Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Memo from Carson City:

New reality: 1-term speakers in Nevada Assembly

Barbara Buckley (6-3-2009)

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley speaks Wednesday at a Henderson Democratic Club meeting at the Painters Union Hall in Henderson. Launch slideshow »
Click to enlarge photo

John Oceguera

Welcome to the era of one-term speakers.

With term limits picking off seasoned elected officials, leaders of the near future will have only one shot at the top spot in the Legislature’s lower house to make changes and mark a legacy.

For the 2011 legislative session, the Assembly speaker will be John Oceguera. It will be his last term in the Assembly before the voter-approved term limits kick him out.

In the wings to succeed him in 2013 are, right now, either Democratic Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, the majority leader from Las Vegas, or Assemblywoman Debbie Smith of Sparks, who will head the Ways and Means Committee.

Both will be term-limited in 2013. The effect of having speakers with one shot is, of course, yet to be clear.

Former Speaker Barbara Buckley held the position for four years, and wielded a unified caucus with a significant majority. Previous speakers, such as Joe Dini and Richard Perkins, were also in their posts for multiple terms, able to gain experience in the top slot and build up their legacies over multiple terms.

Oceguera, who served the previous two sessions as majority leader, said having one term could be a boon.

“I think this gives me some freedom,” he said. “I’m not thinking about next session. I’m dealing with right now, without the political ramifications.”

It’s a nice thought, and maybe it’s true. One effect of term limits that proponents had pushed is that they would give lawmakers at least one term free from weighing political ramifications. That just isn’t happening. Rather than being a boot out the door, term limits appear to have a Jeffersonian effect — politicians are “Movin’ on Up” to other elected positions rather than retire.

(Indeed, Oceguera’s name is being floated as a possible candidate for the new congressional seat that the state is expected to get.)

That takes us to California, where that state’s Assembly this year chose John Perez, first elected in 2008, to be speaker specifically because he will be able to serve until 2014, rather than an alternative who would be out in 2012.

Smith said that in Nevada, the caucus is preparing to groom legislators earlier because of the term limits.

“We have a number of freshmen as vice chairs of committees,” she said. “We’re already in that mode.”

As for having one-term speakers for the immediate future, Smith said, “We’re in a transition period right now with term limits just kicking in.”

Danny Thompson, a former assemblyman and head of the AFL-CIO, said term limits in general will have the effect of shifting more power to lobbyists.

“The worst thing to ever happen to the people of the state of Nevada is term limits,” he said. “All the institutional knowledge will be with the lobbyists.”

The fight for the next one-term speakership in 2013 will be another layer of intrigue in 2011, on top of a fight anticipated over taxes, the budget, redistricting legislative and congressional seats and other policy issues.

Oceguera said he’s not advocating anyone to succeed him. He said the next speaker would have to earn the position on merit based on performance in 2011.

“The cream will rise to the top,” he said. “The next session will determine the next speaker.”

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