Monday, March 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Last week at the Cafe del Rio, over chips and spicy salsa, Barbara Buckley was asking Sue Wagner how to avoid the one political label that leaves a bad taste with many voters: liberal.
In only her second session, Buckley, a 36-year-old Democratic assemblywoman from Las Vegas, is building an independent reputation in a Legislature that likes to rein in mavericks.
Buckley, a former MGM maid turned lawyer, is an old-fashioned liber ... well, populist.
This session, she has skillfully claimed center stage in the fight to protect seriously ill Nevadans from managed-care abuses.
Only Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, and Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, have received as much media attention.
Goldwater is in the news for fighting with Clark County officials over growth problems in Southern Nevada.
James, expected to run next year for attorney general, is attracting the spotlight by haranguing criminals. Among his most high-profile pieces of legislation is a bill to chemically castrate child molesters.
Buckley, meanwhile, is gaining notice for her defense of the have-nots.
At hearings on legislation she's sponsoring, many of the seats will be filled with ordinary women and men fighting for health-care benefits.
Other seats will be taken by high-paid lobbyists trying to derail her.
"Any lobbyist worth his salt has at least one HMO for a client," said a legislator who asked to remain unnamed.
Wagner had asked Buckley to lunch because she wanted to meet the woman who's taking on the power structure and so far hasn't been beaten down. These are the same good ol' boys who used to give Wagner, when she served in the Legislature, more heartburn than a taco grande.
Wagner, a former Republican lieutenant governor, teaches a course at the University of Nevada, Reno on women in politics.
At lunch, she and Buckley spoke about political labeling.
"She'd been hearing criticism that she's smart but liberal," Wagner said later. "Maybe it's because she's a woman. She's upfront on people issues."
Buckley's status would not seem remarkable if she didn't serve in a Legislature where few confront the biggest special interests.
The casino industry, health-care conglomerates and insurance companies generally get a free ride because their lobbyists raise much of the money politicians need to win elections.
The handful of legislators who've challenged them have been stymied on major issues because their message can have a crusading edge that puts other lawmakers in a bad light.
The difference with Buckley is her ability to build coalitions, legislators say.
"Being nice can get you a long ways in this building," said Assemblyman Pete Ernaut, R-Reno.
Lobbyists won't go out of their way to marginalize her, they say, because she doesn't use a bazooka when a fly swatter will do. Plus, lobbyists say, she offers answers, not just criticisms.
"She has not only brought up interesting, important and politically attractive problems, but she has proposed solutions," said lobbyist Renny Ashleman.
Buckley's critics question her motives.
They say privately that her ambitions inspire political grandstanding. She has already orchestrated two hearings on managed health care, leading a parade of witnesses whose sob stories would soften Scrooge's heart. More hearings will follow when the bill reaches the Senate.
Managed-care officials argue that the hearings make good ink but could have the unintended effect of causing health costs to rise because her bill would undo the money-saving measures that gave rise to HMOs in the 1980s.
Buckley's legislation will have to get through Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, chairman of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
Townsend is focusing less on wrenching testimony and more on keeping health costs low.
"Every time government gets involved in the marketplace, the price will go up," he said.
Townsend is expected to battle Buckley over key provisions, including one allowing patients to sue a managed-care organization that recommends a medical procedure that doesn't work.
Buckley says she'll remain undeterred as her bill makes its way through the legislative meat-grinder.
"I like helping people who have difficulty with the system," she said.
She also will not be drawn into political speculation. She is said to be considering a campaign next year against Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny.
"I am very happy with where I am in the Assembly," she said. "I have no plans to run for any other office." She paused, and added, "At this time."
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