Saturday, July 12, 1997 | 9:48 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- In the world of political horse racing, the jockeying for higher office comes into focus at the state Legislature, when strengths and weaknesses are on display.
During the 1997 session, which ended Monday, a few front-runners kept pace, a couple of sleepers emerged and at least one trophy horse may have stumbled.
That view comes from lobbyists, political consultants and other legislators asked to judge which Southern Nevadans helped or hurt their chances of moving up in the 1998 election.
Among those said to have strengthened their position are Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas.
Titus gained short-term mileage by proposing a bill to create a growth boundary around Las Vegas. The bill failed, but Titus says she will push for an initiative petition to put the concept before voters next year.
Critics say the ring around the valley would drive up property tax rates and increase population density, and that could hurt Titus when voters begin to understand its impact.
But Titus may have struck a popular chord by bringing the growth debate to the forefront. A University of Nevada, Reno poll conducted late last year indicated that 81 percent of Southern Nevadans want growth to stay the same or decrease.
Buckley picked up ground by winning passage of a bill to end managed health care abuses. "Buckley probably had the best session," said R&R Advertising President Billy Vassiliadis, a casino lobbyist.
A newcomer who created a buzz was freshman Assemblyman Dario Herrera, D-Las Vegas.
Herrera, 24, was regarded as a quick learner, and he helped pass a bill that expands health coverage for diabetics.
But Herrera received criticism for proposing a provision written by gaming lobbyists to give casinos a $2.5 million annual tax break. The bill is awaiting Gov. Bob Miller's signature.
Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, who is a police captain, was credited with being a facilitator.
Stephanie Tyler, a lobbyist and former Republican senator, noted that Perkins helped work out disagreements in a massive utility deregulation bill.
"It wouldn't have passed without that," she said.
But some Democrats privately complained that Perkins struck deals with lobbyists and Senate leaders and then told his own members, "This is the way it is," without other Democrats having any say.
Another who received attention was Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas. She won approval of a bill to use property taxes and other levies to fund a $2 billion plan to build 82 schools over the next 10 years.
The Southern Nevada delegation also produced a couple of sleepers whose names aren't often mentioned when political junkies begin discussing who legitimately has a shot at higher office.
That category includes Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, and Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas.
Porter played a role in shaping the school construction debate, and he helped focus attention on Southern Nevada's growth problems.
"The more he's around and the more he gets known, the more his stock rises," Vassiliadis said.
But Porter's critics say he's too quick to settle for legislative studies, rather than real action.
Schneider, a real estate agent, got off to a slow start by alleging that the Henderson City Council was corrupt in its dealings with developers. That angered Titus and other Democratic leaders who said Schneider had no business interfering in a district he doesn't represent.
After that, Schneider settled down and won approval of a bill restricting the power of homeowners associations. Titus even sent him to Las Vegas in the closing days to negotiate with Clark County commissioners in an unsuccessful attempt to save her growth-boundary bill.
"Both Republicans and Democrats go to him," said Mark Brown of Howard Hughes Corp. "He's a moderate guy."
Schneider has even begun spreading the word that he might run for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., if another woman enters the Democratic primary against university Regent Shelley Berkeley, who has said she will run for the congressional seat.
Other little-known legislators who may have improved their chances include two freshmen, Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, and Assemblymen David Parks, D-Las Vegas.
The list of rising stars who didn't perform up to expectation is not as long.
The name most often mentioned as a disappointment is Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old Goldwater chaired the first-ever Infrastructure Committee, which pushed through a controversial sales tax increase bill.
Many believe Goldwater seemed too eager to please the special-interest groups, including casinos, who wanted the bill to pass in lieu of higher taxes on their own industries.
As a result, Goldwater slighted colleagues who had differing points of view, critics said.
"He was gaming's boy," one lobbyist said. "He mishandled the female members of his committee, and he wasn't prepared."
Another high-profile legislator, Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, angered some of his colleagues for what they perceived as grandstanding. A package of anti-crime bills that James introduced gave him numerous occasions to take the floor of the Senate, when reporters are gathered in one place, and rail against pedophiles, escort services, smut in prisons and Mike Tyson's ear-biting incident.
Despite engendering ill-feelings among other lawmakers, James, often mentioned as a possible candidate for attorney general or lieutenant governor, probably won points with voters, one political consultant said.
"Even though he lost things like his chemical castration bill, he got a lot of play on issues that voters want to hear about," the consultant said.
Others wonder whether any legislator's chances for a run at higher office were greatly improved in the '97 session, with one or two exceptions.
"There's such a cloud of rancor and bitterness and personal attacks," Vassiliadis said. "It's hard to shine in that cloud."
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