Courtesy photo
Nevada Treasurer Dan Schwartz visits with county residents at Olson Senior Center in Caliente on Monday. Schwartz is running for governor of Nevada.

Nevada Treasurer Dan Schwartz, the second candidate for governor to come to Caliente, held an eat and meet at the Olson Senior Center on Monday.

He said the reason he is running is, “Enough is enough. What do I mean by this? I’ve been in Carson the past two and a half, three years, as your state treasurer and what I’ve seen there is a government elected by you but [which] reports to the big casino owners, the law firms, pharmaceuticals (pharma), special interests or lobbyists. I have said I will take no money from the casinos, special interests, or lobbyists.”

Schwartz was in the U.S. Army, stationed at Pershing Missile Base in Germany from 1972-74. He came home, went to law and business school, and was an entrepreneur before jumping into politics. He was elected treasurer in 2014 and during the 78th session of the legislature, Schwartz publicly questioned Governor Brian Sandoval’s proposed $7.3 billion budget, which contained $1.1 billion in tax increases.

He is against the commerce tax, saying that the people voted against it and yet the legislators passed it.

“Taxes are a symptom, not the cause. The cause is the spending by the legislators. I’m concerned about issues in Nevada; I’m concerned about issues in Lincoln County. Can I solve them all? No, but I do have ideas on them. If elected, I’m a man of my word. There will be a change.”

Asked if he would go against the casinos to have a lottery in Nevada, sold not only in casinos but in regular businesses, he replied, “Yes. I think that is one of the themes of this campaign, not taking money from casinos. I will make a decision on what is best for the people of Nevada. One of them includes Internet gaming, a lottery, and Yucca Mountain.”

Asked his opinion on Yucca Mountain, he replied, “There are pros and cons, but we should at least have a discussion about it. I support Internet gaming, the lottery, and discussions on Yucca Mountain. I am the only candidate to speak out against the $750 million in additional taxes to finance a football stadium while schools suffer.”

He thanked everyone for coming out to hear what he had to say. The event lasted a while longer with visiting.