By BOBBIE GREEN
The Progress
Former North Las Vegas mayor John Lee, one of the three Republican candidates for U.S. Congressional District 4 (CD4), was the featured speaker at the Mesquite Republican Women’s meeting held Wednesday, April 10 at the Mesquite Veterans Center.
Lydia Dominguez, candidate for Clark County School Board, District B and Jeff Gunter running for U.S. Senate were also in attendance at the meeting.
Expecting a second CD4 candidate to be in attendance, Publisher and Army Veteran George Harris had prepared questions to ask in a debate-style presentation. When the second candidate was unable to make it, Harris focused the questions at Lee.
Asked about the national debt Lee said, “We should take control of the government assets. What do we own? What are renting or leasing? What bills are we paying and why?”
Lee added that there should ber a down-sizing of government. “We shouldn’t be paying three people to do a one-person job,” he said.
Harris asked Lee how he would structure the federal tax system and what changes he would implement.
Lee responded that he had signed a pledge not to raise taxes for the next two years. “We have to do some cutting and there are things we can do internally before we start demanding more money from the people,” he said.
Harris asked key priorities Lee had to stimulate economic growth and support small business.
“As the mayor of North Las Vegas, I was able to cut tons of red tape to get our city moving faster,” Lee said. “Our goal is to cut taxes and stimulate the economy.”
Lee pointed out that all the warehouse growth in North Las Vegas and at Apex had been under his leadership. That growth is expected to create 2,700 new jobs by 2025, he said.
Asked what plans he had for education, Lee said, “I would support Mesquite having its own school district. While mayor we started 13 new charter schools, that are improving our children’s education. No one had to get a shot or wear a mask during COVID in North Las Vegas including our police and fire department. It was their choice.”
When asked about immigration and how to fix the southern U.S. border Lee replied, “Build the wall. Get help from the Mexican government like Trump did. Change the anchor baby law. We must stop this invasion now to save our country.”
The Progress asked why Lee had changed parties from Democrat to Republican. Lee responded that first time he had registered to vote, back in 1975, it was as a Republican because his wife was a Republican. “I didn’t know one party from another,” he said.
In 1995 he changed party to a Democrat, he said. “That is because the Republicans would not support me when I wanted to run for a Nevada office,” he said. “I was told by one of the interviewing ladies that they were no longer going to support white Mormon men. I went right home and re-registered Democrat.”
Two years later he ran as Democrat and won. “The Democrat party was different back then,” Lee said. “I see what is going on nowadays with all this woke stuff coming from Biden. I said ‘This is evil!’ I changed back to be Republican.”
Dominguez and Gunter also spoke briefly at the event stating their views for the positions they are seeking.
