Warren Hardy stepping down from state Senate

State Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, says he is submitting his resignation from the Legislature today in order to focus on lobbying work for the builders association he works for.

Voters in Senate District 12 might not notice the difference on their 2010 ballot: the similarly named Assemblyman Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, plans to run for the seat, Warren Hardy said. The two Hardys are not related.

Warren Hardy, a two-term senator with a reputation as an amiable moderate, serves as president of the Associated Builders and Contractors. With the construction industry in distress these days, the trade group can save money by making Hardy its main lobbyist at the Legislature rather than hiring others to do that job, he said.

"I have to put feeding my family ahead of serving in the Legislature," Hardy said.

Hardy's existing position had already led to accusations of conflict of interest, including an ethics complaint brought by unions that was knocked down by the Supreme Court recently. Hardy maintained there was not a conflict between his positions as association president and senator, but acknowledged he couldn't be simultaneously a legislator and a legislative lobbyist.

Hardy is submitting his resignation to Gov. Jim Gibbons today. No replacement is likely to be named unless a special session has to be called between now and the 2010 election.