Ortiz, Hughes advance in Education Board races
With a sigh of relief, incumbent Felicia Ortiz put her hand over her chest and looked up from a laptop. The screen showed she was the leader in the State Board of Education District 3 race.She finished the night with 46.3 percent of primary election votes with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
Not far from her table at a crowded Mexican restaurant in Henderson, Tim Hughes held a smartphone that showed he was leading in District 1. He ended up with 44.6 percent of votes cast with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
In the November election, Hughes, an education nonprofit director, will be vying against Robert Blakely, a former University Board of Regents member. Blakely, an Uber driver and insurance agent, received 37.5 percent of the votes in the primary.
Ortiz, a businesswoman, will face challenger Dave Hales, a U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel, in November. Hales, a business owner, brought in 30.4 percent of votes in the primary.
With 23.3 percent of ballots cast in his favor, accountant Barry Herr, 62, was eliminated from the District 3 race. In District 1, 17.8 percent of votes wasn’t enough to advance podiatrist Ernesto “Doc” Louk, 59, to the November election.
Ortiz, 37, spent days knocking on doors with a pink tool belt full of candidate fliers around her waist. She is determined to get her message to voters. “I’ve been working hard,” she said.
Her opponent, Hales, 46, said he plans campaign at events and debates instead of introducing himself to on the stoops in District 3 neighborhoods.
“I’ll put up a spirited competition,” he said.
Like Ortiz, Hughes, 36, said he plans to keep sharing his ideas to improve public education with voters.
“When I wake up tomorrow, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.
His opponent, Blakely, 64, said he will step up his campaign for the general election, reminding voters of his experience overseeing from 2008 to 2014 the state’s universities during the economic recession.
“I helped shepherd the university system through a very dark time,” he said. “Now it’s time to do that for K-12 education, too.”
Blakely questions his opponent’s reasons for running.
“I’m running to help kids in Nevada have a better education system,” he said.
Contact Amy Nile at anile@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Find @AmyNileReports on Twitter.
