Fellow challenger endorses Carter for Nevada’s higher education board

A candidate who once hoped to take Michael Wixom’s seat on the state’s higher education board has endorsed a fellow challenger who beat the incumbent in June’s primary race without a single campaign dollar.

Angelo Casino, who finished fourth among five contenders with about 12 percent of the vote, says he’s backing Patrick Carter because both men feel “Wixom has been there over a decade and we just feel that he’s out of touch with the constituents of our district.”

Casino touted Carter’s role as a program director at the Art Institute of Las Vegas, noting that he’s well-suited to address challenges faced by college professors and students.

“I think a lot of times the board looks at numbers — specifically, Wixom — and doesn’t really consider the actual impact to students or faculty or employees or staff,” Carter said. “My main focus is the students. My main concern is them and building programs that service them.”

Peter Goatz, another one of the five contenders vying for District 6 on Nevada’s 13-member Board of Regents, said he hasn’t endorsed either remaining candidate. Attempts to reach Fred Kuch, who was last in the primary, were unsuccessful.

Wixom, an 11-year incumbent who never faced a challenger until this year, collected more than $30,000 to fend off the flurry of candidates. Carter, who took the primary by 5.8 percentage points, has criticized Wixom for lacking experience in the classroom.

Since the primary upset, Wixom has sought and earned the backing of Gov. Brian Sandoval — an unusual endorsement for an elected body that seldom draws public interest.

“As I go forward, I’ve worked — I don’t know of anybody who has worked harder on the board,” said Wixom, crediting his experience on the board and his financial expertise for making him the best fit. Wixom is a shareholder in the law firm of Smith Larsen &Wixom, where he specializes on banking and real estate finance.

“The bottom line is, he talks about change, but what is he going to do?” Wixom said, referring to Carter. “I’m at least talking about specific ideas and specific issues moving forward.”

Wixom, for instance, says he wants to consider a trimester system that would keep colleges open year-round. If elected, Carter said he wants to consider shifting more power to college presidents and diminishing the role of the chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Carter, meanwhile, says he doesn’t plan to raise money for the race. He is using a website and a Twitter account to promote his bid.

“I think the people that are really interested in higher education will seek out the information,” Carter said. “I don’t see the need to raise $50,000 or $100,000 to beat him when he doesn’t seem to have any momentum.”

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Follow @la__ley on Twitter.