GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE: Capital Senate District

KEVIN R. RANFT

Party: Democrat

Mailing Address: 709 E. Robinson St., Carson City, NV 89701

Telephone: 775-671-4404

E-mail: kevinranft@yahoo.com

Website: www.ElectRanft.com

Explain your background and how this qualifies you for the position you are seeking:

My wife and I have lived in Nevada for many years and have had our two children in this great state. I have been a correctional peace officer for 10 of those years. For the past eight years I have lobbied the Nevada Legislature, fighting for the safety of Nevada citizens and protecting family values. During this time I have worked with Legislators to ensure they were well informed of the issues that face Nevada. I understand the Legislative process and have seen firsthand areas that must be fixed to ensure the legislative process works. I have become an integral part of my community; I will fight to get programs to ensure that our seniors and children have the best community resources and protections possible. I have chaired many employee meetings; I am known as an experienced leader who provides a strong voice for my fellow, hard-working Nevadans. I will use my experience as your next state senator to put new sensible ideas on the fast track to improving our economy, education systems, public safety and overall quality of life. It is time to elect Legislators with a common sense approach, who can make a positive impact on the lives of Nevada families

What are the most important issues that you would address if elected?

Jobs, jobs, jobs. I will fight to bring job diversity into our great state. We need more manufacturing jobs to build our local economy. This will allow for small and large businesses to prosper and hire the unemployed. Nevada needs to take a turn in a new direction and capitalize on Renewable Energy and the mining of Nevada's rare minerals. Expansion into these industries would create vital jobs for our citizens and would make our state more fiscally sound. The current state of our public education system must be another priority. This too is a reflection of our economy, but we must remember that we need to have a well-educated workforce in order to attract any new industries to our state. We simply cannot afford to keep cutting the funding to our educational system with the intention of fixing it after the economy gets better. If we do not act now it will be too late. I will also fight to ensure your public safety is never jeopardized. I would like you to ask yourself, "Why is Nevada last in the nation on every good list, and first on every bad list?" I will provide solutions for this unacceptable trend.

Why should voters choose you over other candidate?

It's time to replace legislators who have had an opportunity in the Nevada Legislature and failed to address the economical concerns we face today. I will plan for the future and work with all parties on the issues to ensure Nevada is fiscally sound. I will bring bills to the Legislature that are meaningful and don't waste taxpayers time. I will push for a fast track legislative system to ensure good bills get passed. I will take great strides to improve the quality of our economy, education systems and fight to protect your public safety. I am a strong leader that will ensure our citizens are able to succeed. I will see that we create new jobs so that hard-working people can go back to work. I will ensure our state is fiscally sound, fight wasteful spending and make sure your taxes are spent wisely. I will make sure our state is better prepared in all areas and won't accept the past practiced band-aid approach. I am an average citizen who is an honest leader that shows integrity, determination and has realistic goals that will move our state forward. As your state senator I will fight to make Nevada No. 1.

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JAMES SETTELMEYER

Incumbent

Party: Republican

Mailing address: 2388 N. Highway 395, Minden, NV 89423

Telephone: 450-6114

Explain your background and how this qualifies you for the position you are seeking.

First elected by the constituents of Assembly District 39 in 2006. Douglas High graduate. Received a California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, bachelor of science in agricultural science/education. Attended Concord Law School, graduate National Conference of State Legislators Legislative Academy. Graduate Council of State Government Western Leadership Academy. Carson Valley Conservation District secretary, then chairman. Appointed to the Nevada State Conservation Commission. Elected as the vice chairman the first year, and chairman the second. Received the outstanding young Nevada farmer award in 2003. U. S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency County Committee vice-chairman. In the Legislature, serves on the Commerce and Labor, Governmental Affairs, and Election Procedures and Constitutional Amendments committees. Serves on the Senior and Veterans study committee, and the Blue Ribbon Property Tax Committee.

What are the most important issues that you would address if elected?

In these economic times the government, like the people of this great state, are having to do more with less. This is not the time to increase taxes on the people, it is time to find ways to help them.

The state needs to evaluate all of its programs and establish if they are meeting their objectives and eliminate or modify ones that are not. The government waste that exists cannot be tolerated and must be discussed whether it is benefiting corporations, unions, or the bureaucracy itself. I and my colleagues already have bills that seek to address these issues.

The best government is like a good insurance policy. It costs you money from time to time. It's there for you in bad times and in the good times you don't know it exists. In that vein, I feel government involvement in private affairs should be minimal at most.

Why should voters choose you over other candidate?

Government size must be kept in check. I did this last legislative session and plan on doing it again, if chosen by the citizens if the Capital Senate District. We must preserve our natural resources my actions on the state conservation commission and local conservation district, and endorsement by the Nevada Conservation League combined with my knowledge of water resources will allow me to protect our communities and states limited resources.

There are so many issues to speak to that there is not enough room to list them all. So I ask of you the reader, my constituent, to contact me for more information