• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Nevada Business Magazine

The Decision Maker's Magazine

Subscribe Now!

  • Subscriptions
    • Print
    • Mobile App
    • Email
    • Nevada News & PR Wire
  • Features
    • New This Month
    • View Issues
    • Cover Stories
    • Feature Stories
    • Industry Focus
    • Building Nevada
    • Special Reports
    • Press Release Wire
    • Nevada Industries
  • Departments
    • A Matter of Opinion
    • Around the State
    • Business Indicators
    • Commentary
    • Commercial RE Report
    • Crossfire
    • Expert Advice
    • Face to Face
    • Free Market Watch
    • Inside Politics
    • Power of Attorney
    • Profit & Loss
    • Speaking for Nevada
    • Tech.knowledge.me
    • The Last Word
    • Vital Signs
  • Planning Calendar
  • Advertising
    • Advertising Info
    • Advertising Staff
    • Submission Requirements
    • Online Advertising
  • Events
    • NBM Events
  • About
    • About the Magazine
    • Contact the Staff
  • Connect
    • Business Directory
    • Press Release Wire
    • Business Calendar
    • Submit Listing
    • Post Press Release
    • Add Your Event
    • Sign Up
    • Log In
You are here: Home / Features / Industry Focus / Industry Focus: Public Servants

Industry Focus: Public Servants

August 1, 2014 By Nevada Business Mag 3 Comments

Public Servants executives across the state met at the Las Vegas offices of Gordon Silver to discuss the challenges in their industry.
STANDING: Andrew Eisen, NV Assembly, District 21; Connie Brennan, Nevada Business Magazine; Sam McMullen, Gordon Silver; Lynn Stewart, NV Assembly, District 22; James Oscarson, NV Assembly, District 36; Brian Krolicki, Lieutenant Governor; Ross Miller, Secretary of State; John Hambrick, NV Assembly, District 2; Cresent Hardy, NV Assembly, District 19; Kelvin Atkinson, NV Senate, District 4; Mark Manendo, NV Senate, District 21; Michael Roberson, NV Senate, District 20; Joseph Hardy, NV Senate, District 12
SITTING:
Patricia Spearman, NV Senate, District 1; Dina Titus, US Representative, NV District 1; Tina Quigley, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern NV; Kim Wallin, Controller; Irene Bustamante Adams, NV Assembly, District 42

A public servant is anyone who serves the people, from Nevada’s elected officials to those serving in our public agencies. What isn’t often evident is that many of them do a sometimes thankless job for little pay because they have a passion for service. From door-to-door campaigning to working to raise ever-increasing amounts of necessary funding, many Nevada public servants have a heart for the Silver State and for serving in office. Recently, a group of Nevada’s public servants met at the offices of Gordon Silver to discuss their hopes for Nevada’s future and the ways in which the state can improve.

Connie Brennan, publisher and CEO of Nevada Business Magazine, served as moderator for the event. These monthly roundtables are designed to bring together leaders to discuss issues relevant to their industries. Following is a condensed version of the roundtable discussion.

What is the biggest challenge facing public servants?

Michael Roberson: The challenge we face is the same challenge the entire state of Nevada faces: how do we transform Nevada and our economy to compete regionally, nationally and globally for good paying and highly skilled jobs, and create a dynamic, diverse economy? A big part of that is dramatically improving our education system while making sure we maintain a tax and regulatory environment that is job and business friendly.

Kim Wallin: The biggest challenges is figuring out how we’re going to meet the needs of our citizens and provide funding when we have inadequate resources.

Cresent Hardy: We’re all here with good intentions and trying to do the right thing. Sometimes we need to just step back and let the economy go the direction that it needs to go. Let the entrepreneurs create that business which creates the taxes that we all need. Taxes and unfunded mandates restrict growth in the business field.

Tina Quigley: Sometimes we’re caught up in a “this is the way we do things” attitude. The elected officials want to see us make progress and a lot of us want to make progress and move forward, but overcoming cultural inertia within agencies is hard and exhausting work.

Ross Miller: The biggest challenge facing public officials is trying to set aside our political differences to find solutions, find common ground and reach compromise to advance the best interest of the state.

Mark Manendo: The biggest thing is meeting the needs and efforts of our constituents. Specifically with Southern Nevada, we need to grow our legislative council bureau in the Las Vegas office to better represent and help people that need assistance.

Dina Titus: Congress has a pretty bad reputation these days because nothing much is happening. Part of the challenge is doing as much as we can on the individual level for constituents as well as trying to move some legislation. All things come back to infrastructure. We have to get people and products here or else our economy won’t grow, we won’t create jobs and we won’t pull out of the recession.

John Hambrick: In 2009, Speaker Buckley gave a challenge to assembly members to “do no harm”. With the budgets coming down and the lack of funding in many areas, there is going to be a drop off and there’s going to be a wall. I hope we can keep going with “do no harm” but I have a feeling we’re going to have a problem this session. The economic forum is saying we’re 2 percent below last session. That’s going to hurt and we are going to have to decide where it’s going to hurt less or where it’s going to hurt more.

Kelvin Atkinson: I represent the most diverse senate district and it also has the most challenged schools in the state. We don’t have money for education and the schools in the state that suffer the most are from my district. Until we have something better that does address the need for funding in education, I have to be on the side of doing something rather than nothing.

Andrew Eisen: It’s a matter of balance on so many levels: the personal and work balance, and the full time job and “part time” job of being a legislator in Nevada. We feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do this. We don’t feel burdened by the challenge and we all took it on voluntarily, but being able to maintain that balance is really key.

Irene Bustamante Adams: Small business is a concern. The challenge is that the focus has been on recruiting big companies to our state where we should be looking at expanding and retaining what we already have here.

Patricia Spearman: The issues and the challenges that we face are going to require some very different approaches than what we’ve always done. It is going to call upon each of us to dig deep inside and find that moral fortitude to face those challenges and make those tough decisions because the people of Nevada are suffering. We’re at a point right now that we can no longer argue the fact that we need to do something. We need to figure out what we need to do, bite the bullet and get it done.

Brian Krolicki: It’s never been more difficult to perform these jobs. The pressures have all come at the same time, but the environment in which we try to perform this public service has never been more rancid. The partisanship, not just across the aisle but within traditional families of parties, the scrutiny and intolerance, makes it very difficult to do these jobs when the problems are so profound.

What is the public’s perception of public servants?

Eisen: There’s a perception that people are in this line of work to enrich themselves personally. We all know this is not the sort of thing that you do for the fortune and fame. You do this because you really want to make a difference. Even when we disagree on things, it’s because we disagree on how we can help people, not whether or not we should be helping. We genuinely want to make a contribution and want to help in whatever way we can.

Titus: Television contributes to public perception. Whenever they discuss an issue they put the two extreme talking heads on, just because that makes better television. When you’re hearing from the extremes, the middle, which is where most people fit on any ideological scale, are left out of debates. You have immediately polarized whatever the topic might be and energized the extremes on both ends. The middle is where the compromise and policy could be made, but the well has been poisoned.

Lynn Stewart: One thing that people are shocked at is when they call and you answer the phone. It takes them about 15 seconds to realize it’s really you and not your staff.

Spearman: Part of changing the perception is holding people accountable and reminding folks that you can’t just make stuff up.

Manendo: It’s in our interest to go out and make sure that we educate the public that, in Nevada, we do things a little bit differently. Yes, it’s okay to call up a lobbyist to get some information to help your constituent. Yes, it’s okay to call up your mayor or someone in your federal government to talk. You have personal relationships not only with them but also their staff. That’s one of the things that’s very exciting about living and being a public servant in Nevada. We do have their best interests at heart. Finding the results to get there is a challenge, but we need to do a better job to make sure that people understand we are working together.

What is the cost of running for office?

Bustamante Adams: The first time I ran my husband was in Afghanistan. I won and was headed to Carson City when he had come home injured. He was gone for about five years and was now the head of the household. It was chaos. The amount of emotional and mental strain that it put on our family and marriage was intense.

Atkinson: My first campaign cost $72,000, my last one was close to $400,000.

Wallin: When I ran for controller I spent about $190,000 in the last race. For treasurer, they’re saying I need about $600,000 to $800,000. The financial costs have gotten to be pretty crazy.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Krolicki: The loss, particularly in the legislative body, is extraordinary. That institutional memory, the collective wisdom, the “been there done that” and the calming effect of whiter hair is terribly important. Seniority in Washington D.C. drives just about every decision back there so having some artificial term limit is absolutely wrong. The people make a decision whether it’s served them well. Not to use a trite phrase, but term limits exists and they’re called elections. There are many folks who are not term limited who attempt to stay in office who are no longer in office. If you’re going to have term limits it should be in the executive branch.

Miller: We’ve seen some fresh blood come in through the legislature. New individuals bring in new ideas to leadership positions that may have not been there were it not for term limits. I also think it’s a positive thing for term limits to exist in the executive branch. There’s a lot more I’d like to do as Secretary of State but I think it’s time for someone else to step in with some fresh ideas.

What role do lobbyists play?

Cresent Hardy: Lobbyists are one of the greatest tools you can have. They know about issues and most are there to help you get through the issues. Their job is to let us know and educate us on those issues, not wait and see if we’re going to take the heat for it because that leads us to think nobody is against this thing so let’s go for it.

What are some potential outcomes of the upcoming election?

Joseph Hardy: People in the state of Nevada have tried to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong. But so much of what we do is not what’s right or wrong; it’s what can get done and what are the needs, wants and funding. If we look at all the bills that have passed in Nevada, about 95 percent of them are with unanimous votes. There’s still compromise that happens, and that compromise and consensus works better if you have some balance. You have to have opposition in order to make it right.

Stewart: In this election, the ballot questions will be some of the most important things that we’ll vote on – the Margins Tax Initiative and the appeals court issue. We always center on people, but the questions are going to be very, very important this time.

Eisen: I hope when people go to the ballot and make decisions, those decisions are made based on who they feel will work hard for them. Not based on an ideology and not based on a party affiliation.

How has partisanship affected progress?

Titus: The challenge in Washington is the gridlock. Good policy has been replaced by bad politics and you can’t get anything done. We’re coming up on the highway trust fund running out of money by the end of summer and the renewal of the transportation bill. This has always been bipartisan in the past; there’s nothing really partisan about building a bridge, highway or airport, yet we can’t make any progress even on an issue like that which is so critical to the economy.

James Oscarson: Communication is the key. We get into problems when there are surprises on the floor and surprises in the voting process. The honesty and integrity of the body needs to stay intact. Communicating with your peers and colleagues as to how and why you’re going to do things goes a long way.

Quigley: Since January 1st, we have over $65 million worth of projects out on the street. We’ve created about 800 jobs related to those projects just six months into it. That never would’ve happened without the bipartisanship that occurred in this last session.

How will Nevada look after this next legislative session?

Wallin: I’m hopeful that it will be better but we’re still way off on the pre-recession numbers. We’re about 7.8 percent down in sales tax and 17.5 percent down in gaming revenues from pre-recession. That’s a huge chunk of money, yet our population is increasing. The legislature is going to have to sit down and come up with alternative funding sources for the state.

Oscarson: Breaking down the perception of the north, south and rural thing is critical to the success of this next session. Nevada is home to all of us whether you live in the north, the south or the rurals. While the challenges may be different, we all face the same ones in some similar way.

Filed Under: Industry Focus Tagged With: Andrew Eisen, Brian Krolicki, Bustamante Adams, Connie Brennan, Cresent Hardy, Dina Titus, District 21, Gordon Silver, Irene Bustamante Adams, James Oscarson, John Hambrick, Joseph Hardy, Kelvin Atkinson, Kim Wallin, Las Vegas business, Lynn Stewart, Mark Manendo, Michael Roberson, Nevada business, Nevada Business Magazine, NV Assembly, Patricia Spearman, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern NV, Ross Miller, Tina Quigley

Sponsored Features

Sponsored Features

Sun City Anthem HOACashes in on Water Savings

U.S. Bank’s Good TruckComes to Las Vegas

GC Garcia, Inc. Celebrates 25 YearsAnd Looks Back on Southern Nevada’s Changing Landscape

Las Vegas Valley Water DistrictSupports Local Fire-Fighting Efforts

Advertise With Us

Advertise With Us. more details ►

Primary Sidebar

Education OutlookBig Issues and Hard Work for K-12

Industry FocusBuilders & Developers

Industrial SubmarketDemand Over Pandemic

Cyber SecurityKeeping Your Business Safe

Nevada News & PR Wire

  • De Castroverde Law Group Announces Winners of Its Fall 2020 Teacher Appreciation Awards

  • NAIOP Southern Nevada Urges Congress to Pass the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act

  • Dueling Axes Announces Spring Specials and Weekly Programming

  • Desert Radiology Receives Renewal as Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence From American College of Radiology

  • Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Announces New Board Member Hilary Nelson of Lexicon Bank

  • Cure 4 the Kids Foundation Recognizes Founder Annette Logan-Parker – Dr. Suess-Themed Patient Examination Room Dedicated During Nevada Reading Week

  • Local Business Owner Accepted Into Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program

  • James M. Wright Named Chief Marshal for the Nevada Appellate Courts

  • CAMCO Employees Demonstrate Their Giving Hearts in February

  • Nevada Donor Network Applauds AOPO’s “50,000 Organ Transplants by 2026” Campaign that Focuses on Improving System and Saving More Lives

  • Reno Aces and Greater Nevada Credit Union Help Youth Sports Return to Play

  • Diversity in Practice Panel to Explore Middle Eastern/South Asian Representation in Law

  • Founder of “Gracefully Greying”, Family Attorney Henry S. Gornbein Joins Lipson Neilson as Of Counsel

  • La Strega’s Weekend Fish Market Continues, Scheduled for Sun., Mar. 7

  • Prominence Health Plan Advises Nevadans to Protect Themselves from Medical Scammers

  • A Virtual Restaurant and Fast Casual Concept Set to Debut in Henderson

  • Suit up and Help End Childhood Cancer With St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

  • Faith Lutheran Middle & High School’s Conservatory of the Fine Arts Presents Filming the Arts – Student Showcase Proceeds Benefit Renowned Fine Arts Program

  • Carson City Named Top Place in America to Travel Right Now and Avoid the Pandemic by Forbes

  • Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, LLP Relocates its Reno Office

  • De Castroverde Law Group Awarded Las Vegas Latino Bar Association Inspira Award

  • Virtual Poker Tournament with “Poker Brat” Phil Hellmuth Will Benefit Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Mar. 13-14

  • Future Smiles Receives Unrestricted $25,000 Program Grant From LIBERTY Dental Plan of Nevada

  • Desert Radiology Encourages COVID-19 Vaccination Among Team Members and Community

  • Northcap Commercial Arranges Sale of MCR Apartments for $6,800,000

  • Helix Electric Announces Completion of Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart

  • Brooke Conway-Kleven Leads Cure 4 the Kids Foundation Physical Medicine Department

  • Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas Accepting Enrollment Applications Through Feb. 28

  • JING Las Vegas to Host Wine Tasting Tuesdays, Every Tuesday Beginning Tues., Feb 23

  • Reno Public Market’s Nettie Oliverio Elected as Pioneer Center Board Chair

  • Alaskan-Born Neeser Construction Expands in Reno-Tahoe

  • More Matcha on the Menu: Dunkin’ Debuts Blueberry Matcha Latte and New Matcha Topped Donut

  • Las Vegas Local Businesses Celebrate with February Events Margarita Day, Happy Hour Specials, Wine Pairing and Charitable Fundraisers

  • Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, LLP Relocates its Las Vegas Office

  • Supreme Court to Consider Creating Commission to Study Water Adjudication

  • WGU Launches Initiative to Remove Barriers for Students With High Financial Need and Those Without Access to Federal Financial Aid

  • Applications Open for Nevada State College’s Newest Summer Bridge Program Designed for Incoming Black Students

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Announces 2021 Scholarship Program Available To Graduating Nevada High School Seniors

  • Broadbent & Associates, Inc. Names New Director of Engineering

  • Nathan Adelson Hospice Names Cheryl Johnston as Clinical Manager for Pahrump Location

  • Former Las Vegas Police Officer Offers Help To Local Residents

  • Statewide Partners Unite to Facilitate Equal Vaccine Access Through Nevada Vaccine Equity Collaborative

  • Nevada Small Business Development Center Presents The Top 5 PPP Myths, Busted!

  • Jewish Nevada and Jewish Family Services Agency (JFSA) Team up to Launch Hebrew Free Loan Program to Assist Nevada’s Jewish Community

  • Cassie Catania-Hsu Accepted Into NAIOP Research Foundation Visionaries Program

  • Ascent Multifamily Now Offers Corporate Accounting

  • Nevada State Contractors Board to Hold 2nd Annual ‘Hammers & Hope’ Event

  • TMC Financing Helps Eby Iron Designs Secure Future with Building Purchase

  • Economic Impact of COVID Closures White Paper Published

  • ioneer and Caterpillar Complete Autonomous Haul Truck Feasibility Study and Sign Memorandum of Understanding

  • United Pain Urgent Care Launches in Reno

  • Terra Contracting Launches New Service Offering; Public Utilities to Save Millions

  • In Plain Sight Marketing Ditches Brick and Mortar Digs, Goes Virtual

  • Eleven Lipson Neilson Attorneys Receive AV Preeminent® Rating for 2021

  • Nevada Supreme Court Appoints Katherine Stocks as Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts and State Court Administrator

  • Cold Brew With Sweet Cold Foam and Chocolate Stout Cold Brew With Sweet Cold Foam Arrive at Dunkin’ Restaurants Nationwide on February 24

  • Desert Radiology Continues to Hire for Several Available Positions

  • Dr. Phillip Ruiz Joins Nevada Donor Network as Associate Laboratory Medical Director

  • Colliers Las Vegas Represents Sale of Undeveloped Land in North Las Vegas

  • Special Olympics Nevada to Host 2021 Las Vegas Polar Plunge at Cowabunga Bay

  • G.C. Garcia, Inc. to Host ‘Reading to Rescued Dogs’ Books & Pet Supplies Donation Drive to Benefit Spread the Word Nevada & Heaven Can Wait Animal Society

  • Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging and SR Construction Break Ground on New Facility

  • Sandeep R. Pandit, M.D. Brings Hip and Knee Expertise to Crovetti Orthopaedics

  • NV Energy Foundation Provides $550,000 to Support Scholarships, Workforce Readiness & Student Emergency Fund. the Funds Will Provide Scholarships and Aid to Hundreds of CSN Students

  • NAIOP Southern Nevada Presents “Land: Why Our Future Depends on It” at Feb. 18 Virtual Breakfast

  • Concrete Slabs Poured at Latest Brass Cap Development Industrial Project in West Henderson

  • The Discovery Welcomes New Board Members

  • Deryk Engelland Joins the 8 News Now Team

  • Dress for Success Southern Nevada Welcomes Norma Intriago as Executive Director

  • Lutheran Social Services of Nevada to Celebrate Opening of Expanded DigiMart™ Food Pantry – Feb. 16 Ribbon Cutting Will Celebrate Completion of Expansion That Will Serve an Additional 5,000+ Families Annually

  • NAIOP Honors Southern Nevada Chapter With Three National Awards

  • Zero1 Off-Road, LLC Acquires Vegas Off-Road Tours, LLC and Transfers the Existing RZR Off-Road Experience to “Vegas Off-Road Tours”

  • Dermody Properties Promotes Kimberly Rossiter to Director of Property Management, West

  • RSAR Releases January 2021 Existing Home Sales Report

  • PureCare Living’s Newest Skilled Nursing Facility Enters Final Phase of Licensing

  • LPGA Pro Gigi Stoll Joins Reflection Bay Golf Club

  • Northcap Commercial Arranges Sale of 2566 Sherwood Street Apartments for $1,700,000

  • Business Continuity Technologies Protecting Las Vegas Business From Cyberattacks

  • MassMedia Marketing, Advertising and PR Signs Circus Circus Hotel & Casino Las Vegas

  • Colliers Las Vegas Industrial Team Sells Out Six-Unit Industrial Complex Valued at $6.6m During Pandemic

  • Tuscan Highlands Opens Second Round of Nominations for Valley’s Top First Responders

  • The Las Vegas Business Academy Announces Allyson Bunker and Candace Davis-Martin as New Board Members

  • Southern Nevada Housing Market Starts Year With Prices Still Rising

  • Two University of Nevada, Reno Graduates Earn Certificate in Principles of Public Relations

  • Reno Sportsdome Partners With Swift Orthopedic Urgent Clinic

  • Nevada State College Ranks #2 in Nationwide Search for Best Elementary Education Degree

  • College of Southern Nevada & City of Las Vegas Partner to Offer Education, Workforce Training in Historic West Las Vegas

  • Future Smiles Receives $10,000 Gift From Dentaquest – Nonprofit Will Use Funds to Support Local Children in Need of Critical Dental Services

  • Colliers Las Vegas Retail Broker Chris Clifford Promoted to Senior Vice President

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Increases Share Insurance Coverage Up To $500,000

  • Lamar Advertising of Las Vegas to Honor African American “Firsts” Throughout Black History Month

  • ioneer Welcomes Rose McKinney-James as Non-Executive Director to its Board

  • REALTORS® Association Announces Non-Profit Partnership with SPCA of Northern Nevada

  • Nevada Rural Housing Authority to Open Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Wait List on February 10, 2021

  • Twelfth Annual Spirit of Nevada Scholarship Contest Now Open to Clark County School District High School Students

  • Hutchison & Steffen Named Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada

  • OPD5 Breaks Ground on Another Solar Power Project

  • Mountain View Lutheran School Announce Open Enrollment for 2021-22 Academic Year

  • Kick off Your Valentine’s Weekend with Champagne, Chambord & Chocolate Virtual Fundraiser Supports SafeNest Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives

  • Nigro Construction Bullish on Las Vegas Recovery, Continuing to Build Non-Gaming Hotels During One of the Worst Times in Industry History



 
Submit Your News & PR | Subscribe
Submit Your News & PR

Business Connection

Business Connection Portal

Log In Sign Up

Business Connection Portal

Log In Sign Up

Nevada Business Calendar

  • Ely Film Festival 2021
    March 12, 2021 12:00 pm

    Location: 501 E Aultman St, Ely, NV 89301, USA

    More details...
  • Play 4 JA Virtual Poker Tournament
    March 13, 2021 12:00 am

    More details...
View Full Calendar ►

Nevada Business Directory

Featured Businesses
Find a Nevada-Based Business Submit Your Business Subscribe to the Nevada News & PR Wire

Nevada Industries

Architects & Engineers
Arts & Culture
Banking
Commercial Real Estate
Construction
Credit Unions
Economic Development
Education
Financial Management
Healthcare
Human Resources
Insurance
Law
Manufacturing
Marketing
Media
Mining
Philanthropy
Residential Real Estate
Rural Nevada
Sports
Tax Planning and Accounting
Technology
Telecom
Tourism
Transportation
Utilities

Footer

Subscriptions

  • Print Subscription
  • Mobile App
  • E-mail Subscription

Editorial

  • Features
  • Departments
  • Events

Advertising

  • Advertise
  • Submission Requirements

Connect

  • Contact
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2020, Business Link LLC dba Nevada Business Magazine and Nevada Business Journal. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Nevada Web Design services by Nevada Central Media using Genesis Framework by StudioPress