FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 24, 2012

CONTACT: Pat Hickey
(775) 762-8006

Conklin Team Caught Trying To Steal The Election Worker told to remove Duncan fliers
(photos attached)

Las Vegas, NV – Assemblyman Marcus Conklin’s, D-Las Vegas, field team was caught red-handed Wednesday removing opponent Wes Duncan’s, R-Las Vegas, literature from neighborhood doors. The walker, who was wearing a Conklin t-shirt and holding a stack of both Duncan and Conklin literature, said his boss Matt, told him to “remove Wes Duncan fliers” as they delivered Conklin’s.

Duncan campaign manager Nathan Emens personally witnessed the flier theft and made efforts to contact the leaders of the group to determine if this was an isolated case or misunderstanding. Another campaign worker who claimed to be a police officer then threatened Emens.

“I’m very disappointed that Marcus’ paid workers would do this,” said Emens. “I realize Marcus is afraid of his record in Carson City, but that is no reason to impede the democratic process of allowing the voters to make their choice in the voting booth.”

“In all of my years managing campaigns, I have never seen such blatant disrespect,” said Emens. “As we’re reaching the final days of this campaign, Conklin’s campaign and supporters have behaved increasingly badly.  From sending out mailers intended to scare the elderly into believing that Wes Duncan hates Medicare to this kind of tactic, the methods being used are shameful.  It’s sad, but given the fact that Marcus started the campaign by breaking the law and hiding campaign contributions, we probably shouldn’t be surprised.”

While Duncan cannot know how many of his fliers have been removed, Duncan has committed to moving past this incident and refocusing on contacting voters.

“I understand that the walkers employed by Conklin may not have know that what they were doing was wrong, and I do not plan to prosecute them,” Duncan said. “For my part, I am going to continue running a straight-up campaign focused on contacting voters so they know the clear choices in this election.”

For more information about Wes Duncan, visit www.WesDuncan.com.

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According to a study conducted by the Nevada Policy Research Institute, residents in four out of the five states that border Nevada have a lower governmental tax burden than Nevadans. While many Nevadans find it surprising because the state does not have an income tax, the study revealed how the low state tax burden is offset by a relatively high local tax burden.

“When I’m walking door to door, people ask me why Nevada hasn’t been able to attract more businesses to reverse the 12 percent state unemployment rate or 12.9 percent unemployment rate in Las Vegas,” says Wesley Duncan, candidate for Assembly District 37. “There are several reasons, but our high and somewhat hidden tax burden — business fees and regulations — takes the lead.”

This may explain why economic diversification has been discussed for decades but has yet to become a reality. While there have been some efforts, most of them have fallen short of being successful.

For example, the Nevada Development Authority launched a campaign to lure California businesses to Nevada last year. The commercials, which usually poked fun at highly taxed California business people, created more controversy than company relocations. Even those featuring Las Vegas playgrounds, university labs, and office parks struggled to attract more businesses than states without campaigns.

“We were effectively poking fun at California businesses, but even the business people who weren’t put off won’t make any relocation or expansion decisions based on television commercials,” said Duncan. “They will look at business costs, potential relationships, the workforce, and the quality of life for relocating employees. If they want to relocate, they are also looking at neighboring states.”

Duncan says that Nevada has to shift away from some short-term tactics and focus on a long-term strategic plan with an emphasis on stabilizing the tax code, reforming education, and addressing the $10 billion funding gap for the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). He said as long as this level of uncertainty exists in the market, it will remain unlikely that outside businesses will stimulate the local job sector or economy.

“We need to have a referendum and involve our citizens. They deserve to know what the real challenges are without the political rhetoric so we can implement solutions, turn our economy around, and put people back to work,” said Duncan. “As it stands now, too many politicians think raising taxes is the answer for local government, county government, state government, and the federal government. Even people who are open to a tax increase cannot afford to be hit at every layer and level of government.”

In addition to bringing a new level of open, honest communication among the legislature and district residents — mail, town hall meetings, telephone conferences, and one-on-one meetings — Duncan intends to do the same in Carson City. He says he isn’t afraid to put forth bold ideas, lead candid discussions, and seek bipartisan support for legislation that restores the state to previous levels of prosperity.

“Many of the issues that I intend to carry forward come from the hundreds and thousands of people I have visited with and talked to in our district,” said Duncan. “For example, we all know there are reforms that need to be made to AB 284 in order to reduce the shadow inventory in the housing market. Housing has always been a cornerstone of the Las Vegas economy and normalizing the market needs to be a priority. We need it to lift us up instead of continuing to drag us down.”

Along with stabilizing the housing market, education is also in the forefront of Assembly District 37. Duncan says as the new school year neared, more parents expressed concerns about the lagging education system in Nevada. Many want more educational choice, but several pointed out that it goes beyond that. They said their children are being held back.

“There is fear among some politicians that school choice will penalize schools and underprivileged or at-risk children,” said Duncan. “The empirical evidence doesn’t bear this out. It will encourage schools to improve performance in the classrooms. What is unfair right now is that some of our best and brightest students are losing out, having their education shortchanged.”

Education, Duncan says, isn’t an issue limited to parents with school-aged children. It is directly tied to both economic opportunities and crime rates. Businesses that want to relocate to Nevada look to education as a skilled workforce indicator as well as the educational opportunities their children will receive. Higher graduation rates are also linked to reducing the crime rate, with each 10 percent increase in graduation reducing violent crime by as much as 20 percent.

“I grew up in Sonora, California, where empowerment or charter schools weren’t an option. Students who wanted to attend a university had to commute at least 50 miles,” says Duncan. “Looking back, I know more educational opportunities would have better prepared me for the University of California, Berkeley. I want our students here to feel better prepared when they graduate and know they will be able to find employment. Education is the single best chance kids have to lift themselves out of poverty. We haven’t been going in the right direction for a few years, but we could be again.”

Duncan, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom before being stationed with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) at Nellis Air Force Base, resigned from active duty when he knew he wanted to make Las Vegas his home. He still serves as a captain in the Air Force Reserves and recently married Jennifer Pearson, an active duty Air Force nurse who just returned from the Middle East.

Since making the decision to run for office, Duncan has focused on developing solutions that will put Nevadans back to work, improving education to give children more opportunities, and implementing fiscal responsibility and government accountability. Many of these priorities were set as Duncan walked his district, meeting one-on-one with district residents.

Richard R. Becker is an instructor, freelance journalist, and entrepreneur working in Las Vegas. Although he is commissioned to write a series about Wesley Duncan, Becker retains all oversight rights and his work is not subject to approval.

Missed an issue? Find it on our blog http://wesduncan.com/blog/

As the mercury strains against the glass of a decorative outdoor thermometer by the front door, it’s easy to lose track of how many houses Wesley Duncan, candidate for Assembly District 37, has visited in the last hour. It could be a dozen. It could be two dozen. Every day, it’s a different number.

What isn’t different is the triple-digit heat. And what isn’t easy to forget are the real concerns, comments, and stories that people bring to his attention. Combined, they culminate in a dizzying array of worry and heartbreak as told to him by people who feel their lives are hanging by a thread.

Many of them say he is the first candidate who has come to their door. He is the first person who has taken time to listen. He is the first person who makes sense.

“It doesn’t matter if their political views could be classified as conservative, independent, or liberal,” says Duncan. “Many of them have never spoken to their representative or don’t know his name, and I’m the first person who has ever come to their door.”

He wanted to understand what Nevadans, his neighbors, think about the current political and economic climate. What he learned changed his perspective. Until you take the time to meet people, you don’t understand the real challenges they face.

“A few houses down lives a man who has been out of work for more than two years,” Duncan says, motioning to his right. “He doesn’t care about party politics. After he opened his door, he took one look at my flyer and asked a few questions until he knew I was serious about jobs. After I answered his questions, he opened the door all the way, shook my hand, and said I earned his vote. But it’s more than that for me. He moved me, and I think people would be surprised how many others are in the same position.”

As he finishes the story and takes a step toward the next house, lines of concern creep across his face. Duncan might only be two hours into his daily walk, but it has already been a full day. To reach out to as many people as possible, Duncan typically starts his day well before the sun rises. His day job starts at 7 a.m. and works through lunch at his desk.

“The more hours I can put in on the front of the day means the more people I can talk to in the afternoon,” says Duncan. “In the evening, I knock on more doors, meet with donors, attend meet and greets, return calls and make follow up calls.”

Many are willing to help too. While walking from door to door, it’s not uncommon for people to offer him water or soft drinks, reminding him to stay hydrated in the heat.

They routinely invite him into their homes to cool down and get off his feet, even if it is only for a few minutes. At the same time, they share their growing list of concerns, which consistently centers on jobs, education, crime, and occasionally the police.

“I’ve found that meeting people, real people, is what energizes me the most,” Duncan said. “Many of the conversations begin with presidential race and their general disappointment with one or both candidates, but then it takes a turn toward local and state politics. What I’ve found is that although the presidential election is more visible, people are looking to local and state leaders to do something. They know the real work isn’t going to come from Washington, but from state and local leaders who are committed to doing more than merely posturing.”

Occasionally, however, national news does dictate top-of-mind issues. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) shifted the conversation away from other issues. Some people are upset that the president broke his promise not to include a mandate. Others see the next election cycle as the last chance to stop an encroaching federal government.

“Health care reform is one of those national issues that does affect Nevadans directly,” says Duncan. “I spoke with a woman who said she was an independent voter and she was absolutely floored by the decision. Although she is unemployed, she had saved just enough to get by until the local economy recovers. Now, under the new health care provisions, she will have to buy coverage or pay the tax that she cannot afford.”

Unless reformed, the ACA could be devastating to Nevada because it will draw off funds from other needs. To meet ACA requirements, the state may cut funds from an already lagging education system, lay off more public employees, or further ignore the growing unfunded liabilities associated with the Public Employees Retirement System.

“The biggest concern many people have is what will happen when local municipalities and businesses give up their current health plans in favor of inferior federal health coverage just to save money,” Duncan said. “Suddenly, the act that was supposed to improve health care will be the catalyst for making it worse. But nobody can hear these concerns because they are too busy selling a platform instead of listening. Government needs to listen. If it did, we could create a responsible and responsive health care system.”

Listening, Duncan said, is what prompted him to spend so much time meeting people, regardless of political affiliation or voting records. He wants to prove that those who serve in the Nevada State Legislature can remain connected to everyone.

Once elected, Duncan has pledged to be in constant contact beyond campaign seasons. He will communicate by mail, hold town hall meetings, keep his private cell phone number listed, and walk door-to-door no matter what future polls tell him.

“Legislators have to remember that they go to Carson City to serve the people in their districts first,” said Duncan. “You don’t stop being a person once you’re elected. You are supposed to become a better person, someone who is empathetic, shares everyone’s concern for the future, and does something to make it a better one.”

To put this into perspective, Duncan is weeks aways from seeing his fiancee for the first time in months. Jennifer Pearson has been on active duty as an Air Force nurse deployed to the Middle East. Their wedding date is set for Aug. 25.

 (To be continued in the September issue.)

Richard R. Becker is an instructor, freelance journalist, and entrepreneur working in Las Vegas. Although he was commissioned by the campaign to write a series about Wesley Duncan, Becker retains all oversight rights and his work is not subject to approval.

Wes Duncan is a member of the Air Force Reserve. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform
does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.

In December 2008, as tensions over the U.S.-Iraq Security Pact had peaked and many coalition troops were going home, Wesley Duncan found himself traveling in the opposite direction. He was headed to Iraq, where more than 4,200 members of the U.S. military had been killed and 31,000 wounded.

“It wasn’t a surprise to be deployed,” says Duncan. “They told me when I commissioned. It was never a matter of whether or not I would be deployed, but when.”

The decision to join was simple for Duncan. He had just completed his education, was hired as a prosecuting attorney, and passed the state bar in Arizona. His career was just beginning; his whole life laid out ahead of him. But being accepted into Air Force JAG Corps was an honor he could not refuse.

“I’m not sure if people know how deeply the War in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom has impacted college students. The weight of it is always there as friends, relatives, and people your own age are being sent overseas to places like Afghanistan or Iraq,” says Duncan. “Even some campus protests and rallies that garner media attention as politically motivated as they look. Many are the only ways for students to release the constant tension and continuous urge to do something.”

For Duncan, doing something slowly began to crystalize as doing the right thing — he felt the need to serve his country and help the men and women stationed abroad. And he knew it was the right thing as the full impact of service hit him, climbing out of a C-17 after a long and tiresome series of flights ended when he landed in Baghdad.

His legs strained after sitting on a cargo net seat for hours. His shoulders felt the heft of wearing full body armor. His lungs burned in the dry, dusty air of a foreign country. His head spun as some of the service men around him realized they could be home instead, decorating for the holidays.

“For the first few days in Iraq, we stayed in tents with tiny cots until receiving assignments,” says Duncan. “I put in a request to serve at the Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI), which takes you just out of the Green Zone and into the unsecured areas outside the base. The court building is crowded, overflowing with civilians in a maze of modest offices with not much more than a few chairs and a desk for the judge. Everyone is hyper-aware that the smallest breach in security means not going home.”

As days turned into weeks and months, Duncan settled into a week-long routine. Five mornings a week, he would leave the Green Zone in full body armor with one of the military convoys. Once in court, he would secure evidence, find eye witnesses, and listen to testimonies that would convict insurgents, members of Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups.

“The court system in Iraq was rudimentary in a country still trying to establish the rule of law. Their system relied on direct evidence and eye witnesses, people who put their lives at risk by identifying those who kill or attempt to kill coalition forces and Iraqi civilians,” says Duncan. “It’s all around you. Every day, if you fail to identify and convict a terrorist, they could be planting improvised explosive devices (IED) or shooting at coalition forces in the future. Securing convictions meant the difference between life and death because even in the Green Zone, mortar attacks, IED sweeps, and other threats are commonplace.”

At the same time, Duncan said that conviction was not the only thing on his mind. It was clearly not America. In Iraq, the accused did not enter a plea until they stood before a judge because it was assumed that confessions not made in front a judge were coerced by threat or torture.

“It was extremely difficult to convict because the courts place so much weight on testimony and so little on forensic evidence. Some of the Iraqis begged not to be turned over to Iraqi authorities. Even though our system sometimes has flaws, you appreciate what we have in the United States.”

It was this appreciation, along with a lack of recreation choices, that prompted Duncan to begin reading more about American history. At first, he wanted to draw comparisons to the founding of the United States and the founding of a new Iraq. What he found instead, especially after reading the Federalist Papers, was this country has been slowly moving further away from the intent of its founding fathers.

“Here I was in a country where people were fighting for every inch of freedom and the opportunity to improve their lives with every generation. And back home, people were fighting for the same thing in a sense,” said Duncan. “When I returned to serve with the Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) at Nellis Air Force Base, it was impossible to ignore how many Americans don’t believe the next generation will have it better than we do now.”

For Duncan, this realization hit him especially hard because he is a product of the American dream. He grew up in a small town, earning his high school education while playing baseball and basketball. Like many families in central California, his parents were middle class.

His father worked for UPS and his mother as a teacher’s aide. They wanted more for him so when he graduated high school, they encouraged him to enroll at the community college, saving enough money to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley, and then to Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law where he earned his juris doctorate.

“Where else but in America can working class parents raise a child who, with hard work, can go on to become an attorney and realize his dreams?” asks Duncan. “If this isn’t worth preserving for future generations, then I am not sure what else might be.”

Wesley Duncan currently works as a private attorney for a local law firm. Although he still serves his country as a captain in the Air Force Reserves, he resigned from active duty when he knew he wanted to make Las Vegas his home. He is engaged to Jennifer Pearson, who is an active duty Air Force nurse, currently deployed to the Middle East.

(To be continued in
the August issue.)

Richard R. Becker is an instructor, freelance journalist, and entrepreneur working in Las Vegas. Although he is commissioned to write a series about Wesley Duncan, Becker retains all oversight rights and his work is not subject to approval.

Wes Duncan is a member of the Air Force Reserve. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform
does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.

Wes Duncan to Marcus Conklin: “Nevadans are hurting, Democrat Majority Leader
shouldn’t be jet-setting to California”

Nevada Assembly Candidate Wes Duncan announced Tuesday that he would call on opponent Marcus Conklin to cancel his Wednesday pharmaceutical fundraiser in Napa, California.

“With Nevada businesses struggling, I cannot believe that Assemblyman Conklin would hold a fundraiser in Napa, California,” said Duncan who is running against Marcus Conklin to represent the residents of Nevada’s Assembly District 37. “Assemblyman Conklin talks about promoting business in Nevada, but when it comes to his own campaign, he is happy to send his money out of state when most Nevadans are facing difficult times.”

Wes Duncan believes that the elected representatives of our communities should be focused on bringing business back to Nevada, including large political fundraisers that would give business to Nevada restaurants and resorts, purchase Nevada products and employ Nevada workers.

“This campaign definitely won’t be holding fundraisers in California that don’t help Nevada businesses,” said Wes Duncan.

Wes Duncan is committed to supporting common sense legislation that would encourage businesses and entrepreneurs to invest in Nevada. Learn more about Wes Duncan and his ideas for Nevada at www.WesDuncan.com.

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