Former secretary of state seeks Carson assembly seat

Cheryl Lau, who served as Nevada's secretary of state from 1990-1994, filed Friday for the Assembly seat now held by Bonnie Parnell.

Lau, a Republican, said the "volatility of the economy and jobs means state government will be especially challenging." Nonetheless, she said she believes the state can reduce spending and taxes while improving government, including the performance of public schools.

Asked if she supports Gov. Jim Gibbons' mantra of no tax increases, she said, "I think that's a good movement - no new taxes."

"I think people are cramped enough with the high groceries and gas," she said.

Lau said there are other ways to improve education than raising the amount of money spent.

"There must be a way to increase our (educational performance) ranking without using a lot of tax dollars to do that," she said. "Sometimes throwing money at something doesn't mean you're going to get the best result."

Parnell, a Democrat, is seeking her fifth two-year term representing District 40, which covers most of Carson City and a portion of southern Washoe County. She is chairman of the Assembly Education Committee.

Lau was joined in the District 40 race by John Wagner, who resigned from the Republican Party after last month's state convention that was shut down to block a takeover by Ron Paul supporters.

"I'm running as an Independent American Party," Wagner said.

He said he wants to build the IAP into "a home for Ron Paul people."

He said if elected he would "like to get us so we start following the Constitution of the United States." And he said he would support legislation taking the business license of any company that knowingly hires illegal aliens.

Republican Assemblyman Tom Grady of Yerington also drew competition on this final day of candidate filing. Steven Dalton, 38, of Dayton filed in District 32 as a Democrat.

Dalton said he was a teacher and is now working at a Reno hospital with plans to become a doctor. He said that experience in both education and health care will enable him to "provide some decent insight" in the Legislature.

Asked about the teachers' initiative to raise gaming taxes, Dalton said Nevada has changed significantly from the days when "it was easy for everyone to rely on that constant stream of money."

"That's a slippery slope to rely on one industry," he said.

Richard Kale, Douglas Campus coordinator for Western Nevada College, filed for the State Board of Education seat now held by Barbara Myers. He said he has experience as a teacher and vice principal in the Salt Lake City school system as well as college.

And Dave Cook, who held the Board of Education seat before Myers, filed again to try to unseat her. He is an economics professor at WNC.

"It's time to have a sober, adult, non-hysteric approach to buckling down and doing the hard work that's required within the constraints of expected revenues at current tax levels," he said.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.

List of candidates who filed with the Secretary of State's office:

Congressional District 2

Jill Derby of Minden, Democrat

John Everhart of Elko, Independent American

Dean Heller of Carson City, Republican (I)

Craig Bergland of Reno, Green

Sean Patrick Morse of Las Vegas, Libertarian

James Smack of Fallon, Republican

Rural Nevada Senatorial District

Janine Hansen of Elko, Independent American

Dean Rhoads of Tuscarora, Republican (I)

Central Nevada Senatorial District

Mike McGinness of Fallon, Republican (I)

Assembly District 32

Glenn E. Dawson of Sparks, Republican

Marc Deal of Sparks, Democrat

Don Gustavson of Sparks, Republican

James Kroshus of Sparks, Independent American

John Marvel of Battle Mountain, Republican (I)

Wayland Nance of Sparks, Republican

Eric Smith of Sparks, Republican

Michael Weber of Reno, Republican, Norvin "Pete" Cox, Democrat

Assembly District 23

John Carpenter of Elko, Republican (I)

Zachary Triggs of Elko, Independent American

Assembly District 25

Pete Goicoechea of Eureka, Republican, (I)

Rachel Marie King of Lovelock, Democrat

Assembly District 36

Scotty Babb of Pahrump, Democrat

Ed Goedhart of Amargosa Valley, Republican (I)

Assembly District 38

Steven Dalton of Dayton, Democrat

Dennis Gomez of Dayton, Independent American

Tom Grady of Yerington, Republican (I)

Assembly District 39

James Settelmeyer of Gardnerville, Republican (I)

Joetta Brown of Gardnerville, Democrat

David Schumann of Minden, Independent American

Assembly District 40

Cheryl Lau of Carson City, Republican

Bonnie Parnell of Carson City, Democrat (I)

John Wagner of Carson City, Independent American

State Board of Education District 9

Roy Casey of Carson City

Dave Cook of Carson City

Richard Kale of Carson City

Barbara Myers of Carson City

For more information on candidates for state office, visit the Web site:

http://sos.state.nv.us/elections/nvelection/FiledCandidates/2008/2008FiledCandidates.asp