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Zach Conine

Name

Zach Conine

Occupation

Treasurer

Political Office

Treasurer

Political Affiliation

Democrat

How would you describe yourself to voters?

I grew up in a small town in upstate New York and came to Nevada after graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. During my time in the private sector, I built a successful career in the hospitality and finance industries, while also attending UNLV’s Boyd School of Law at night. Throughout my career, I opened and operated major casino resorts, opened and operated more than 20 restaurants, started a successful consulting firm, and spent time working with both private equity and public equity investment funds.

I’ve used my private sector experience in finance and hospitality to deliver results for Nevadans during my first term as Treasurer. Utilizing my experience from the private sector, I was able to play a pivotal role in Nevada’s economic response during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in protections for homeowners at risk of foreclosure, over $100 million in assistance to 9,400 small businesses, and the preservation of the State’s high credit rating.

What do you see as the top issues in this campaign?

I’ve worked hard to put Nevada on stable financial ground over the last three and a half years. During the pandemic, we saw what can happen to our State’s economic stability when our largest industry is so heavily impacted. We’ve rebounded from the negative economic effects of the pandemic, but we need to be doing everything we can to ensure that we are better equipped in advance of the next economic downturn.

That means finding ways to diversify Nevada’s revenue streams by encouraging new types of industries to locate here, getting our housing market and rising rents under control, and working to create good-paying jobs through investments in infrastructure and apprenticeship programs.

Nevada’s treasurer handles the state’s 529 program which helps families access higher education through prepaid tuition. How would your office go about securing those programs for future Nevadans?

Luckily, in my time as Treasurer our 529 programs have been wildly successful, especially our Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program. We've also expanded the ways that the College Savings Office meets all Nevadans where they live, including the creation of the state's first Student Loan Ombudsman and College Savings Navigator.

The Treasurer’s Office is also responsible for managing the state’s investments. How would you
go about protecting the state’s financial investments from rapid inflation?

Experience.

Serving as State Treasurer is a serious job, and Nevadans deserve someone with the experience and qualifications that are necessary to manage a general portfolio of around 7 billion dollars, nationwide college savings assets of more than $35 billion dollars, and perform debt service on $1.2 billion of outstanding general obligation bonds.

This is a job that requires steady leadership to ensure the State has the money it needs to pay state employees, and fund vital government services such as public education and programs like Medicaid.

I am the most experienced candidate to serve as Nevada’s chief investment officer. In my private sector career, I directly managed an investment portfolio of hundreds of millions of dollars, operated businesses around the country with thousands of employees, and am the only candidate who has the expertise and temperament necessary to oversee Nevada’s finances on a daily basis.

When Nevadans look at my record in the private sector and as the State’s chief investment officer, I’m confident they’ll see that I have the experience, commitment and steady hand to navigate our state’s finances over the next four years as we face economic uncertainties resulting from inflation, rising gas prices, and significant affordable housing needs.

Lawmakers approved the State Infrastructure Bank during the 2021 Session. How would you
use that program to address the state’s affordable housing issues?

We've done a lot for affordable housing over the last 3 years, but more needs to be done. The State Board of Finance, which the Treasurer serves on, has put more private activity bond capacity to affordable housing than ever before. The State Infrastructure Bank, currently chaired by me, was expanded and funded through bills in the 2021 legislative session that our office wrote, testified for and got passed. We also wrote and promulgated the regulations that support the Bank's work, including a set aside for affordable housing.

That set aside, a co-investment with the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (a mutual fund that invests solely in multi-family housing) will create more than $200MM in affordable housing investment in Nevada for a state investment of $20MM. That 10-1 match is exactly why we created the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank; as a tool to leverage outside capital that wants to invest in Nevada.

No other candidate in this race has the experience, knowledge or relationships in this space. The Infrastructure Bank in its current form would not exist without our efforts.