Hunt's background in entertainment, business gives her confidence

Even though a recent poll showed Lorraine Hunt with a 12-point lead over Democrat Rose McKinney-James in the contest for lieutenant governor, the GOP candidate is running as if the race were neck-and-neck.

"We don't want to take anything for granted," campaign spokeswoman Andrea Reitan said. "It's nice to have the lead, but there is still the undecided vote. We're going to maintain our course and keep moving."

Moving involves a lot of walking, hand-shaking and calls to constituents in the final days of the campaign, a hectic schedule that she must work around her duties as county commissioner.

Fund-raising has not been a major concern for the Hunt camp.

"We thought we were going to need $650,000," Reitan said, "but we're actually only spending between $450,000 and $500,000."

Her opposition pointed out that Hunt transferred more than $230,000 of funds for her County Commission campaign to her lieutenant governor's campaign when she decided to seek the higher office.

Reitan noted that most of those campaign funds came in after she announced her decision to run for lieutenant governor.

Anyway, Reitan said, every donor was contacted.

"Not one person asked for their money back," she said.

Working hard is nothing new to the energetic Hunt, 59, who began as a singer but soon branched out into a wide variety of business dealings, including representing various entertainment acts.

She believes her more than 30 years of experience in tourism and business, including real estate, banking and a restaurant she has owned for 25 years, have prepared her for a job that deals primarily with tourism and economic development.

"I am seeking an office for which I have vast experience," Hunt said.

Hunt, a graduate of Las Vegas High School, has had three distinctive phases in her professional life.

She began a musical career in 1958 at the age of 19 after attending Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles.

While entertaining in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, she made her first business deal -- investing in real estate on the outskirts of Las Vegas.

By 1972 she had made a full transition into the business world, becoming president and chief executive officer of Perri Inc., a real-estate and restaurant-management company.

She was a founder and director of Continental National Bank and now is director of the First Security Bank of Nevada.

She also is owner of the Bootlegger restaurant in Las Vegas.

While pursuing her business interests, she became involved in many community undertakings, including serving as vice chairman of the Nevada Motion Picture Foundation and Motion Picture Commission, director of Las Vegas Events (sponsor of the National Finals Rodeo), commissioner and vice chairman of the Commission on Tourism, director of the Hotel-Motel Association, president of the Restaurant Association and chairman-elect of the Greater Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

"My involvement with these organizations has afforded me extensive experience and knowledge to work with individuals at all levels," Hunt said.

Four years ago she began to focus her attention on the political arena, winning a seat on the Clark County Board of County Commissioners.

As a commissioner, Hunt serves as vice president of the Las Vegas Valley Water District Board of Directors, trustee of the Big Bend and Kyle Canyon water districts, alternate on the Southern Nevada Water Authority Board of Directors, trustee on the Clark County Sanitation District, trustee of the University Medical Center and a member of the Clark County Liquor & Gaming Licensing Board, Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition and Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority.

Along the way, Hunt has received a number of honors, including Republican Woman of the Year (1996), Free Enterprise Award (1993), the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Governor's Conference on Tourism (1993), Nevada Restaurateur of the Year (1992), United States Small Business Advocate of the Year (1989) and the first Governor's Award for Excellence in Business (1987)

Hunt wants to put her past experiences to use as lieutenant governor, whose two primary responsibilities are tourism and economic development.

"I have over 30 years of experience in these areas that are so critical to being an effective lieutenant governor," Hunt said.

She sees economic diversity as one of the most important issues facing Nevada.

"Now more than ever, with the proliferation of gaming in other markets, we as Nevadans must strive for economic diversity and bring other industries to our state," Hunt said. "We need new industries that are environmentally friendly which provide high-wage, high-skilled jobs and are compatible with our other major industries: gaming, tourism, entertainment and mining."

Hunt would like to look to Nevada residents for more tourism, as well as to the international markets.

"I see an opportunity to send some of the 1.2 million residents of Southern Nevada to the north," she said.

And to bring Northern Nevada residents south, along with promoting tourism in the rural areas.

Hunt notes that many different groups are working on economic development.

"We need to be working together," she said. "We have to market the state as a whole."

She said that with her background in finance, business, tourism and entertainment, she can "bring not only a new dimension to the office, but new and exciting industries to our state."

Hunt has been married 30 years. She and her husband, Charles, have three grown children.

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