Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Sisolak’s choice vs. Henderson mayor in lt. governor primary

Democratic Lt. Gov. hopefuls

Sun file photos

Lisa Cano Burkhead, left, appointed by Gov. Steve Sisolak as lieutenant governor after the departure last year of Kate Marshall, and Debra March, Henderson’s mayor, are locked in a battle for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Cano Burkhead has the backing of Sisolak and other leading Democratic office-holders, but March has her own backing from some heavyweight Nevada Democrats.

Many eyes are on the Nevada governor’s race in this election cycle, where a crowded field of Republicans is looking to oust Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.

But the race for the second-in-command position in the state is also hotly contested, including on the Democratic side, ahead of the June 14 primary.

The lieutenant governor, whose annual salary is $63,648, is responsible for presiding over all Nevada Senate floor proceedings. The lieutenant governor also serves as chair of the Nevada Commission of Tourism, which establishes policies and directs funding for tourism, and also serves on the Nevada Board of Transportation and the Board of Economic Development. And if something were to happen to the governor, such as a death, resignation or impeachment, the lieutenant governor would become governor.

Lisa Cano Burkhead, an educator for 20 years, has held the position since December when Sisolak appointed her, and she has his supportin the Democratic primary against well-known Henderson Mayor Debra March, as well as candidates Eva Chase and Kimi Cole.

“Debra March is a great mayor in Henderson,” Sisolak said Wednesday at a campaign event for Cano Burkhead. “I’ve known her a long, long time. I don’t have anything negative to say about Debra March, but I can tell you I’ve vetted every single application that came before me. Without a doubt in my mind Lisa Cano Burkhead is the No. 1 choice.”

Cano Burkhead also has the support of some Nevada Democratic leaders. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., endorsed Cano Burkhead at the Wednesday campaign event hosted by Nevada Democratic Victory, an organization that works to elect Democratic leaders.

“As a mom, as an educator, Lt. Gov. Burkhead understands the needs of our community,” Rosen said. “She understands what kids go through in school, what educators go through, what our families worry about, how to prepare our workforce for our small businesses, and our tourist economy, all of that. She’s doing a great job.”

Cano Burkhead, a first-generation Latina born and raised in Las Vegas, graduated from the University of Redlands with a double major in English and Spanish and her teaching credential. She worked in Nevada schools for more than 20 years in a variety of roles, including as a principal.

Since she’s been lieutenant governor, Cano Burkhead has helped open the state’s Office of Small Business Advocacy, and she started the Battle Born Education Heroes program to recognize the work of teachers across the state.

“We know that coming out of the pandemic, our small-business owners were really faced with a lot of challenges,” Cano Burkhead said, “and a lot of our small businesses had to close.”

Among the tasks it has taken on, the Office of Small Business Advocacy has helped businesses secure grants to stay open, Cano Burkhead said.

On tourism, Cano Burkhead said she has collaborated with Latin American and Asian markets around tourism and talked with dignitaries to encourage foreigners to visit. She partnered with Mexican influencers and recorded videos in Spanish to send back to Mexico to promote tourism in Nevada.

“Imagine how a dignitary feels when they’re speaking to the lieutenant governor from Nevada in Spanish,” Cano Burkhead said, “and really being able to connect in that way and to have those conversations around tourism, not just in Las Vegas, but also in our outdoor spaces.”

Sisolak picked Cano Burkhead to succeed Kate Marshall, who left the job last year to work for the Biden administration.Sisolak said Cano Burkhead stood out for her experience in Nevada’s education system. In the six months on the job, Cano Burkhead started roundtable sessions with educators about mental health concerns in schools.

If she wins election, Cano Burkhead wants to address the teacher shortage and make sure that licensed teachers are in the classrooms. Cano Burkhead has been substitute teaching while working as lieutenant governor to help with the shortage.

“It’s been an opportunity for me to really listen to the voices that I care a lot about, and that’s the voices of our students,” she said. “And really listening to them, listening to their challenges and listening to what their suggestions and their opinions are around what they need, and how we as a state and state government can best support them.”

Cano Burkhead’s biggest opponent in the Democratic primary is March, who has lived in Henderson for 30 years and became mayor in 2017. In the first quarter of 2022, March raised $257,489, and Cano Burkhead raised $139,630.

March knows what she is up against by campaigning against Sisolak’s pick, but she isn’t worried.

“My leadership and experience lead the charge in terms of the ability to step out ahead and to govern and to deal with the challenges and opportunities ahead,” March said. “She’s running her race; I’m running my race. And I have a lot of support across the community.”

March has a long list of supporters, including Richard Bryan, a former U.S. senator and Nevada governor, and Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson.

If elected, March said she wanted to do for Nevada what she did for Henderson regarding diversifying the economy, she said. March pointed to the revitalization of Water Street District and the sports teams and businesses she helped bring to the city, such as the Silver Knights and Haas Automobiles.

As chairwoman of the Regional Transportation Commission, March thinks she can also improve transportation across Nevada by working with the state’s distinct regions and help them use the federal infrastructure funds coming to Nevada. March has lived in Northern Nevada as well as rural Nevada, and she thinks she understands how unique each of the areas are.

To help businesses, March would make sure financial tools and other resources are available through the state. She also has some ideas about making business operations easier and their interactions with the state more streamlined, she said.

“I think probably a big part of the job would be to engage, to lean in to hear from businesses what the challenges are and how we can break down those challenges to make it easier for them to operate to be successful,” March said.

Also competing in the Democratic primary is Kimi Cole, a retired small-business owner and construction project manager. She serves as the chair of the Rural Democratic Caucus after previously being chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party. If elected, Cole would be the first transgender politician elected to a statewide office. Cole’s campaign did not return requests for comment.

But Cole is not the only person who aims to make history. Eva Chase, who is a graduate of the University of West Florida business school and works at the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium, is also a trans woman who hopes to be the next lieutenant governor.

Eva Chase

Eva Chase

Chase said her goals, if she was elected, would be to make Nevada “the most progressive state in the country.” She would concentrate on veterans’ rights and benefits, LGBTQ rights and making sure women have control over their own bodies. She said she also wanted to work on gun safety reform.

She would work to expand outdated roads to make them safer for motorists, such as the road between Las Vegas and Reno, which should be expanded into six lanes, she said.

“I would try to get corporate money out of campaigns,” Chase said, “and have every citizen have a chance to be elected if they want to serve the state, and not just corporate businesses picking out who they want.”

A lot of rural Nevada is beautiful, Chase said, and there’s a lot of outdoor activities, but unfortunately there’s not a way to get out there if you don’t have a car, Chase said. She would set up a bus system for tourists to get out into rural Nevada and visit places like ghost towns.

Chase said the bus system is a “mess,” and sometimes people have to wait at the bus stop for an hour. “That’s inexcusable,” Chase said.

But Chase does not have a campaign website, and she has not raised any campaign funds.

“I realize I haven’t taken any donations,” Chase said. “I will not be intimidated. I will fight until the end.”

On the Republican side

Seven candidates are vying in the primary for the Republican nomination:

Stavros Anthony, a Republican candidate for Nevada lieutenant governor, attends a campaign event for Adam Laxalt, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, at The Pass casino in Henderson Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

Stavros Anthony, a Republican candidate for Nevada lieutenant governor, attends a campaign event for Adam Laxalt, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, at The Pass casino in Henderson Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

• Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony, who has the endorsement of the Nevada Republican Party and the Nevada Veterans Association. He also served as a regent in the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents and worked at Metro Police.

Anthony said he was the only candidate that had experience in every aspect of the lieutenant governor’s official responsibilities, from tourism to transportation to supporting small businesses.

“We want to make sure it’s easy to get to the state of Nevada,” Anthony said. “I want to work with every municipality, whether it’s Las Vegas or Winnemucca or Wendover and find out what they need from the state when it comes to increasing tourism.”

If elected Anthony would also focus on helping small businesses by reducing regulations, lowering fees and licensing requirements, and making it easier to start a business here.

Retired Lt. Col. Walter “Tony” Grady Jr.

Retired Lt. Col. Walter “Tony” Grady Jr.

• Tony Grady, a U.S. Air Force veteran living in Reno, said his primary goal was to improve the state’s education, as business and tourism are dependent on an educated workforce. He also wants to improve business diversification and help news businesses get on their feet. In Ely, he said, there is a developer that wants to build a ski resort but is facing housing obstacles. Grady wants to make it easier for the developer to get started.

He also plans to continue Nevada’s push to improve internet quality in rural areas.

“During the pandemic, mothers were taking their children to McDonalds parking lots to get on the internet,” Grady said. “I think we can do better.”

• Peter Pavone, a corporate executive in hospitality, tourism, transportation and entertainment, says, “We have to get our small businesses strong again.”

Other goals for Pavone are to get Tesla’s underground tunnel system complete, improve the public transit system, and help establish a bullet train from California, which he said would increase tourism while also cutting back on traffic.

“I’m just an American trying to do the right thing,” Pavone said. There’s a lot of us running, and we hope that we can have a majority. … I promised myself I would never run for office but here I am. I’m tired of seeing my country go down the tube.”

Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz speaks at an event Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, in Las Vegas.

Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz speaks at an event Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, in Las Vegas.

• Dan Schwartz is a former state treasurer, serving from 2015 to 2019. Heis also an Army veteran who worked on Wall Street and bought a financial publication. As treasurer, Schwartz revamped the state’s investment program, which produced increased returns for the general fund.

If elected, Schwartz would also make fixing the education system his priority.

“They might say you’re not responsible for education; you handle tourism,” Schwartz said, “but we don’t have a tourism problem.”

Schwartz wants a bipartisan education bill to move through the Legislature and get signed, and he wants to raise teachers’ salaries. He wants schools to teach to grow students’ intellectual capabilities instead of teaching for a test, and he wants to increase time spent in classrooms.

Schwartz would like to see casinos get more involved in the metaverse to boost the state’s economy, and he would like to prioritize more state efforts toward the rural areas of Nevada.

The other candidates did not return the Sun’s request for comment. They are: Kameron Hawkins, a U.S. Navy veteran and publisher of the Great Basin Highway Magazine; John Miller, a Henderson resident and the founding CEO of Las Vegas-based Lexicon Bank; and Mack Miller, a Las Vegas resident and founder of the Clark County Bar Association’s Trial by Peers Program.