5 people to watch in the 2015 legislative session

In every legislative session, there are the key players, the people without whom the process would be impossible, or at least much more difficult. As we continue our countdown to the kickoff of the 2015 session a week from today, here’s a look at five people to watch during the session … and others you might want to keep an eye on, too.

1. Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson: He campaigned boldly, like a man who knew he was going to win, and he pulled it off. Roberson has gone from obstreperous freshman in the 2011 session to majority leader just two sessions later, and he’s carved out a big goal for himself in moving Gov. Brian Sandoval’s agenda through the Senate. If he succeeds, he’s in line to challenge U.S. Sen. Harry Reid for re-election in 2016; if he flubs it, his accusation that Democrats have been “incompetent” in running the upper house will surely come back to haunt him. But Roberson has assigned himself one of the session’s biggest tasks as chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee: vetting all tax plans.

2. Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas. Ford displaced the nicest guy in the Democratic caucus, consensus-building state Sen. Mo Denis, who few regarded as a bold leader, especially in the mold of hard-charging predecessors such as Dina Titus and Steven Horsford. But now Ford has to prove he has the mettle to cross swords with Roberson and win. In what appears to be the first test, Ford’s Democratic caucus is examining alternatives to Sandoval’s graduated business license fee as a means of raising money for education. But things could easily go south if it appears Democrats simply want to deny Republicans credit for fixing a problem that has persisted for a long time under their rule.

3. Assembly Minority Leader Marilyn Kirkpatrick: She’s inarguably the least pretentious person to serve as speaker in recent memory, but her command of the body during the 2013 session and 2014’s special session for Tesla showed she knows how to get things done while also giving Republicans a chance to contribute to the process. Although she’s now in the minority, many are counting on her skills to come in handy, especially given the uncertain grip on power that Speaker John Hambrick enjoys. (He’s being targeted for a recall, even!) Kirkpatrick’s mastery of policy and her ability to work across the aisle may be needed this time around more than ever.

4. Assembly Majority Leader Paul Anderson: Although he’s nobody’s liberal, he’s still considered part of the Republican’s moderate caucus. Selected by Hambrick not only as majority leader but also chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, Anderson will be responsible for the money behind all the bills that make it through committee and onto the Assembly floor, notwithstanding opposition from the conservative wing of the GOP. How he handles both of those duties will be one of the important stories of the 2015 session.

5. Senate Assistant Majority Leader Ben Kieckhefer: A former Associated Press reporter turned spokesman for conservative Gov. Jim Gibbons, Kieckhefer has since taken his place among Republican moderates. He easily survived a primary challenge last year, and in the coming session will serve as Roberson’s right hand in the Senate, as well as master of the Senate Finance Committee, setting funding for every program in the state budget as Anderson’s opposite number in the upper house.

And while those high-profile lawmakers will get most of the spotlight, the press attention and the quotes, there are many more people who may shape the session. Here’s a few of them:

1. The scorned: Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, was forced from the speakership when racist, sexist and anti-gay remarks he’d penned over a long career as a newspaper columnist (and lawmaker) surfaced in the wake of his selection. Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, lost her job as majority leader and chairwoman of the Taxation Committee after it was revealed she had hundreds of thousands of dollars in IRS liens filed against her. Both are unhappy about those turn of events. How they channel that anger will be one of the session’s themes.

2. The progressives: Yes, there are some left in the Legislature — and his name is state Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas. He’s the driving force behind the legalization of medical marijuana in the 2013 session, and now the push to legalize marijuana outright, even for recreational use. Segerblom will mostly be on defense this time around, defending against tort reform and anti-union bills. But he’s never been one to sit around and wait for the battle to come to him, so he might have a trick or two up his rolled-up sleeves.

3. The Republican Assembly freshmen: Of the 17 freshmen in the Assembly, 14 are Republicans. Some got there just by putting their names on the ballot. Many are in districts that usually elect Democrats, and are in imminent danger of being replaced in 2016, assuming the Democratic Party gets its grove back. The question for them is, do they hew to the party line and campaign promises, and vote against any tax plan that comes down, knowing they will probably not be coming back in 2017? Or do they actually engage in the process, cast more nuanced votes and try to appeal to the middle in the hopes of actually getting re-elected?

4. The lobbyists: As of this morning, there were already six lobbyists for each of the 63 lawmakers in Carson City, and that list is sure to grow as the first day rolls around. But no list of key lobbyists to watch is complete without Pete Ernaut, a close ally and confidant of Sandoval’s whose talent both infuriates and impresses, depending on whether you’re working with him or against him. R&R Advertising’s Billy Vassiliadis’ dislike of Carson City is legendary, but when he shows up, it’s action time. Veteran business lobbyist James Wadhams is now representing the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, and will be active on the tax issue (whatever the Chamber’s position on taxes may be). And of course Carole Vilardo, the most respected voice on state revenue who literally wrote the book on Nevada’s Byzantine tax system.

5. The staffers: The fact is, the legislative building couldn’t run without its staff, headed up by Rick Combs, the director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau. He’s had a regular and a special session to take over for former longtime LCB chief Lorne Malkiewich, but no amount of experience could prepare anybody for the unpredictability of a legislature led by a new party filled with members new to their roles. (That’s not even counting the potential chaos caucus in the Assembly!) Those factors will also test Brenda Erdoes, the Legislature’s longtime lawyer, who heads a staff of attorneys who actually write the bills that turn dreams into law. They, along with the number-crunchers from the all-important Fiscal Analysis Division, will provide the support without which the Legislature would not be able to do its job.