Seale files for Assembly race

Kirsten Searer and Cy Ryan

Thursday, May 6, 2004 | 10:08 a.m.

Former state Treasurer and Republican Party Chairman Bob Seale filed as a candidate for Assembly District 21 on Wednesday, saying he felt his background in finance and government would be helpful in dealing with the state's budget.

Seale, 62, a financial consultant, wants to replace Republican Assemblyman Walter Andonov, who announced Tuesday afternoon he had won a fellowship to pursue his doctorate at Yale University.

Seale said he recently had been thinking about running for the Legislature -- perhaps even for another state Senate seat.

When he heard Tuesday that Andonov wasn't going to run for re-election, Seale said he decided within hours to file for the office.

Seale, who earned laughs last weekend as the chairman of the state Republican Convention, is widely respected by political insiders and members of his community, Joe Brezny, the executive director of the Republican Senate Caucus, said.

"It's going to be hilarious to watch," Brezny said. "Bob Seale running for this seat is the equivalent of putting a Corvette engine into a Geo Prism."

Brezny credited Seale with increasing communication in the party while he was chairman.

Seale said he was partly motivated to run for office because of last year's tax struggles, saying he was "disturbed by what seemed to be a focus on the revenue side rather than focus -- or at least attention -- on the expense side."

He said he understands the state budget process as a former state treasurer. And he said he can lend perspective to commerce issues because he is a small-business man.

The seat must remain Republican if the party is to fulfill its hopes of taking the majority of the Assembly, he said.

"It's crucial that we keep this seat," he said. "I believe that I can do that."

Seale has lived in Clark County for five years, in Andonov's Henderson district. Prior to moving to Southern Nevada, he lived in Washoe County for 27 years. He said he had "friends on both sides of the aisle."

In the 2002 general election, high school teacher Lisa Cano took 43 percent of the vote compared to Andonov's 55 percent.

Also Wednesday District Judge James Hardesty of Reno filed for the Nevada Supreme Court. Hardesty, 55, is chief judge in Washoe County and has been on the bench five years. He is seeking the seat held by Chief Justice Miriam Shearing who is retiring.

Hardesty has raised more than $225,000 for the campaign. So far Clark County Probate Commissioner Don Ashworth and Clark County Family Court Judge Cynthia Dianne Steel also have filed.

Two other candidates added their names to run for Congress. Democrat David Bennett will challenge Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., and Democrat Ron von Felden added his name with Democrat Mark Budetich, who filed on Monday, to challenge Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev.