ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 37

In the race for Assembly District 37, Republican challenger Ron "Garrett" Giarratano doesn't blame his opponent for not taking him seriously. He doesn't consider himself much of a threat either.

"I'm not going to do very well. I expect to lose by 20 points," Giarratano said. "I'm not expecting any miracles, believe me."

The retired director of marketing and entertainment for the Sahara said he has been sidelined by health issues that prevented him from raising money or mounting much of a campaign.

His opponent is three-term incumbent Marcus Conklin, who is the third-highest ranking Democrat in the Assembly and hails from a district where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1.

Conklin said he is running for a fourth term to continue his work to improve education, foster ethics in government and help bolster the Las Vegas economy, especially for small businesses.

He acknowledged, however, that the state budget and the national financial crises will dominate next year's session. It's hard to even suggest remedies because the situation keeps changing, he said.

"It's so volatile right now, it kind of changes on a dime," he said.

One thing the Legislature can do is pass a law requiring courts to notify tenants at the same time they notify home-owners when a mortgage is in default, Conklin said.

In some cases, renters don't find out that a home is in foreclosure until a constable shows up at the door to evict them.

"That's a tough place to put people," he said.

Conklin has a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of Redlands in Southern California and a master's degree in political science from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

He claims 15 years of business experience, including seven years in management.

Giarratano got his start in Las Vegas 38 years ago as disc jockey "Ron Garrett" for now-defunct country music station KRAM. He went on to own and operate several radio and television stations before launching an 18-year career in the casino industry, including a stint as general manager of the Greek Isles.

After retiring from the Sahara last year, Giarratano decided to launch his first bid for elected office because he wanted to "give something back," he said. "Las Vegas has been good to me."

He said his key issues for the Legislature are education and crime, particularly school violence.

At the end of the most recent reporting period Aug. 5, Conklin had raised more than $87,000 to Giarratano's $100. Conklin's expense report indicates he spent a little more than $70,000, but almost $33,000 of that was donated to Democratic groups and other campaigns.

Neither candidate drew a challenger in the primary.

Giarratano said he plans to challenge Conklin again in 2010, and then he will be ready.

"I will be 100 percent when we do this again," he said.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.