Field of candidates for open legislative seats finalized before special session

By Jackie Valley

Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 | 7 p.m.

The field is set with candidates hoping to fill Southern Nevada’s two open state legislative seats ahead of the stadium-related special session.

Seven people applied to represent Assembly District 1, the vacancy created when Democrat Marilyn Kirkpatrick was appointed to the Clark County Commission last year. Three people are seeking the Assembly District 5 seat, vacated by Republican Erven Nelson in February when he pursued a state Senate seat.

Applications were due by 5 p.m. today to Clark County. Commissioners will meet Friday morning to appoint representatives for those districts. The new appointees must come from the same political party as their predecessor.

Assembly District 1 covers part of the northwest valley, while Assembly District 5 lies in the west.

An agenda publicizing the special meeting Friday has been posted, and it includes the names of the candidates.

Gov. Brian Sandoval intends to call a special legislative session sometime between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13 to consider tourism-related improvements, including the estimated $1.9 billion stadium project that could attract the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas.

Here’s a look at who applied for the open legislative seats:

Assembly District 1

• Nathan Atkins: He’s a senior global relationship manager for CenturyLink and president of the Las Vegas WON Rotary Club.

• Jo Cato: She’s a member of the governor’s Workforce Development Board and a former North Las Vegas City Council candidate. Cato also served as a planning commissioner for North Las Vegas.

• Louis M. De Salvio: He’s a training director and political liaison for the Southern Nevada Laborers Local 872.

• Gary Fisher: He’s a former county Democratic Party treasurer and is serving as treasurer for the Democratic candidate running for Assembly District 1, Daniele Monroe-Moreno.

• Kevin J. Schmidt: He did not submit biographical information with his application, and the Las Vegas Sun could not reach him by phone.

• Stephanie Smith: She’s a retired orchestra teacher for the Clark County School District. She also served as a Nevada assemblywoman in the early 1990s and as a North Las Vegas city councilwoman from July 1997 to June 2009.

• Henry Wilczynski: He has served as the president of his North Las Vegas community’s homeowners’ association for two terms. Wilczynski also is a Professional Association of Diving Instructors divemaster.

Assembly District 5

• Ron Coury: Coury has founded and owned several businesses and now serves as a board member and partner of Square Panda Inc. He’s also a board member for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Foundation and Lakes Homeowners Association as well as an advisory board member for Walker Furniture Store.

• R. Garn Mabey Jr.: Mabey is a board-certified gynecologist who served in the Nevada Assembly from 2003 to 2007. He was the minority floor leader in 2007.

• Kyle James Stephens: He’s an account representative for Brady Industries, a Las Vegas-based hospitality supply company. He’s also served as a leader for a number of community organizations and has assisted in Republican campaigns over the years.