Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1998 | 10:47 a.m.
Dario Herrera can't finish a cup of coffee without returning waves, grins or appreciative nods to supporters across the restaurant.
Most people recognize the Nevada state assemblyman. Many know he is battling insurance agent Milt Doyle for the Clark County Commission District G seat left vacant by Lorraine Hunt.
And by now, Herrera concedes, everybody knows the candidate is only 25 years old. He offers a faint smile and insists his age has nothing to do with his ability to serve Clark County residents.
"The only people that care about my age are my opponents," Herrera said, adding that using his age as ammunition has become an old ploy. "I've had a lot of people look at me and try to take me down left and right."
Those who ask him about his age are told to look at his accomplishments in the Assembly. But still, in the back of most people's minds, they must be wondering how Herrera became a respected assemblyman at age 23.
His life story -- however brief -- paints a clear picture of why Herrera entered politics and why juvenile crime, health care and growth are important issues to him.
Growing up in Florida, Herrera assumed important responsibilities at an early age. His father walked away from the family when Herrera was 2 years old, leaving his mother, Nancy, to raise three children. At 13, Herrera worked odd jobs after school to help his mother -- who had two jobs -- pay bills.
"I was doing things that most 13-year-olds don't do," he said. "I didn't think anything of it and I don't look back and regret it. That was my responsibility as a family member."
In high school, he held an after-school job and played football, baseball and basketball. Still, he struggled with school and encountered minor discipline problems, but he said his basketball coach kept him out of trouble.
"My mom took me to baseball games, she took me fishing, she took me to the Yankees' spring training ..." Herrera said. "She was my mother and father. But my basketball coach was the first male who took an interest in my life."
In 1991, he decided to leave Miami to attend UNLV, where he intended to play football. Excellent grades and influential political science instructor Christine Chairsell lured him into politics.
"She said, 'If you want to do something that's good, get involved,' " Herrera said.
That's all it took. In 1994, Herrera was a campaign coordinator for Gov. Bob Miller. In 1996, he was elected to the Nevada Assembly, where he was voted second most effective assemblyman.
He uses his childhood experiences to convince high school students that simply because someone is poor doesn't mean they're doomed.
"You can use it as an excuse to get into gangs or use drugs, or you can use it as a motivational tool," Herrera said.
He serves on the board of directors for the YMCA, the Boy Scouts of America and Hispanics in Politics. And he is a board member for Aid for AIDS because he feels that low-income AIDS survivers deserve the same medical attention as wealthy patients.
Herrera said that Clark County isn't as crime-ridden as Miami but that the crime rate could be reduced. He hopes to start by addressing juvenile offenses.
In addition to opening more police substations, he hopes to begin an after-school program involving the county and Metro Police that would offer youths recreational activities, tutoring and counseling.
"It's our place to create a good environment and have things for kids to do after school that are productive," he said.
In the Assembly, he supported tougher domestic-violence laws, parental accountability for vandalism caused by children and notifying the public when a convicted sexual predator is released from prison.
If he is elected commissioner, he said, he will also focus on health issues. He said he hopes to expand health care to senior citizens and make sure uninsured children have access to medical care.
He said he knows right from wrong and, unlike a handful of current County Commission members, won't be intimidated by recent state Ethics Commission investigations.
"To have three people vote on a $50 million project, it's embarrassing," Herrera said, referring to a recent decision on a Strip golf course. "There is all this talk about changing the Ethics Commission. There is nothing wrong with the Ethics Commission. You need to exercise judgment."
Some constituents may be wondering exactly where Herrera is trying to take his political career. He finally convinced most of his family to relocate to Las Vegas from Florida and said he has no plans to move.
"I would just like to be a good county commissioner," Herrera said. "Do I have my eye on some prize? I really don't."
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