ASSEMBLY DISTRICT No. 22

As 67-year-old Assemblyman Lynn Stewart envisions his political career, he will never have to worry about term limits.

"I plan on leaving after three more terms," the first termer said. "It'll be time for someone else then."

He faces Republican challengers Michael W. Kennedy and Scott Chappell for Assembly District 22 in his primary race this summer.

Stewart believes that his ability to work strategically on issues of interest to the district, such as keeping tabs on sex offenders to improving access to higher education, has resonated enough with voters to ensure another term.

"People know that with our budget I am careful in allocating funds," he said.

Although Kennedy and Chappell agree that Stewart doesn't have to worry about term limits, they disagree with him about how soon he will be out of office.

The reason Chappell, an air quality specialist for Clark County, believes that time is fast approaching is simple: The public wants more emphasis on use of solar and wind energy.

"That's what I would work for in the Legislature," said Chappell, 46. "With the cost of oil, the public wants to see more use of renewable energy. There's no doubt about that."

He also said the public wants to see more emphasis placed on "cutting government waste."

Kennedy, who believes Stewart is "too passive" as a legislator, said that the state's budget crisis means legislators must be proactive in saving money.

To illustrate what he would do to cut costs, Kennedy said he would stop legislative bills from being copied.

"That costs about $500,000 in copying costs per session," he said. "The doing of legislative business should be fully computerized."

Kennedy, 28, who runs a video production company in addition to working as a gondolier at the Venetian, also would cut administrative costs in the schools.

"This would free up money to increase after-school tutoring programs, provide more learning resources for our children, and develop vocational and technical programs for our kids," he said.

Stewart, a retired high school government teacher, believes that he has shown he can work creatively on behalf of citizens even while the state is in a budget crisis.

Stewart points to his part in making an online sex offender locator run by a national organization accessible to Nevadans.

The Family Watchdog site, which now can be accessed through the Nevada Department of Public Safety Web site, allows Nevadans to type in addresses to see how many registered sex offenders live nearby.

Stewart also tried to get a nursing school started at Nevada State College in Henderson, but he had to be satisfied with a planning and design study.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Libertarian Nathan A. Santucci and Independent American Joshua M. Starbuck in November's general election.

Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908.