Ten freshmen will make their way to Carson City next month to get ready for the 2007 Legislature, bringing with them pipe dreams and a smattering of decent proposals thrown in for good measure.

The Class of 2007 is befitting a citizen Legislature, with an organic alfalfa farmer, a retired school administrator, a rancher, a political operative, a real estate agent, a Webmaster and two attorneys heading for the state capital.

They range in age from 26 to 65. There are two women and eight men, one of whom is Hispanic. Nine are in the Assembly.

So you'd expect a range of policy ideas matching their backgrounds, interests or political beliefs. Sometimes that's easy to find in bill draft requests submitted by freshmen.

Ed Goedhart, who manages a large dairy in the shadow of Yucca Mountain and also grows organic alfalfa, has a bill draft dealing with the appropriation of public waters.

It's got nothing to do, really, with the Southern Nevada Water Authority's proposed pipelines or agreements with rural Nevada. Rather, Goedhart wants to ensure state sovereignty over the transfer of existing water rights against what he calls "arbitrary and capricious" protests from federal agencies such as the National Park Service.

It's his 10 years of experience in the Amargosa Valley farming community and his vocal opposition to the dump that have led to that requested law. He's the kind of lawmaker who will find friends on both sides of the aisle -- he considers himself a Green Republican/Social Libertarian.

James Settelmeyer is a 35-year-old rancher who lives in Gardnerville and is a good friend of the district's former representative, retired Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick. Settelmeyer wants to jump right into the political fray, with bill drafts dealing with the Public Employees Retirement System, public benefits and the Millennium Scholarship.

He doesn't have many details about what he wants to do with benefits, other than to say he wants to study who gets them. "It's not a foreign national bill," he said, by way of clarification.

Settelmeyer's a cowboy who worked on some legislation in past sessions. One of his bill drafts deals with reciprocity between states over concealed weapons permits.

To help secure the future of the scholarship program, Settelmeyer wants to require scholarship winners to also apply for federal financial aid in hopes of having the feds pick up the tab for some of the students' education.

It'll be harder for him to maneuver in an Assembly where Democrats have a nearly 2-to-1 advantage over Republicans. But at least he's thinking of the big picture.

The same cannot be said for 65-year-old retired government teacher Lynn Stewart, a Henderson Republican.

Stewart, like other freshmen, got five bill draft requests. He used one to carry a sex offender registration measure originally submitted by Brooks Holcombe, who lost his re-election bid.

Three others deal with the same issue: benefits for Nevada National Guardsmen. One creates an educational benefit for the children of deceased guardsmen, another deals with military funerals.

The downside of a citizen legislature is that you often get myopic responses from elected officials, however well-meaning they might be.

Two of the freshmen have already made national news with their proposals.

Reno Republican Ty Cobb has entered the immigration fray by proposing a measure to prohibit foreign nationals from obtaining state benefits. Cobb, a newlywed formerly employed by the politically powerful Jones Vargas law firm, isn't afraid of bigger issues. He's got bill drafts dealing with property taxes, campaign finances and education, too.

Las Vegas Democrat Ruben Kihuen got some media coverage in other states for his impeccable timing. He waited until just before Christmas to propose a measure that would revert unused gift cards to the state's treasury instead of allowing the cards to expire.

The political operative, who has worked for both the Nevada State Democratic Party and for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also has a bill draft request that deals with pupils serving as trainee election board officers. That's the kind of thing only a knowledgeable politico could take up as a cause.

Because Democrats run the lower house, it'll be easier for Kihuen to get traction for his gift card idea than for Cobb to go anywhere with his immigration measure.

Other Democratic Assembly freshmen have the kind of bill draft requests the party could love. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, has a Teacher's Bill of Rights and measures dealing with transient lodging and the regulation of collection agencies.

James Ohrenschall, son of former Assemblywoman Genie Ohrenschall, is somehow carrying five of his mother's drafts in addition to five of his own, including a study on publicly financed elections.

Good luck. His bill to create tax incentives for hybrid vehicles has a much better chance of getting a hearing.

David Bobzien, a Reno Democrat and protégé of Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, has measures that could carry important policy related to water, energy and the labeling of prescription drugs.

The last Assembly freshman, RoseMary Womack, is a Henderson Democrat who has a request dealing with career academies in secondary schools -- a darling program of Speaker Barbara Buckley's. Womack, a Realtor, also has a real estate measure.

The lone Senate freshman, Democrat Joyce Woodhouse of Las Vegas, somehow forgot she is in the minority, however small the 11-10 margin may appear. Woodhouse has proposed free immunizations for children and a sales tax exemption. Both would have to go to Senate Finance because they cost money. No chance there.

It's fun watching freshmen try to fit in, try to make heads or tails of policy and bring their own personalities to the process. This year's class promises to be fun to watch, even if most of their proposals don't get very far.

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As a reporter, I've had the honor, or as some see it, the dubious distinction, of having asked questions to five presidents.

The sitting one waved when I shouted a question about the Yucca Mountain Project to him during his tour of a Nevada carpenter's training facility.

Bill Clinton had all the time in the world for my health care questions back on the campaign trail in 1992, and subsequently talked with me two other times after his presidency.

George H.W. Bush answered questions, mostly about his son, during a visit to Las Vegas back in 2000. This year, Jimmy Carter answered my questions during a live radio interview, including those about his son's Senate candidacy.

But Gerald Ford was the first ex-president who carried the kind of stature I always thought the ruler of the most powerful nation would have.

I interviewed him twice in Palm Desert, Calif. -- once upon the death of Frank Sinatra, and another time when he came to a graduation ceremony for migrant kids who weren't expected to make it that far.

He was not just tall and athletic, even in his 80s, but he was respectful to everyone around him.

His Secret Service detail talked about having the best job in the universe. Not only did he answer questions, he did so thoughtfully and with the kind of care you don't expect from a guy who was president, however accidentally.

Nice guys aren't usually remembered well in political history, but I will remember Gerald Ford as a great person to interview. And from this journalist's perspective, that's high praise.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.