EDITORIAL: For Assembly

The Review-Journal editorial board offers the following endorsements in this fall’s elections for state Assembly. Endorsements are in bold type.

In District 22, the Review-Journal endorses incumbent Republican Lynn Stewart.

Incumbent Democrat Lesley Cohen, appointed to the District 29 seat to replace April Mastroluca, will face voters for the first time against Republican challenger Stephen Silberkraus. Mr. Silberkraus, who owns a multimedia production business, is a strong advocate of charter and magnet schools, and he is firmly against Question 3, the margins tax initiative. “It’s a dreadful piece of legislation that does far more damage than good, and it doesn’t guarantee any good,” he said. Ms. Cohen is a family law attorney and advocate for related issues, but she won’t take a position on Question 3.

Republican Victoria Seaman faces Democrat Meghan Smith for the District 34 seat, because term-limited incumbent Democrat William Horne is running for District Court. Ms. Seaman, a real estate agent, has her finger on the pulse of the sluggish economic recovery in Southern Nevada and fears the damage passage of Question 3 would do to the recovery. Ms. Smith, who declined to meet with the Review-Journal editorial board, is the subject of a residency complaint that challenges her eligibility for this office.

In District 35, incumbent Democrat James Healey is being challenged by Republican Brent Jones. Mr. Healey is the executive director of housekeeping at New York-New York. He has served his constituents well, and his private-sector experience is something we need more of in Carson City. Mr. Jones rightly opposes Question 3, but when asked about whether UNLV needs a medical school, he provided a puzzling answer about the region needing more holistic medicine options.

Incumbent Republican Wes Duncan is being challenged by Democrat Gerald Mackin and Libertarian Lou Pombo in District 37. Mr. Duncan, an Iraq War veteran and deputy district attorney, understands that the state pension system’s projected unfunded liabilities could present a huge problem for Nevada down the road. He wants to end the service purchases that send government workers into early retirement, he opposes Question 3 and he supports policies that will make Nevada a more business-friendly state. Mr. Mackin won’t take a position on Question 3.

In District 41, Republican Vicki Dooling is looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Paul Aizley. Mr. Aizley is hostile to business. He also chaired a committee that quashed the efforts of the state to gain more control over federal land. Ms. Dooling understands the economic importance of putting more federal land under state and local control, then get that land into private-sector hands and onto the property tax rolls.

The Review-Journal endorses Democrat Irene Bustamante Adams in District 42.

■ ON THE WEB: For an up-to-date list of the Review-Journal editorial board’s 2014 election endorsements, go to www.reviewjournal.com/endorsements. A complete list of candidate endorsements will be published Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.