Nevada Treasurer Dan Schwartz is running for governor. The Republican says the education system is broken, and he wants to fix it, emphasizing the importance of Education Savings Accounts.
"I will sign no bill until I have an ESA bill on my desk, but that ESA bill can be part of a much larger education bill," Schwartz said.
The first-term treasurer says education is an important component of Nevada's economy, saying it is necessary to help bring diversity to the state. He wants to fund education in a different way than Governor Brian Sandoval, who will leave office in 13 months. One of Sandoval's signature policies was the commerce tax, which helps pay for many of his education initiatives. Schwartz wants to repeal the commerce tax and replace it with the Clark County hotel room tax that is slated to help fund the $2 billion football stadium in Las Vegas. It will be the home of the NFL's Raiders and the UNLV Rebels.
"We have to fix our education system, not only for the kids, but if we're going to attract industry and business to this state, the people who come here know that their kids have to get an education," Schwartz said.
Schwartz has spent nearly 40 years in business and says that experience is vital for running the state, as well as his three years as the state's treasurer. He says needs someone who can balance the budget and run the state like a business.
"Someone who understands a spread sheet, someone who understands how to build a business, someone who understands the various components of running a business," Schwartz said.
Nevada's economy is riding high, and the state's private sector job growth was the highest in the country during the first half of 2017. Schwartz wants to continue that momentum.
"Let's focus on bringing realistic businesses here. Let's continue our tax policy and at the same time, let's build our infrastructure," Schwartz said. "We've got generally good roads but why can't we improve them? Why don't we have a high-speed rail between Reno and Las Vegas?"
Schwartz is traveling through Nevada, making stops in urban and rural areas. He says small towns often get forgotten, and he wants to put more emphasis in areas that typically rely on agriculture and mining for jobs.
"I want to bring businesses into Nevada, and I'm going to start funneling them to some of the rural areas," Schwartz said.
Schwartz says the country needs an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. He says people that cannot afford insurance should not be left out, and that health insurance should be divided into two pots. He calls one a "Cuts and Scrapes" policy, and the other one is a "Catastrophic Injury" plan. He says this will allow people to buy the plan that fits their needs and income levels.
"Obamacare's biggest problem is that they failed to recognize that somebody has to pay for it," Schwartz said.
Polls show Schwartz as an underdog to Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the republican primary. Jared Fisher is also running as a republican. Clark County commissioners Steve Sisolak and Chris Giunchigliani are running for the democratic nomination.
