Braun: Thank you for coming into the studio today.
Taylor: Oh, thank you for having me.
Braun: So, you are running for State Senate District 15, which encompasses most of western Reno. What are the most pressing issues to you and to voters in this area?
Taylor: The district is very, very diverse. So really, the pressing issues depends upon which part of the district we're in. When I'm knocking on doors and talking to people, everyone's concerned about education. Everyone [is] generally concerned about protecting a woman's right to choose, access to health care, affordability, as well as access to doctors and good care. Another area that everyone's concerned about, but a little differently, is the cost of housing.
Braun: You brought up the housing crisis, affecting many people in Northern Nevada, whether that's renting or just a lack of affordable options at all. So if you were elected, how would you address these issues?
Taylor: I think there are a couple of things. One is in my first session, the assembly last session, we passed eight housing bills. Three of them were vetoed, but five got across the finish line. And so I would go back to some of those things that we considered and that we passed that didn't make it all the way across. One of them has to do with capping rent increases in particular for seniors and for the disabled. I'm a homeowner. I have rental property, so I understand what it's like to be on both sides of the issue. But this isn't about not being able to do what you need to do, because it's an investment property and so on. But it's how you increase that. So those are a couple of things I will begin to look at is, how do we address the corporate landlord issue and then rent increases, especially for the most vulnerable. I also think something we can do at the state level is public/private partnerships. Incentivize developers and builders to build more mixed housing. You're a developer, you're in business. I get it. I'm a business owner. Businesses are in business to make money. How do we balance that out though? Make sure we're mixing in some more affordable housing.
Braun: If you were elected, you could help create a supermajority in the State Senate. What would this mean for your term and how would this affect voters?
Taylor: I will say this, in terms of the day to day, when I'm knocking on the doors, you know something I'm not hearing. ‘Hey, this could be a supermajority.’ Voters aren't concerned about that. Voters are concerned about electing the best people to represent them, to represent our state, in the Nevada State Legislature. I can't do a thing about what's happening in other people's districts, but what I can do a thing about is those things we were just talking about. Healthcare, housing, prescription drugs. Those are the things that when I'm knocking on the doors, that's what voters are talking about.
Braun: For some voters, bipartisanship is a very important issue. If you were elected, can voters count on you to be bipartisan in office?
Taylor: I'm going to say yes, because the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and I'm known for being someone who works on both sides of the aisle. Five of my six bills, as a freshman, I'm very proud of this, got across the finish line one way or another. And all of those bills were bipartisan, some a little bit more than others, but I’m known for working with someone that if you're interested in forwarding some of the policies, I think it's going to help my constituents, that's going to help our citizens in the state of Nevada, then I'm here. Let's work together. Let's make it happen.
Braun: You've sponsored and cosponsored various bills for education, what are your education funding goals this term?
Taylor: I was very proud as a lifelong educator, as someone who’s from the school board, having served as president for a while, to help cosponsor the historic funding increases in public education in our state. There's still work to be done there, to be quite honest. At the same time, what I'd like to see is a huge investment that we made last time. How are we doing with it? How is it being spent? Is it helping to give teachers the support that they need? The key to good education for students is good certified teachers in the classroom. So, are they getting the support that they need? Are students getting the supplies and the support that they need? How’s that money being used, how is it helping? So I want to take a look at that. And so to me, it’s important to continue that work.
Braun: So, we've talked about educators, the housing crisis, bipartisanship…So personally, why are you running for State Senate District 15?
Taylor: I am running because I am absolutely the most qualified person. I'm the only one in this race that has the experience to do it. One session in the legislature, it was a very effective session, and I'm very proud of that. Again, I’m known for working across the board. It is hard to get bills passed, as it should be, right? These are laws. And so having the relationship, having the work ethic and having the drive to do that, it's important. It's a 120 day grind. And so much important work happens at the end. So I've demonstrated that I'm able to do that.
Braun: Thank you so much for speaking with me today.
Taylor: You’re welcome. Thank you for having me, Ember.
KUNR’s Ember Braun is a student at the Reynolds School of Journalism.
