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Nevada transportation official takes job in California

Tom Skancke’s three-month stint in Las Vegas turned into a three-decade stay that helped transform the region’s transportation network and persuade out-of-state companies to do business in Southern Nevada.

Now, Skancke is the one who’s being lured away to Newport Beach, where he’ll work as a consultant with a tech startup and — perhaps — continue to dabble in Southern California’s transportation issues.

“The thing I am most proud of is working on the relationships and connectivity between Southern Nevada and Southern California,” said Skancke, who served the past four years on the Nevada Department of Transportation’s board of directors.

“You can’t have a successful economy without a thriving transportation infrastructure system,” Skancke said. “You need to have the right infrastructure to get people to work and to school, because that’s what will attract companies here.”

Gov. Brian Sandoval has not yet named a replacement for Skancke, who represents Clark County on the NDOT board. His four-year term expires in January.

Skancke had dreams of moving to a “big city” like Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York, but made a stop in Las Vegas to campaign for Republican Chic Hecht’s successful election to the U.S. Senate in 1988.

The University of Nevada, Reno graduate said he “fell in love with Southern Nevada” and decided to stick around.

Skancke went on to start a lobbying firm with several high-profile clients, including the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He landed a $360,000 annual deal with the authority to influence lawmakers to approve highway projects aimed at increasing the number of tourists from Southern California.

He was also appointed to a number of transportation committees in Nevada by Gov. Brian Sandoval, former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and former governors Kenny Guinn and Jim Gibbons.

Moving forward, Skancke said a light-rail line should be built to accommodate the growing number of tourists and residents coming into Las Vegas. As a longtime supporter of Interstate 11, Skancke said he hopes that the first stretch under construction in Nevada will eventually connect to Phoenix.

Skancke also served as CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance since its inception in 2013, helping the private organization gain its footing as a clearinghouse for economic development in Southern Nevada by attracting companies from other states.

He left the alliance two years ago to launch the TSC2 Group, the Las Vegas-based consulting firm that was awarded a $1.2 million contract to assist in reorganizing the Clark County School District.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.

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