ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 10

Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 | 12:59 p.m.

Assembly District 10 is up for grabs for the first time in nearly a decade, and three parties have candidates vying to fill the seat that was David Goldwater's, who is running for Clark County Commission.

District 10, which lines Interstate 15 from Sahara Avenue south past Blue Diamond Road, has a Democratic majority.

Joseph Hogan, a 67-year-old retired government employee, enjoyed a decisive victory in the district's Democratic primary. His priorities are education, health care and public safety.

"Nevada's schools must achieve higher graduation rates and better test scores to maintain a highly competent workforce for the future," Hogan wrote in a Sun questionnaire.

He advocates programs modeled after those in other states to provide health care to children and seniors, and calls for more police and community programs to lower crime rates.

Hogan was as an attorney for NASA, the Navy, and the Defense and Labor departments in Washington before he moved to Las Vegas. He has been a member of civic and environmental organizations in Maryland and California.

In Nevada, Hogan volunteers for AARP, is on the Clark County Urban League board and serves on the state Transportation Department's Advisory Committee.

He is endorsed by teachers, law enforcement and labor unions, the Nevada Conservation League, Planned Parenthood and the Caucus of African-American Nevadans. Hogan has an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Republican Rex Wilhoite is a 60-year-old licensed mold inspector. He says his background in sales and business management give him the perspective to understand working people.

"I ... have empathy for the employees and small-business owners who struggle in this economy to pay their bills," Wilhoite wrote in a Sun questionnaire.

On his Web site, Wilhoite says his main motivation for seeking office is to give Republicans a majority in the Legislature. He says the last legislative session's battle over taxes inspired him to run.

Wilhoite has been a Las Vegas business owner for more than 12 years. His air filter sales and service business employs 17 people.

Wilhoite serves on the Citizens Advisory Board of the Regional Transportation Commission. He is a member of the Las Vegas Executive Association, the Nevada Development Authority, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and Nevadans for Affordable Health Care.

Wilhoite has an undergraduate degree in finance from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan.

The third candidate in the race is Glenn Brown of the Independent American Party, a 61-year-old retiree who is running for office for the first time.

Brown said the issues he cares about are the district's population increase, "the use of schools," the water shortage and taxes.

Brown has an undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University.