Name: Victoria Seaman
Office: State Senate District 6
Party Affiliation: Republican
Website: www.victoriaseaman.com
Biography provide by candidate:
In 2014, Victoria Seaman was the first Republican Latina elected to the Nevada Legislature in state history. As the representative for Assembly District 34, Victoria was elected by her colleagues to serve in the leadership role as Assistant Majority Whip of the South. She was appointed to serve on the Committee on Commerce and Labor (Vice Chair), the Committee on Judiciary, and the Committee on Legislative Operations. Victoria brings her 25-years plus in business and community outreach, as well as her experience as a Nevada State Assemblywoman into her campaign to represent the taxpayers and voters of Senate District 6. Currently representing Nevadans in Assembly District 34, which is within Senate District 6, Victoria is known for her hard work in representing her community.
Question: In a 140 characters, introduce yourself as if you are introducing yourself to a neighbor.
I’m Assemblywoman Victoria Seaman! I’m running to help find solutions to everyday problems. Find out more at www.VictoriaSeaman.com.
Question: Last legislative session, the major initiative was a tax increase to support education in the state. What should the major accomplishment of 2017 legislature be?
With respect, the tax increase was not even close to the most important accomplishment with regards to education during the last session. I look forward to continuing to innovate and restructure Nevada’s educational system in a way that brings meaningful change. Supporting Opportunity Scholarships and Education Savings Accounts while cutting regulations that run up the costs of capital improvement for school districts is a priority for me. I hope we come back from the 2017 Session knowing that businesses can easily put more Nevadans to work in good jobs and engage the emerging workforce to curb the dropout rate, especially in Clark County.
Question: If recreational marijuana is legalized by voters in this state, do you want revenue from it to fund health initiatives, research and/or youth awareness campaigns?
I’m not committed to the idea that revenue collected from the sales of recreational marijuana should be directed toward a specific purpose. I do believe that some of the revenue should be directed toward awareness campaigns about the potential hazards of smoking marijuana, particularly with respect to driving. That having been said, I want to ensure that the state has some flexibility to spend money where it is most needed. At least some portion of the tax revenue should be sent to the general fund to deal with existing needs to avoid future tax increases.
Question: Many elected officials in Clark County say they’d like to see the property tax cap changed – that it's time because tax revenues aren’t meeting budgets. Is that an idea you want to see the legislature tackle?
I am open to changing the structure of the property tax cap on commercial properties to ensure that the system does what it is designed to do--fairly collect revenue from property owners in Nevada to fund the state’s basic services. However, I believe that our economic recovery is still fragile and we should not consider raising the residential property tax cap to provide some relief to homeowners and keep housing costs low.
Question: Do you support the construction of a taxpayer-funded NFL stadium?
I try to evaluate every piece of legislation that comes across my desk and speak with voters in my district to gather their thoughts and feelings on the use of public money to fund this stadium. That having been said, I would love to see a major NFL team and a world class stadium in Las Vegas. I’m hesitant to make strong commitments in either direction beyond that because the specifics of the proposal are still being ironed out.
(Editor's note: The candidate's biography and answers were not edited for content or length)