2012 PRIMARY ELECTION: ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 21

Voters in Assembly District 21 have tough choices to make in the race to succeed Mark Sherwood, who is not seeking re-election after one term.

Six candidates, three Republicans and three Democrats, are running in the primary to fill the open seat that represents southwest Las Vegas and Henderson.

Becky Harris, a Republican Henderson attorney Sherwood endorsed early in the race, said she has a proven record of "conservative advocacy and real world experience."

Harris, who spends much of her legal time helping people navigate their financial difficulties, said her experience as a law clerk for the Utah Legislature has given her a good perspective on how to get things done in Carson City.

The Nevada Legislature will be at a crossroads in 2013 facing a series of problems stemming from the struggling economy, Harris said, and needs lawmakers who can build consensus and work together.

Harris wants to see the final revenue figures this year before she decides whether the state needs to raise taxes to balance its budget. But she said she will work to eliminate fraud and abuse in state government.

"We need the government to work for Nevadans instead of Nevadans working to support the government," she said.

Fellow Republican Swadeep Nigam, a financial analyst for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, said his experience here over the past 25 years in the private and public sector would serve him well at the Legislature.

"People need a real conservative in Carson City," he said. "People are looking for a change, and I am the best change."

Nigam, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to serve on the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, also runs his family's investment company. He is a former treasurer for the Clark County Republican Party.

Nigam said he is passionate about improving education and wants to bring more high-tech jobs and businesses to Nevada. He said he doesn't support raising taxes and also will work to remove waste from government.

One of the first things he would do if elected is demand administrative audits of all state agencies to cut costs where needed, Nigam said.

The third Republican in the primary, Jeff Jones, said he has been active in the tea party movement and has Libertarian leanings.

Jones, who runs a technology consulting company that works with the casino industry, said he is against raising taxes and would vote to cut services if state revenues drop.

"We need to get our government under control, reining in the regulations, and get it out of our personal lives," he said.

Jones, who moved to Las Vegas from Seattle five years ago, said he supports legalizing marijuana, repealing Nevada's motorcycle helmet law and increasing speed limits on highways.

On the Democratic side, Steve Parke, said he decided to get involved in politics to bolster the state's educational system.

"I got sick and tired of feeling like the first thing on the chopping block was public education," he said. "We won't diversify our economy until we have a solid and stable educational system."

A 2010 law school graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Parke works at a local law firm and recently passed the Nevada bar exam. He was elected student body president at the law school.

Parke, who ran jewelry stores in Utah before going to law school, said he would like to see a broad-based business tax that would force big retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Costco to pay their fair share.

"The average Joe has to pay his taxes," he said. "We'd just like to make sure that the larger corporations that are doing well can make that contribution to our economy."

Another Democrat, retired union business representative Rick Wilkening, said he would work to pass a broad-based business tax that he believes would provide stability to the state's economy.

"This is not a stable business environment," he said. "That's why businesses are staying away."

Wilkening, who has lived here for a quarter-century, said the dozen years he spent as a political strategist for the carpenters union, would serve him well at the Legislature.

Wilkening said he decided to run for public office after watching lawmakers struggling at the last session to deal with the state's financial crisis.

"I found myself screaming at the television," he said. "It has gotten to the point where level-headed individuals instead of professional politicians have to get into the mix to try to get us out of this mess."

The third Democrat in the race, Dr. Andy Eisen, said he wants to bring a comprehensive approach to solving the state's problems at the Legislature.

"My approach is different," he said. "I have a history in medicine and education of bringing people together."

Eisen, a pediatrician who is the associate dean for clinical education at Touro University Nevada, a private nonprofit university, said he is "not excited about raising taxes" to balance the state's budget but would vote to do it if a comprehensive analysis warrants it.

Eisen said his big goals at the Legislature would be improving education and access to health care.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.