Rory Reid officially enters race for governor

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 | 6:33 p.m.

Rory Reid officially entered the race for governor Wednesday evening. The full text of his speech is below.

Find additional coverage here.

•••

Good evening. Thank you for being here. Thank you Steven for that introduction.

I am here today because, simply put: Nevada can do better, much better. To realize our great potential, Nevada needs a fundamentally new direction. Nevada needs a governor who takes immediate action to put people back to work. And Nevada needs a leader with a new economic plan and vision that moves our state into the 21st Century.

So, today, to give Nevada the new leadership and the new direction our state needs, I am proud to officially announce my candidacy for governor of Nevada.

I’m also proud to announce my plan to transform our economy.

My entire life has been centered in this state. I’ve lived in the north and the south; I think I’ve been to every town and fished in almost every lake. I grew up here and went to school right here at Doris Hancock Elementary School. I’ve watched Nevada grow and prosper like no other state in the nation and I have watched as Nevada has hurt like no other state in the nation. And as I look at Nevada today, I believe we are again at a crossroads. There’s an urgency in the air. Nevada has more potential than any other state in America. But to realize that potential, we need to do two things: First, we need to take decisive action to create jobs and put our fellow Nevadans back to work. And second, we need to lay out an economic plan to transform our economy for the long term, instead of merely waiting for our tourism industry to grow us out of any problem as we have done for so long.

55 years ago, Collier’s Magazine featured Nevada on its cover. The article described a state with a dynamic tourist economy, with some mining and some agriculture, but also facing tremendous challenges. It described a fiscal system that didn’t work, an education system that was lacking, and an economy trapped in a cycle of boom and bust. If you took the date on that story and replaced it with today’s date, the story would be the same. Same promise – and same challenges – as 55 years ago.

For too long, Nevada has kicked the can down the road, relying on the same old industries to get us through, content with that boom and bust, and unable to achieve our potential. All of us deserve better. And certainly our children and grandchildren deserve better if we expect them to stay and raise their families here close to their parents and grandparents

My hands-on work as an advocate in local government, working directly with people and solving their problems, has taught me about creating jobs, public-private partnerships, and community. I’m proud of my record creating jobs through public works and public-private partnerships, working to protect children and seniors, balancing our budget with smart fiscal planning, and creating open spaces and parks to improve our quality of life.

But at the same time we’ve been fighting for Nevada in Clark County, the bottom has dropped out in Carson City. Carson City has been content to tread water and wait out the recession so they can once again defer the tough decisions that will create the good jobs that come with a diverse economy. We need to redefine what leadership is in this state and what a governor actually does. A governor is supposed to get up every day and fight to make sure people have economic opportunity, great schools, and a path to a strong future. A governor is supposed to clearly see the promise of Nevada, and then lead us from where we are now straight to that place.

Like you, I’m disappointed that vision hasn’t been articulated or fought for in recent years. And now, we find ourselves in some of the most challenging times in recent history.

Let me tell you a story. For the last year or so, I’ve been traveling around the state getting together with a small groups of people in living rooms across Nevada to listen what’s on peoples minds, learn about their challenges, and what folks think needs to change in Carson City.

Some months ago at a house party in Reno, a young woman stood up and asked me a question that brought it all home for me. It was at the end of the event and it was the last question of the night. Most of the attendees had spoken already and she had just been listening. But when I said there was time for one more question, she raised her hand and I called on her. I’ll never forget what she said:

“Rory, I’ve been sitting here, listening to this, and as I think about my own future, I’m left with one simple question: Why should I stay? Why should I stay in Nevada, and what future is there for me here?”

My campaign is going to be about answering that young woman’s question. Leadership is about answering that young woman’s question. That’s what this campaign is about.

That’s why today I’m not just announcing my candidacy, I’m also doing what the so-called “political professionals” warn you not to do: I’m actually going to lay out a plan and say something of substance. So today I’m proud to introduce a new economic plan to create jobs in the short term and to transform our economy in the long term. I’m offering a framework to build a new future, and a pathway to get us there. And it is all going to be there in black and white. You should expect nothing less from your candidates for governor.

First, we must take immediate steps to get our economy on the road to recovery and put people back to work. Nevada can no longer afford the price of inaction. We must extend a lifeline to small businesses, help families make ends meet, and prioritize projects with long-term benefits.

That’s why as Governor, I will:

• Boost access to capital for struggling small businesses and new start-ups.

• Prioritize capital spending on immediate job-creating projects.

• And immediately appoint an Energy Commissioner to realize the goals and benefits created during the 2009 legislative session.

• And further expand partnerships between the private sector and our community colleges and universities to develop a new green workforce.

These actions and others will create jobs and put Nevadans back to work. As governor I would take these steps immediately.

But even as we take action now, we also need to craft the plans that will put Nevada at the forefront of the 21st Century economy. So today I’m going to break another political rule and lay out an economic plan with new ideas for our future. Let me describe the kind of economy I envision for Nevada.

Nevada today is at the crossroads of everything that embodies the economy of tomorrow – a virtual crossroads of the global marketplace for goods, for services, for people, for ideas, and for information. We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of each of these factors, better than any other state in the nation and launch ourselves into the New Economy.

So we face a stark choice between continuing down the same path we have always traveled – which got us into this mess – or striking out in a bold new direction, which promises greater gains in the long term.

So now comes the hard part: leadership and perseverance to get us there. And instead of empty rhetoric, over the course of this campaign I intend to lay out the details of how we can meet the challenges of a new century, starting with some ideas right now in my plan. Ideas like:

• Requiring long-term infrastructure plans from state government the way we do at the local level.

• Ordering a comprehensive performance review of state programs to cut unneeded government spending.

• Support the development of cutting-edge health research.

• Capitalizing a Nevada Energy Fund to establish Nevada’s leadership in clean technology and green jobs.

• Promoting entrepreneurship through micro-lending to make capital available to small businesses.

• And identifying the industries that will grow in Nevada over the next decade to make training available so students can pursue those high-growth fields.

I’m proud of this plan and these ideas, but it is just the beginning. Over the course of the campaign I’ll detail each of these areas and more. And I’ll travel the state to talk with Nevadans from all walks of life, gathering the creative thinking and good ideas we need. My wife Cindy and I are going to run a Nevada kind of campaign – about family and the great potential for our future. And I’m going to wake up everyday thinking about how we create jobs today and answer that young woman’s question about tomorrow.

I believe Nevada’s future is bright. I believe Nevada has more potential than any other state in America, and it’s time to realize that potential.

It’s time for Nevada to strike out in a bold new direction. I am offering Nevada a clear vision, and a clear choice. As Governor I will lead us in that new direction. I invite you to join me.

Thank you.