ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 42

Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 | 12:44 p.m.

Assembly District 42 Democratic incumbent Harry Mortenson, 73, is seeking a fifth term against an opponent who is 46 years his junior.

Republican Bob Adney, 27, collected 67.6 percent of the vote in a two-person primary. Mortenson had no primary opponent.

Mortenson, first elected in 1996, is a retired physicist who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

During the last legislative session, he was chairman of the Assembly Constitutional Amendments Committee and a member of the judiciary, taxation and natural resources, agriculture and mining committees.

Mortenson's platform focuses on improving the quality of life of his constituents.

He has a bachelor of science degree from Roanoke College -- now the University of Maryland at Roanoke -- and a master's from Duke University.

Mortenson's prior political experience includes a stint as chairman of the Clark County Spring Valley Town Advisory Board. He is past chairman of the American Nuclear Society.

Adney says the most important issue is government accountability, noting that it "crosses almost all things that the Legislature deals with. "

He wants to trim the state budget and plans to address growth issues.

Adney, who has a bachelor of administration degree from the University of Maryland College Park, has worked as a research analyst for the Legislative Counsel Bureau and has done campaign consulting work.

He currently is in sales for a company that helps organize entertainment events for tourists.

District 42, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2,400 voters, is generally bounded by Hacienda Avenue, Jones Boulevard, Flamingo Road, Valley View Boulevard, Sahara Avenue, Decatur Boulevard, Desert Inn Road and Buffalo Road.