run for president in Romania, the country where she was born.

Lia Roberts, 54, vowed Monday in a speech in Bucharest, Romania, to crack down on rampant corruption in Romania and to attract more foreign investment by reducing graft and bureaucracy.

Her move to Romanian politics, however, is a loss for Nevadans, state Republicans said.

"I'm happy for her but sad for her to leave our state," said state Sen. Barbara Cegavske , R-Las Vegas. "She has been such an asset."

Roberts, who was first elected to her position as party chairwoman in March, guided the state party as a spokeswoman, a fund-raiser and a liaison with the national committee, said state party executive director Chris Carr.

Roberts has not yet resigned from her position overseeing Nevada's Republican Party, Cegavske said, and the party is unsure of who will replace her. Party officials said Roberts informed them of her decision to run for president months ago.

From the moment she took her post as party chairwoman, the "tough as nails" Roberts set out a vision, said Joe Brezny, executive director of the Republican Senate Caucus, who worked under Roberts last year.

"There's no resting on your laurels with this lady," Brezny said. "She laid out from day one where we were going, what we were going to do and how we were going to get there."

Although she is considered an outsider in the Romanian presidential race, Roberts may pick up votes from people disaffected with Romanian politicians, political experts in that country said.

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, said he wouldn't be surprised if Roberts wins the race because she has an "immense, gigantic, huge fighter's spirit."

"That's absolutely her," Beers said.

Roberts, who has worked in real estate and as a stock market investor, has knowledge about free markets and the ability to be the team-builder that Romania needs, said Beers, who is a CPA. Other Nevada Republicans agreed that Roberts would be an asset to the country.

"I'm quite excited for her," said Assemblyman Josh Griffin, R-Henderson. "I think her passion for democracy will serve Eastern and Western Europe well."

Roberts said she had learned the rules of democracy and a market economy since emigrating from Romania in 1979 during the communist years to marry an American citizen.

"You are not voting for me but for change in Romania," she said at her American-style campaign launch in a Bucharest cultural hall. She vowed to show the world that Romania is a "world class and not a backward country."

"It is shameful that corruption has become a virtue in Romania," she said. "Corruption is the first thing that has to stop."

Romania is to join NATO this year and hopes to join the European Union in 2007. It has been repeatedly criticized for corruption, which has deterred some foreign investment.

On a populist note, she criticized international adoptions, saying that Romanian children should not be "uprooted from Romania" when there are 3,000 Romanian families waiting to adopt. U.S. politicians have been lobbying to have the 2001 moratorium on international adoptions of Romanian children lifted.

Running as an independent, Roberts is using her own money to finance the campaign and has hired Dick Morris, a political adviser to former President Bill Clinton. She denied any affiliation to political parties in Romania.

Presidential and general elections are scheduled for the fall.

Roberts became a U.S. citizen in 1982. She owned a multimillion-dollar land holdings business from 1979 to 1993, and has been a real estate and stock market investor since then. She is also Romania's honorary consul to Las Vegas.

She had wanted to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Romania before career diplomat Michael Guest was given the post.