Ben Kieckhefer
Kieckhefer, Kramer win new legislative terms representing the capital
By GEOFF DORNAN
gdornan@nevadaappeal.com
Both of Carson City’s legislative representatives will return for the 2019 Legislature.
Ben Kieckhefer won a third term representing Senate District 16, which includes southern Washoe County as well as Carson City and Incline Village.
Al Kramer won a second term in Assembly District 40 which covers Carson City and Eastlake in Washoe County.
Both men are Republicans.
Kieckhefer was ahead of Tina Davis-Hersey by 24,757 to 19,080.
Kramer was leading Autumn Zemke 14,913 to 10,543.
In both races, there were still some outstanding precincts in Incline Village.
Kieckhefer said it is “a tremendous honor “ to have the trust of residents in District 16.
He said he is proud of his contributions to diversifying Nevada’s economy and supporting Gov. Brian Sandoval’s expansion of both funding and programming for Nevada’s K-12 and Higher education systems.
The majority of those education and economic development reforms occurred in the 2015 Legislature when Kieckhefer was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
But he said he wanted another four years because the job isn’t done yet.
He said Nevada’s economy, particularly in the north, has made a dramatic transition away from construction and gaming into technology, advanced manufacturing and other areas.
“It’s been discussed for a long time and, in the past eight years, we’ve actually done it,” he said.
Kramer said his key issue will be pushing for more funding for mental health issues.
“That’s an area where, if you can catch it earlier, you give a better quality of life and you don’t clog up the jails,’ he said.
Kramer said mental health programs all the way from teens to older adults are places where the state cut money during the recession.
“We’ve got to put it back,” he said.
He said expanding crisis centers like the one in Carson City is a system that has been very effective and should be looked at for other parts of the state.
He said he also has a bill to change the Carson Airport Authority a bit and another with the Carson treasurer’s office to change the law so that office doesn’t have to send out bills dealing with water for 57 cents. He said current law requires those bills be sent even if less than a dollar.
And he called for more disclosure and controls on reverse mortgages.
He promised to do his best to serve all the residents of his district.
In addition, Gardnerville incumbent James Settelmeyer was far ahead of Democrat Curtis Cannon in the Churchill, Storey and Douglas County portions of Senate District 17. He led with 16,597 to 6,217 votes with Lyon County still to report its totals.
Like Kramer, Settelmeyer said it’s time Nevada put more money into mental health programs. He said some of the money now going to K-12 education could be put to that use and that it’s not just treatment for students he’s talking about.
“Maybe if we help some people with some addiction issues, maybe they could become more functional members of society and do the job they should be focusing on — being parents,” he said.
Settelmeyer also praised Nevada’s economic progress saying businesses are now putting money back into their own businesses, especially in northern Nevada.