I was born in Chicago, Illinois and spent the first years of my life growing up on the North side of the Windy City. After a few years my parents decided to make the move out West to Nevada and see what Reno had to offer.

I still remember sitting in the back seat of our blue Honda Accord with our collie named Dude staring out the window as the landscape changed from the flat plains of the Midwest, to the Rocky Mountains, to the deserts of Utah, and then finally to the Truckee Meadows. Needless to say it was quite a change to go from living in the big city to the wide open spaces and mountains of Northern Nevada.

I now had an actual backyard instead of an alley where I was free to build forts and camp out with friends during the summertime. I learned how to ski and would race my dad down the hill at Squaw Valley on Friday nights after he got off work. I got to go fishing and camping with my cousins when they would drive over from California and we would all meet up in the Sierras. I even went to a horseback riding camp through the YMCA during summer break one year.I got to experience all these new things growing up in Reno that I would never have had a chance to do if we had stayed in Chicago and I am very thankful for that.I have been lucky to have some great teachers and receive a great education here. I went to Caughlin Ranch Elementary, Billinghurst Middle School, and McQueen High School where I made lifelong friends. As we have all grown up and our lives have gone in different directions we have managed to all stay pretty tightly knit. Spending all those hours sweating through football practice together, ditching class on powder days to go snowboarding, and going to countless Wolfpack games through the years tends to form a close bond between friends.

I went to UNR on a Millennium Scholarship and worked at a local trucking company in order to pay the rent. After four years of balancing school and work I was able to walk across the stage on the quad and receive my diploma. Going to UNR gave me the opportunity see the world by studying abroad in Spain and going to work on behalf of Nevadans on Capitol Hill. As a product of the Nevada school system I have seen first-hand how many opportunities can arise through a good education. Even my younger sister is starting to experience some of the perks of going to a great school as she is currently finishing up her second year at UNR and is planning on going to Costa Rica for the fall semester.

I currently work in the Truckee Meadows and continue to live in Northwest Reno close to where I have grown up. I have also worked in and out of government both in Carson City at the legislature and in Washington, D.C. where I have seen up close how our elected officials have failed to properly guide our state through the current recession. It is time for some new leadership to bring a new way forward for Nevada.

ISSUES

Jobs And Economic Development

Encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit of Nevadans and doing everything I can to promote the growth of small businesses is one of my top priorities. The current crop of county commissioners seem content to just sit around and make draconian cuts to our county’s services rather than coming up with solutions to stimulate the economy and generate revenue. They have forced county employees to bear an unfair burden by forcing wage and benefit concessions that have impacted the quality of life for families throughout Northern Nevada. While some cuts have been necessary to weather the recession, they are not the only answer. We also need to generate jobs by encouraging businesses that are here to expand as well as attract new ones. The way we do this is through creating a business friendly environment by cutting through onerous government regulations on small businesses and by offering incentives such as abatements for industries to come to Washoe County. Taking these steps will help local businesses hire and get people working again.

Education

Education is the key to building a great community. It broadens the minds of our children, it leads to greater opportunity, and it provides economic stabilization. I myself am a product of the Nevada school system. I attended Caughlin Ranch Elementary, Billinghurst Middle School, and McQueen High School. After graduating from high school I went to UNR on a Millennium Scholarship where I made the Dean’s list and graduated in four years. Having grown up here and going through our school system I have a personal investment in seeing our schools achieve great things.

The Washoe County School District has made great strides in improving the quality of education for our students. This is evidenced by increasing graduation rates, higher test scores, and greater collaboration between teachers and families to ensure that everyone is involved in the success of the student. I am committed to seeing the Washoe County School District continue its upward trajectory and give our teachers and administrators every resource they need to help our children.

Along with K-12, addressing the needs of our higher education system is also vitally important. I will do everything I can to promote partnerships between UNR and local industries that will teach our university students the skills necessary to thrive in today’s economy. Giving our students experience in the real world business atmosphere is key to their success.

Housing & Foreclosures

Along with unemployment, Nevada also leads the nation in home foreclosures and housing issues. These problems affect us all, whether you have been foreclosed on, or simply because the value of your home has sharply declined due to falling housing values around you. Buying a house is the biggest investment most of us will make in our lives and protecting the value of that investment is extremely important. One of the most significant duties of the county commission is the assessment and collection of property taxes, so as a government entity the commission is at the center of the storm and should be doing more to help Nevada homeowners.

If elected, I will make sure the state and county work hand in hand to protect Nevadans from the illegitimate foreclosures and robo-signings that have plagued our state. The recent settlement reached between the attorney general and the nations’ big banks leaves the door open for individual Nevadans to pursue civil recourse from the banks that have committed mortgage fraud. I propose expanding the help available to our residents by charging the district attorney and public defender’s office with creating a program that will educate them on what legal options are available to them and help them through the mediation process. There is currently a similar program funded by the state through the Senior Law Project, but the scope of this problem has grown so big that we need to employ all of our legal options in defending the rights of Nevada homeowners. Funding for this new program should come from the $90 million direct cash payment awarded to the state by the settlement.

CONTACT

Friends For Andrew Diss
6355 Antero Dr.
Reno, NV 89523

Andrew@andrewdiss.com
Phone: 775-287-7332

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