Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 | 9:04 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- State Treasurer Brian Krolicki says his ties with financial and economic development leaders would serve him well as lieutenant governor.
The 44-year-old announced Thursday that after two terms as Nevada's treasurer he plans to seek the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor next year.
"It's the right decision professionally, political and for my family," he told reporters.
Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt is prohibited from running for a third term and she has said she would enter the race for governor.
The lieutenant governor is chairman of the state commissions on tourism and economic development, presides over the Senate and is a member of the state Transportation Board.
Already in the race for the Republican nomination is Las Vegas businessman Steve Hill. Hill, 45, in the concrete, sand and gravel business, said he has been working for nearly one year on his campaign, traveling through Nevada. He said he has been dealing with the issues of economic diversification and transportation for the 20 years he has been in Nevada.
Asked if he was surprised at the entry of Krolicki into the race, Hill said he knew when he started his campaign he would be opposed. And there could be other candidates in the contest, he said.
Dr. Lonnie Hammargren, another Las Vegas resident and a former lieutenant governor, said this week that he too may join the primary.
Republican Controller Kathy Augustine is also thinking about running for lieutenant governor, a spokeswoman for the controller's office said Thursday.
Augustine was impeached late last year by the Assembly and convicted by the Senate on a charge of illegally using state facilities and equipment to benefit her 2002 re-election campaign. The Senate censured her for her actions, and she returned to office. She also admitted to violating state ethics laws and was fined $15,000.
As for the Democratic side of the race, Bob Goodman, former state economic development director, said he is considering running for his party's nomination.
Krolicki, barred from seeking a third term next year, looked at the race for the U.S. Senate last year but decided against it. He has nearly $100,000 in campaign funds left over from prior races and there are "significant resources out there" to tap for money.
Hill has already collected about $600,000 in campaign donations, he said. Krolicki is touting himself as the best person for the job in part because as past president of the National Association of State Treasurers and a finalist for appointment to the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange, Krolicki said he knows executives in major companies in this nation and he could "woo" them to relocate some of their business in Nevada.
In addition, he said, he was appointed by President Bush to an intergovernmental committee that recommends trade policy. That will allow him to talk to the U.S. Ambassador on Trade to benefit Nevada.
One of Krolicki's jobs is to manage the Millennium Scholarship program that is running short of money. It is financed by money from the tobacco settlement in which four major cigarette companies agreed to pay the state for 20 years. The yearly payments are decreasing because people are giving up smoking.
Krolicki proposed a plan to sell off the debt and use that money to finance the Millennium Scholarships. He was roundly criticized by the Democrats who blocked the suggestion. He is now proposing selling $100 million in bonds to keep the Millennium going for another 10 years. Krolicki, his wife, Kelly, and their three daughters live at Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe.
Asked if he was at a disadvantage because he is not from Clark County that has 70 percent of the population, Krolicki noted that he has been elected twice statewide. Krolicki was elected in 1998 polling 249,594 votes and defeating two candidates from minor parties. He won re-election in 2002 beating former treasurer Ken Santos 271,393 to 161,130. He said he also campaigned with former Treasurer Bob Seale. Krolicki worked as chief deputy treasurer for eight years before winning the top job.
Krolicki pointed out that half of his staff is in Las Vegas and his father lives in Las Vegas. Asked why he had decided against a run for Congress, he said he has responsibilities to his family and his father. If he had won a bid for Congress, his family probably would have stayed in Nevada and he would have seen them only on weekends. He said his wife is "delighted" that he is going after the lieutenant governor job instead.
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