Election 2014: State Senate, District 16

John Everhart

Residence: Reno

Occupation: Retired

Party: Independent American

Record of service: US Army Helicopter Pilot, 1966-1971; Currently retired and living in Reno Nevada with my wife and son; I have worked in both the mining industry, and in the field of education.

Education: B.S. Mining Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, 1974; M.Ed. University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 1982.

Honors: Awarded the Distinguish Flying Cross and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star.

Platform: 1st priority — to have Nevada join other states rejecting the SCOTUS Citizens United ruling with an amendment to the US Constitution stating that, A. Money is not speech; B. Human beings, not corporations, are the persons entitled to Constitutional Rights. 2nd priority: To have a state budget that reflects the priorities of Nevada’s voters, within the revenues of Nevada, based on a fair revenue system, in which everyone pays their fair share — after fraud, waste and unnecessary/unwanted programs have been eliminated. 3rd priority: To have quality public education for our young people, and, if necessary, a state lottery to supplement the education budget. It is important to remember that the approval rating for our two-party political system reached an all time low of 8.4 percent last year. Clearly, the political bosses of the two-major parties are not listening. History has shown that when third party candidates do well in elections, the Republicans and Democrats will then pay attention to what the voters want. So I invite you to join me in voting against the business as usual, two-party political system, by voting for third party candidates of your choice.

Contact: 775-825-7848; yhowj7@yahoo.com

Ben Kieckhefer

Residence: Reno

Occupation: Communications and marketing professional

Age: 37

Party: Republican

Record of service: Nevada State Senate; 2010-Current; Assistant Minority Floor Leader; 2012-Current; Board Member; High Sierra Industries; Board Member; Nevada Youth Legislature; Board Member; Nevada Humane Society; Board Member; Jobs for America’s Graduates.

Education: DePaul University; Bachelors of Arts in English; University of Illinois, Springfield: Masters of Arts in Public Affairs Reporting.

Honors: Fellow; Aspen Rodell Fellowship in Public Leadership – 2013; Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals Network Twenty Under 40 Winner – 2011; Las Vegas Review Journal “Best Freshman Senator” - 2010.

Platform: Ben has spent his first term in the Nevada Senate focusing on ensuring a return on investment for taxpayers and accountability out of our government. He created Nevada’s first sunset commission to review state government, passed a key education reform to attract new teachers, and cracked down on child sex offenders. If re-elected, Ben will continue pushing for reforms to our education system that empower parents and families, maintain Nevada’s pro-business environment to support economic development and diversification, and strengthen our social safety net by ensuring accountability for tax dollars spent.

Contact: Ben@BenForNevada.com; www.BenforNevada.com; Twitter: @Ben_Kieckhefer; Facebook: facebook.com/BenKieckhefer.

Editor’s note: Democratic candidate Michael Kelley didn’t respond to the candidate guide.