By Brian Reeder, AGC Government Affairs Coordinator
Just when you were thinking the 162-game baseball season was a little long, political campaign season started. If you're saying "Dear God no" under your breath, you're probably not alone. While you might be begging to keep the focus on the National Pastime, invoking the Almighty will do you no good. The media will make darn sure of that. News outlets treated the first Republican debate like it was the first Monday Night Football of the season. Even if you avoid TV and mainstream news, politics will catch up to you on social media.
Truth is, however, AGC needs to pay attention. The wrong decision by a political body can wreak havoc on the industry. With the Northern Nevada economy improving and construction slowly recovering, there is too much at stake to not be involved.
Truth is, however, AGC needs to pay attention. The wrong decision by a political body can wreak havoc on the industry. With the Northern Nevada economy improving and construction slowly recovering, there is too much at stake to not be involved.
Our elected officials count on us, and not only for campaign contributions and votes. They need our input to help them make wise decisions. The construction industry was very successful during the 2015 Legislative Session. Much of that success was due to AGC members speaking with legislators about the challenges we face. If we don’t provide our elected officials with information about a particular issue, they won’t know how it impacts our industry. We need to be at the table.
2016 could bring major changes. Over the next 15 months we’ll see key races at all levels.
Reno City Council and County Commission
Four of the Six Reno City Council members face elections and two of the five Washoe County Commissioners will be defending their seats.
State Legislature
In the State Senate where Republicans barely hold the majority, 10 of the 21 seats will be up for grabs. Senate Republicans have already launched efforts to hold their ground, selected Senator Becky Harris as the Southern Nevada Campaign Chairwoman. The Assembly is on a 2-year cycle so all 42 of those seats are up. The Republicans have a 25-17 majority but a handful of those seats are in districts that favor Democrats.
Congress
At the national level, Senator Harry Reid is retiring. U.S. Representative Joe Heck (R) and former Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D) have announced their candidacies. All four of Nevada’s U.S. House slots will be on the ballot, but two in particular will be in the spotlight. District 3, which will be left vacant by Joe Heck’s decision to run for U.S. Senate, has attracted the interest of current Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson. Crescent Hardy (R), who currently holds the district 4 seat, will face heavy opposition from Democrats. Current State Senator Ruben Kihuen, former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores and former Assembly Speaker John Oceguera have already thrown their hats in the ring.
Battleground State
Finally, Nevada’s reputation as a battleground state will attract a lot of attention. That means aggressive voter registration drives and heavy campaigning, especially in Washoe County where Republicans only hold a slight edge over Democrats.
As much as we might want to ignore it, political campaign season has begun. It will be a soft start for the rest of the summer and pick up steam this winter as we head toward the primaries in June. AGC is already working to schedule opportunities for members to meet with candidates. Since the orange and black are only a few games out of first place, we will try not to schedule any meetings when the Giants are playing. As for the A’s…let’s just not talk about the A’s.
2016 could bring major changes. Over the next 15 months we’ll see key races at all levels.
Reno City Council and County Commission
Four of the Six Reno City Council members face elections and two of the five Washoe County Commissioners will be defending their seats.
State Legislature
In the State Senate where Republicans barely hold the majority, 10 of the 21 seats will be up for grabs. Senate Republicans have already launched efforts to hold their ground, selected Senator Becky Harris as the Southern Nevada Campaign Chairwoman. The Assembly is on a 2-year cycle so all 42 of those seats are up. The Republicans have a 25-17 majority but a handful of those seats are in districts that favor Democrats.
Congress
At the national level, Senator Harry Reid is retiring. U.S. Representative Joe Heck (R) and former Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D) have announced their candidacies. All four of Nevada’s U.S. House slots will be on the ballot, but two in particular will be in the spotlight. District 3, which will be left vacant by Joe Heck’s decision to run for U.S. Senate, has attracted the interest of current Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson. Crescent Hardy (R), who currently holds the district 4 seat, will face heavy opposition from Democrats. Current State Senator Ruben Kihuen, former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores and former Assembly Speaker John Oceguera have already thrown their hats in the ring.
Battleground State
Finally, Nevada’s reputation as a battleground state will attract a lot of attention. That means aggressive voter registration drives and heavy campaigning, especially in Washoe County where Republicans only hold a slight edge over Democrats.
As much as we might want to ignore it, political campaign season has begun. It will be a soft start for the rest of the summer and pick up steam this winter as we head toward the primaries in June. AGC is already working to schedule opportunities for members to meet with candidates. Since the orange and black are only a few games out of first place, we will try not to schedule any meetings when the Giants are playing. As for the A’s…let’s just not talk about the A’s.