ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 21
Republican newcomer Jon Ozark easily dispatched Assembly District 21 incumbent Bob Beers in the primary this year and is setting his sights on a Democratic opponent with a strong business background.
Ellen Spiegel, in her 24-year history in the business sector, has said she was responsible for bringing The Weather Channel online and for paving the way for online banking.
The two candidates have ideas for getting Nevada's slumping economy back on track.
Ozark said he would like to boost growth by encouraging businesses to hire new people. One way would be to give businesses a break in the payroll tax for every new worker the business hires.
"If you're creating a new job, that's such a direct benefit to the state ... that I think for at least the new fiscal year, we should give them a new tax break," he said.
Spiegel said she would like to give Nevada subcontractors a preference when bidding on public works projects. Currently, she said, too many of the bids go to out-of-state subcontractors.
She said the habit of companies choosing out-of-state subcontractors on bids stretches back to the days when Nevada did not have the companies that could do the work.
Two years ago, District 21 had 1,700 more Republicans than Democrats. That advantage has fallen to fewer than 400, and the two candidates are close in fundraising, with Spiegel having a $3,000 advantage.
Ozark, who ran unsuccessfully for Assembly District 10 in 2006, holds a degree in finance from the Wharton School of Business and an electrical engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
He favors merit-based raises for teachers and wants to review the state programs started in the past few years to see whether some of them can be cut.
Spiegel, who owns Stratagems Consulting, a workers compensation consulting firm that has three Fortune 100 companies as clients, earned a degree in consumer economics from Cornell University.
She is running for office for the first time because "I don't like complaining unless I'm willing to do something about it," she said.
Neither candidate favors tax increases to balance the budget, but Spiegel said she would like to collect more money by going after residents who do not register their car in-state.
Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.
ASSEMBLY DUTIES
The duties of Assembly members include passing state laws, approving the state budget and reviewing the performance of state agencies. They serve two-year terms. Candidates who prevail in this year's election will be paid $8,760 for the first 60 days of the 120-day regular legislative session. They also will receive $155 a day for living expenses and reimbursement for certain other expenses.
REVIEW-JOURNAL
