Guy W. Farmer: Midterm election thoughts

Early Voting started Saturday at the Courthouse, so today I’ll offer a few random thoughts on the 2014 midterm election. And if you don’t go to the polls on or before Tuesday, Nov. 4, it’s your own fault if you don’t like the results.

Congressman Mark Amodei, a Carson City Republican, is a shoo-in for re-election over his opponent, Democrat Kristen Spees, a young Incline Village estate attorney. Although I question Amodei’s views on illegal immigration and Yucca Mountain, he’s clearly the better choice in this race.

Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval will easily win re-election against token opposition, but there are hotly contested races for lieutenant governor and attorney general. I’m supporting Republican State Sen. Mark Hutchison over Democrat Assemblywoman Lucy Flores for lieutenant governor because Hutchison is vastly more qualified than Ms. Flores, who has an interesting life story along with ethics issues and a weak record in the Assembly.

Two big names in Nevada politics are vying to become our next attorney general, outgoing Secretary of State Ross Miller, the son of former Gov. Bob Miller, and Adam Laxalt, the grandson of ex-Gov. and Sen. Paul Laxalt, a Washington, D.C. resident since leaving the Senate in 1987. Miller, a Democrat, earned my vote when he prosecuted “ACORN” for voter fraud. Republican Laxalt, a relative newcomer to Nevada and former Navy prosecutor, is conducting a desperate campaign and attempting to cash-in on his grandfather’s name by billing himself as Adam Paul Laxalt on the ballot.

In other statewide races I’m voting for State Controller Kim Wallin, a Democrat, for treasurer, and Carson City economist Ron Knecht, a Republican, for controller. The low-key secretary of state battle between Republican state Sen. Barbara Cegavske and Democrat Kate Marshall, the outgoing state treasurer, is a tossup; take your pick.

Local races

I support Republican “PK” O’Neill, a personable career law enforcement officer, to replace retiring state Assemblyman Pete Livermore in District 40. O’Neill’s main opponent, Democrat Dave Cook, is a perennial candidate who should have remained on the State Board of Education.

Much local attention is focused on four candidates for two open seats on the Carson City Board of Supervisors: incumbents Karen Abowd and John McKenna, and challengers Lori Bagwell and Lisa Helget. Although I know and like all four candidates, I probably won’t be voting for those who believe in raising our taxes to pay for dubious projects that make them feel good about themselves. Two thoughts: (1) There’s more than one “vision” for downtown Carson and (2) Let’s not repeat the 2012 Nugget Project fiasco. ‘Nuff said.

I favor local attorney Jason Woodbury over Deputy Distict Attorney Mark Krueger in the race to replace outgoing DA Neil Rombardo. Woodbury has worked both sides of the legal street, defense and prosecution, during his 16 years in Carson courts; Krueger, a competent career prosecutor, has been in Carson City courts for two years. I worked with Woodbury as an English/Spanish court interpreter and was impressed by his integrity and strong work ethic.

As to the ballot questions, I’ll probably vote “Yes” on State Question 1 to create a Court of Appeals, and Question 2 to eliminate some tax breaks for the mining industry, and “No” on State Question 3, the so-called Margins Tax, and Carson City Question 1, which would institute ward voting in city supervisor primaries. The Margins Tax was invented by the Teachers Union to finance education (“It’s for the children”) by punishing profitable businesses. While some teachers may think “profits” is a bad word, profitable businesses create thousands of jobs in our state. As for CC1, I don’t see the need for it in a town the size of Carson.

Guy W. Farmer has been a Carson City resident since 1962. His opinions are his and not those of the Nevada Appeal