2012 Voter Guide: Clark County Commission District A

It's only been four years since Steve Sisolak was elected to the Clark County Commission.

But in those years he has created a reputation as a hard-nosed, outspoken watchdog of county government. It has earned him praise - for taking on issues such as firefighter pay - and criticism - for sometimes attracting too much attention.

Sisolak said his experience has been mostly positive.

"I think it's helped me with the constituents but hurt me with the special interests," he said.

His re-election almost certainly won't be as close as his 2008 race in District A, in which he defeated Republican Brian Scroggins by just 1,500 votes.

Sisolak amassed a $274,000 campaign chest by June. His Republican opponent this year, Barry Herr, had only raised $1,100. And campaign finance reports for Independent American Party candidate Brian Brassfield, who didn't respond to requests for comment, aren't available.

Herr lost a bid for state controller in 2010 but collected a respectable 40 percent of the vote. He knows that he is facing an uphill battle. But he said his background as a certified public accountant is a valuable asset. There aren't any on the board, he noted.

"I think that we need some more fiscal conservatives" on the board, Herr said.

The county is facing a number of big issues in the next few years, including what to do with University Medical Center, potential water rate increases, cleaning up the Strip and guiding county government out of the recession.

Herr said he wants to attract new businesses and diversify the valley's economy. And he wants to transform UMC into an academic medical center like the hospitals in other major cities.

He also wants to track legal and illegal immigrants who use the hospital and don't pay, and then bill their native countries.

"Realistically, I don't think we'd ever collect it. I think we would just get some amazing results" from the data.

Herr said he has experience working with unions - many county employees and contractors are unionized - and is good at bringing different parties together to reach a compromise.

"I want to make sure my daughter has the same opportunities that I had when I moved here" in 1990, he said. "I think Nevada has been very good to me."

Sisolak prides himself on increasing government transparency and making bids for county work more competitive. Before, the county often signed contracts that wouldn't expire for 12 years or longer. Sisolak pushed for contracts of no more than five years, which opened up the process to more businesses.

He most notably has battled with county firefighters, calling into question their use of sick leave, which spawned a federal investigation and saw sick leave drop by 57,000 hours in the following year.

Sisolak also has been on the forefront of the county's effort to clean up the Strip - commissioners have passed several ordinances targeting handbillers and unlicensed vendors - and believes the future of UMC is at stake in the coming months. He wants to come up with a plan that will not require the county to continue to subsidize the hospital at current rates.

As for the future of the county as it comes out of the recession, he said, "We need to learn from the shortfalls that we've discovered in the last few years and not make those mistakes again."

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781.