Facey challenges incumbent Frierson in race for Assembly District 8

One of Nevada’s most powerful state legislators will face off with a political newcomer in the race to represent Assembly District 8.

Democrat Jason Frierson, speaker of the Nevada Assembly, will take on political newcomer Eddie Facey, a Republican.

Frierson was first elected in 2010 and served in the Assembly until 2014, when he lost re-election. He was elected again in 2016.

If re-elected, Frierson said he would focus on leading the Democratic caucus and the entire Assembly in a way that is inclusive and transparent.

Legislatively, he said he would focus on managing the budget. However, he said he has not identified any areas where he would support cuts.

“None of these cuts are easy or good,” he said. “We have, as a state, underfunded many, if not all of our vital services.”

He said budget cuts are going to have to be a collaborative effort between all state lawmakers. As a supporter of public education and expanded access to health care, he said those priorities would be reflected in conversations he has about the budget.

In a special session this year, Frierson supported police reform bills. One rolled back a provision that restricted the use of officer statements in civil lawsuits, and another banned chokeholds and cemented a duty to intervene if an officer sees a fellow cop using excessive force.

That legislation does not go far enough, Frierson said.

Moving forward, Frierson wants to see a more collaborative approach to law enforcement legislation. He said state training needs to be broadened to include not just new officers, but to existing officers on an annual basis. He said police need help, too.

“They don’t need to always show up for a mental health call when a mental health professional or social worker would be more appropriate,” he said. “So we’ve got to look at all of those options to see how we can best police our community, but also best give our law enforcement community the tools they need to do the job that they were hired to do.”

Frierson said his appreciation for statesmanship and the legislative process makes him the best person for the job. He said he also is accessible to his constituents.

Frierson has the advantage of incumbency and a war chest that dwarfs Facey’s.

Eddie Facey

Facey opposes government expansion and said he wants to come up with better solutions. He said he wants to create ways to allow for more school choice.

Specifically, Facey supports education vouchers that allow parents to make a choice on where their children go to school.

“I think competition in the competitive free market is one of the things that basically makes entities improve,” he said.

Facey has lived in Las Vegas since 2004, and in his current Assembly District 8 home since 2008. He has a background in accounting and finance and as an owner of an advertising company. He filed to run for state Senate in District 11 in 2016, but withdrew.

He also wants to look at legislation that would limit executive powers for the governor. Any emergency order that lasts longer than 30 days should be supported by the Legislature, he said.

“I would like to see that power spread out a little bit more and shared with the Legislature, as well as the responsibility,” he said.

Facey, like Frierson, did not offer any specific budget areas he would support cutting, if necessary, to mitigate the fiscal impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.