Name: James Arnold Settelmeyer
Age: 37
Address: 770 Hwy 395 Gardnerville, NV 89410
Phone number and campaign Web site: (775) 450-6114 JamesAD39@charter.net
Education: Education
· California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Bachelor of Science, March 1994, Agriculture
Education
· Concord Law School
Completed Contracts, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law,
Criminal Law Criminal Procedure, Torts, and Property Law
Courses
· Council of State Government West
Leadership Academy
· National Conference of State Legislators
Legislative Academy
Profession: Rancher
Political experience: Assemblyman District 39 74th session 2007
· Chairman, Nevada State Conservation Commission
· Chairman, Carson Valley Conservation District
· Farm Service Agency Community Outreach Committee.
Please write a short biography of yourself (this answer may be up to 200
words; you might include such things as birthplace, career, community
involvement/volunteer efforts, family, etc.)
James Arnold Settelmeyer was born in Carson Tahoe hospital on March 6th,
1971 to Arnold and Patricia Settelmeyer. James is a third generation
Rancher born in the United States. His great-grandfather migrated to
Gardnerville, NV in 1880 with his brother from West Falla, West Germany.
After working on the Allerman ranch in Gardnerville for ten years, his
grandfather was able to raise the money to purchase the land. The
Settelmeyer family since this time has been prominent in agriculture,
politics, and the community.
Sherese Settelmeyer, his wife, owns her own business locally, December Hair
Design. She is the President of the Past Sierra Nevada Republican Women's
Club. She is also the 1st vice presient of the Nevada Federation of
Republican Women. They have two daughters.
He is the Ranch Manager for Settelmeyer Ranches.
In November of 2006 the community of Assembly District 39 elected James
Settelmeyer to serve as the Assemblyman for that district. He was placed on
the Commerce and Labor, Governmental Affairs, and Election Procedures &
Constitutional Amendments committees.
In the Interim James has been appointed to serve on the Senior and Veterans
study committee, as well as the Blue Ribbon Commission on Property Taxes.
Why are you running for State Assembly? In the previous session I
accomplished a great many things. But the work is far from over. The state
needs to insure that the cuts to the budget are done in areas whose impact
will not be as adverse as others. There are other revenue streams that are
currently being lost due to errors in existing laws. These can easily be
solved and lessen the budget problems.
What makes a good legislator? A legislator must be ready to work hard and do
all the research necessary before voting on a bill. One can not just
listen to others, you have to do your homework. That hard work will create
legislation that has less unintended consequences.
What would your priorities be if elected? The State Budget is the number
one priority. We must look for ways to reduce expenditures and increase
revenues.
Should certain tax increases or new taxes be considered as part of the
solution to the state's budget crisis? If so, what taxes would you consider
increasing or adding? The people can't handle the strain of an increase of
taxes in these economic times.
If your answer to the previous question is no, would you say that you will
never support any kind of tax or fee increase?
If a tax had the possibility of saving the constituents more money than it
cost then I would look at that legislation.
If you do not favor tax increases at this time, in what areas would you make
further cuts? I have put several proposals forward as Bill Draft Request.
It will be up to the legislature as a whole to look at those and decide what
is best for the state.
Are there areas of the budget that should never be cut? There are areas
that the state that will hit a minimum funding level that we will be unable
to reduce further. If the state reduces areas to far, the people will
suffer. These areas have been previously identified such as Mental Health.
Is more funding necessary to improve the quality of Nevada's much-maligned
schools? If so, where should that money be spent? If not, what are the keys
to improvement? We as a state need to find a way to increase parental
involvement. That involvement has always shown to improve results.
Should the Nevada State Prison be closed as part of a solution to the budget
crisis? Why? Not in my opinion. But the counties have a responsibility to
pay its fair share for its inmates in those facilities.
What is your assessment of the actions the governor has taken to solve the
state's budget problems? Has he set the proper priorities, and how would
your priorities have differed? He has asked agencies to come forward with
their own proposals. If an agency is unable then the governor choice is
clear under law. He does not have the power of a line item veto so the cut
has to be across the board.
Would you seek to work with the governor if you are elected? How? I
currently discuss issues with the governor and will continue to do so.
Would you favor re-examining the state's tax structure toward avoiding a
"boom and bust" economy? We need to diversify our economic portfolio. That
does not mean raising taxes. It means attracting other businesses to our
state.
Is illegal immigration a problem in Nevada? If so, in what ways, and what,
if anything, can the Legislature do to address this issue? It is a problem
and the state has many things that it can do. I myself had a bill that look
to require that the Millennium Scholarship is only given to those with a
valid social security number. Unfortunately that bill as well as other
bills that have been put forward on the subject of illegal immigration by my
republican colleagues were not given a hearing in the assembly.
Please summarize any other information you would like voters to know before
casting their votes in this race.
In this economy we need legislatures who are true fiscal
conservatives. Ones who will make the difficult decisions and do what is
best for our state.