Senator Cegavske takes conservative view to top of her party

She got his message.

During her 16-year legislative career, Cegavske has been a dependable conservative who has always opposed tax increases, even breaking ranks with Republican leader Bill Raggio and other GOP members whose votes led to passage of major tax increases in the 2003 and 2009 sessions.

These days, the 59-year-old Las Vegas resident feels like the rest of the Republicans have caught up with her.

The Republicans of both houses now are solidly behind Gov. Brian Sandoval and his no-new-taxes message and are ready to combat Democrats who this spring are expected to roll out a tax package as large as $2 billion.

On Wednesday, all 10 Republican senators even issued a signed letter in which they pledged “to reject calls for new taxes.”

If Republicans don’t break ranks, then there is no way Democrats can secure the two-thirds vote needed to pass taxes and overcome a promised Sandoval veto.

“I believe taxes kill jobs, and small businesses cannot handle anything more,” Cegavske said. “Taxes all get passed down to the consumer. The way the economy is today, people cannot afford anything more. We all have to make some sacrifices. I go back to my district on weekends and see another business closed. It is devastating.”

LEADERSHIP IN HER FUTURE

Cegavske is no longer a lone wolf howling at the moon, but the assistant minority leader and the leading Southern Nevada Republican in the state Senate.

State Senate Minority Leader Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, is barred by the term-limit constitutional amendment from seeking another term.

That places Cegavske in line to become the state Senate minority leader in the 2013 session. If Republicans pick up one seat, then she could become the majority leader.

Unlike fiery state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, Cegavske doesn’t raise her voice or show a lot of emotion in Senate Finance Committee hearings in which Sandoval’s budget cut proposals are debated.

She exhibits a calm demeanor in making her points against people like Horsford and state Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, as they rail against cuts to education and human services in Sandoval’s $5.8 billion proposed state budget.

“We have different approaches,” Cegavske said. “I don’t mind bringing up my concerns, but I don’t have to make floor statements all the time. I know the issues and I want to work with Steven and Sheila. But I don’t believe name-calling or threats are helpful.”

Soon after the session began on Feb. 7, former Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers tweeted a stinging statement challenging Cegavske’s intelligence.

“Have you ever tried to talk to Sen. Barbara Cegavske about anything substantive?” Rogers wrote. “After ‘hello’ she has nothing to offer.”

Cegavske heard about his tweet and declined to make a nasty response.

“I’m sorry Jim would make a comment like that, make it personal. He is upset because I don’t support all the spending he wants. It is what it is. Some people like you and some don’t,” she said.

Then there’s Jan Gilbert, the legislative lobbyist for the liberal Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. She says Cegavske is “very sincere” in her conservative philosophy and “an advocate for education and children.”

As the legislative session progresses, Gilbert hopes Cegavske and other Republicans, once they see the full extent of Sandoval’s cuts, can be persuaded to support tax increases.

Geoff Lawrence, deputy director of planning for the conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute, says Cegavske is “very personable” and her calm demeanor does help attract supporters to her positions.

But he concedes she “lacks the fire” of the liberal Horsford.

Horsford has “charisma,” which makes it difficult for Republicans to mount a defense to his arguments, according to Lawrence.

But he sees more fire in some of the freshman Republicans. He mentioned state Sen. Michael Roberson of Las Vegas and Assemblyman Mark Sherwood of Henderson as legislators capable of holding their own in arguments with anyone.

Cegavske is proud that she helped recruit Roberson and several other younger Republicans to the Legislature. She pushed to have state Sen. Ben Kieckhefer of Reno appointed to the Senate Finance Committee, a plush assignment for a freshman.

“Our candidates were younger. We are setting up for the future. We want to give them a chance quickly to develop into leaders,” she said.

IT STARTED WITH EDUCATION

Cegavske’s entry into politics came when she served as a PTA president in Las Vegas and wondered why schools did not have glue and books when 33 percent of her income was going to taxes.

She asked the School Board for an answer and was told it was the Legislature’s fault.

When she asked legislators, she was told it was the federal government’s fault for all the mandates it imposes on education.

Eventually she decided she would have to find the answer herself and ran for the Assembly.

For students to succeed, Cegavske says they need parents willing to have an active role in their education.

She remembers one of her sons complaining that he could not learn because his teacher had no control over the class. Cegavske decided to check for herself. One day she sat in on his class.

“The teacher didn’t do anything. Students were walking in and out of the class. He refused to teach. He said it was an unruly class,” she said.

She quickly got her son transferred into another teacher’s classroom, a step she hopes other parents will take when they are dissatisfied with a teacher’s performance.

EDUCATION REFORM PLAN

Cegavske’s own reform plan for education includes expanding the power of principals, rewarding good teachers and firing bad ones, giving parents the right to choose schools for their children and increasing the number of charter schools.

“Over the last 14 years, we have poured billions of dollars into public education,” she said. “Yet despite the enormous investment, test scores have gone down and dropout rates have increased.”

Change does not have to cost money and Cegavske hopes more of her Democratic colleagues begin to listen to their constituents and start to believe that.

“I think there has been a dynamic shift in peoples’ thinking. I believe we are on the right track. We aren’t out of it yet,” Cegavske said.

“That is why ‘no new taxes’ is important. We have to be mindful of the people out there. People are afraid of what we might do.”

Review-Journal writer Benjamin Spillman contributed to this report. Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.