Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
▶ COMMISSION C
“However, with all of our success, there are still quite a few people being left behind. I want to be the commissioner that helps the underserved community.”
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Cain said it is the commission’s duty to spotlight lesser-known programs to help those who need those services and to give constituents “a message of hope” but also keep them informed.
“In a time like this, everyone is trying to get information and nobody seems to have it,” Cain said.
■ Cain, who adopted two of 15 children to whom he has been a foster parent, said he plans to reform the county’s foster care system so that it is set up for kids to succeed once they age out.
He said he is committed to housing the homeless, particularly aging foster children and military veterans, by spending money on housing construction, easing density restrictions and consolidating nonprofits to have a seat at the table.
Response to coronavirus crisis: Pitch to voters: Gary Hosea Age: Background:
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■ Clark County Public Works Department employee
■ “I still believe that we need a commissioner full time,” Hosea said, adding that the county had gotten too big for part-time representation and needs effective leadership. “Because it hasn’t been done in the past. Everyone has their back pockets out for developers and special interest groups so they can get re-elected.”
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Why run and why now?: Response to coronavirus crisis:
Hosea said social distancing guidelines need to be more strongly enforced in county facilities and employees should be forced to wear masks, while county leaders must do a better job of explaining their decision-making.
■ Hosea vowed to bring a proposal to make commissioner a full-time job and to conduct a forensic audit of county finances and personnel, “because I see a lot of it as waste and fraud in
Pitch to voters:
the county.”
To his latter point, Hosea said some people have been working outside their civil service classification for five years. And he said the county needs more women in top roles.
Ross Miller Age: Background:
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■ Former Nevada secretary of state, former Clark County deputy district attorney
“Frankly my reason for wanting to hold a seat has changed significantly as result of the COVID crisis,” Miller said. “All priorities will shift.”
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Why run and why now?: Response to coronavirus crisis:
Miller said he has already been engaged in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, inviting experts on a series of calls and social media broadcasts to keep residents in District C informed.
“The economic recovery can’t fall too far behind public safety as a top priority either, because they are tied together,” he said.
■ Miller said he started the race intending to continue in public service and that the coronavirus crisis only furthered that commitment. Unlike the secretary of state’s office, where he served for two terms beginning in 2007, he said the county commission allows for daily decisions that people can see translate into their lives.
“It’s a single issue for the voters: Who has the experience and leadership in this race I can trust as the representative of my district to make the right decisions as we try to emerge from this crisis?” he said.
Pitch to voters: Jenny Penney Age: Background:
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■ Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning office specialist
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Why run and why now?:
Penney said there was much more that could be done to improve District C and, as someone who was born and raised in Las Vegas, she planned to be a voice for the community with a central focus on small business.
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County officials are projecting $1.1 billion in revenue losses over the next 18 months, but Penney said she believed that the recovery period will extend further and there needs to be a plan to address the worstcase scenario in the long term.
Response to coronavirus crisis:
■ Penney is highlighting her planning experience as giving her authority to understand compatibility, saying the county’s master plan was overdue for an update and homes should not be built as closely together.
“If planning isn’t done right then our schools get overcrowded and that’s a major problem right now,” she added.
Pitch to voters: Fayyaz Raja Age: Background:
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■ Insurance agent, former chair of Asian American and Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus, former candidate for Assembly and Las Vegas City Council
■ “I got really so much opportunity from the town and the state of Nevada, I’ve got to give back,” Raja said, alluding to his life in Las Vegas since emigrating from Pakistan in the late 1970s.
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Raja said that he would communicate every county response to the crisis to constituents on a daily basis, whether by email or teleconferencing, and once the health crisis passed he would pivot to scrutinizing the budget for cuts and consolidations to address revenue shortfalls.
“We have to be very conscientious of that,” he said, adding that he would also hold daily briefings with local and state officials.
■ Raja said professional politicians are often elected because of name recognition or family association and that career lawmakers become “lazy.” He called himself “a people person,” not a celebrity, who started as rank-and-file worker in the casino industry and was promoted to an executive role.
“I just do it because I feel like it is very important to take care of the people that are less fortunate than you are,” he said of his candidacy. “So I believe that I will be very, very aggressive to get involved with the community.”
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Why run and why now?: Response to coronavirus crisis: Pitch to voters: