Thursday, October 14, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 5

Richard Fitzpatrick Democrat Age: 57 Occupation: Technology consultant T. Rex Hagan Libertarian Age: 43 Occupation: Electrical engineer Joe Heck Republican Age: 42 Occupation: Osteopathic physician Click image for enlargement.

After a costly and bitter Republican primary that saw five-term incumbent Ann O'Connell lose her seat to a GOP challenger, voters in District 5 now have a clear choice among three candidates.

Republican Joe Heck, who defeated O'Connell, is vying for the seat against Democrat Richard Fitzpatrick, who has previous legislative experience in Michigan, and Libertarian T. Rex Hagan, who wants to repeal the 2003 Legislature's tax increase.

Heck said the district is competitive for Democrats and Republicans because the registration among more than 100,000 voters favors the GOP by only 4,000.

Heck, who has a bachelor's degree in health education and a doctor of osteopathy degree, said bringing rising property tax increases under control is a top priority. But Heck said he will have to evaluate the proposals before deciding how to provide the relief needed because of rising land values.

"It's an important issue we need to tackle pretty quickly," he said.

Fitzpatrick agreed but said the fix needs to be tailored so that property tax limits don't unintentionally benefit speculators or big business.

Fitzpatrick, who served four terms in the lower house in Michigan in the 1970s and 1980s, said capping increases on the first $500,000 in value of a property, for example, is one alternative. If that idea can work, then the increase on the first $500,000 could be capped in the neighborhood of annual inflation, he said.

Hagan also agrees that property tax increases must be addressed and proposes a limit of 4 percent annually, or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

Hagan, who has a master's degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, said his other issue is repealing the $833 million tax increase approved in 2003.

State budgets should have been cut instead, he said. Now the economy has bounced back and the money isn't needed, Hagan said.

"I'm a candidate who supports less government control on all issues," he said.

Heck, an Army reservist, said he will focus his efforts on issues involving health care, education and public safety. In heath care, for example, an effort needs to be made to get more Nevadans insured, he said.

Heck said he would not have voted for the tax increase because it was poorly thought out and raised too much money. An increase in the $300 million to $500 million range would have been more appropriate, he said.

Fitzpatrick, a Vietnam veteran with four years of college but no degree, agreed the process was sloppy and ugly but said the tax hike was needed and the final proposal was a compromise.

"I would have held my nose and voted for it," he said.

The bill needs some cleanup in the 2005 session, he added.

Fitzpatrick said he would use his technology experience to try to improve the state's modernization efforts. Problems seem to crop up with technology projects, such as the Medicaid billing modernization program and the law enforcement radio system, that are costly, potentially dangerous and harmful to businesses, Fitzpatrick said.