Former state Assemblywoman Lucy Flores listens to David Damore, UNLV associate professor, during the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials 32nd annual conference Wednesday, June 17, 2015, at Aria.
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In the coming days, Las Vegas will become the epicenter of national Latino leadership as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) convenes for its annual conference. This gathering is a unique opportunity to discuss and strategize the best ways to solve our most pressing issues. At the forefront of these concerns is the need to stimulate new economic growth and create opportunities for underserved communities nationwide.
To tackle these issues, Hispanic lawmakers have the chance to leverage the conference as a venue to rally behind a pro-growth mindset. By agreeing to create a policy environment that welcomes investment and innovation and avoids the establishment of unnecessary red tape at the local and state levels, these leaders could attract investments that hold the potential to uplift entire communities.
We have already seen this dynamic play out in Nevada. By keeping the door open to business and innovation, we have attracted investment and partnership in the data center industry, which has had a tremendous impact on our growth. These partnerships have brought significant investments that have a direct impact on the communities benefiting from them while also bringing in new tax revenues and encouraging the growth of related industries like the artificial intelligence (AI) development sector.
Between the jobs created by the construction and operation of the data centers and by related growth of the AI community, Nevada is set to see a wealth of high-quality opportunities in the near future. Meanwhile, development of the tech industry has laid the foundation for industry partners to form long-term relationships with their host communities. As a result, we are already seeing the deployment of workforce development programs and other upskilling opportunities.
Nevada’s example shows the power of what a pro-growth regulatory mindset can do.
In contrast, Colorado illustrates what NALEO’s leaders must avoid: premature overregulation. After Colorado proposed broad regulations around artificial intelligence, AI developers and deployers expressed deep concerns about the impact on innovation, with many voicing that they may be forced to relocate should the bill pass.
If NALEO attendees want to avoid making the same mistakes in their communities, they should look to their host’s example. Nevada’s strategic approach exemplifies the transformative power of a pro-growth mindset and has created thousands of new opportunities for Nevadans.
Meanwhile, I hope the conference also serves as a firm reminder to Nevada’s legislative delegation to stay the course. By avoiding overzealous and premature legislative trends when they return to Carson City next year, our leaders can harness the power of growing industries to cultivate new opportunities for Nevadans.
Peter Guzman is president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Nevada.
