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Jared Fisher is a political outsider who has never held office. That is why he says his candidacy for governor of Nevada is appealing to some voters. The republican businessman from Las Vegas says he brings a business mentality to the table.
“Just watching President Trump get elected was an indicator that people want change and people are tired of the same old same old,” Fisher said.
Fisher says he is the alternative to more traditional politicians, saying he has the ability to shake up the government.
“You’ve got all these ties to Carson City and nobody want to step on people’s feet,” Fisher said. “I’m not worried about that. I can step on people’s feet all day long.”
Fisher is a developer and owner of an adventure travel company and a bike shop. He says one of the best things Nevada has going for it is it’s entrepreneurs.
“We are rated number two in America for entrepreneurs, so why don’t we replace what’s not working with what is working?” Fisher said. “Let’s put our entrepreneurs, our business-minded people who know how to do real-life solutions. Lets put them in charge in Carson City.”
Fisher wants to continue to diversify the state’s economy, recruiting more large companies to move to Nevada by offering tax incentives.
“You’re not really losing those taxes because the money wasn’t here to start with,” Fisher said. “Now that those companies are here, yes, they’re going to start adding to the economy. We’re going to see new businesses grow.”
The legislature passed a commerce tax during the 2015 session to increase funding for education. Fisher says the school system needs more funding but would like to raise revenue in other ways.
“I’m not a proponent of the commerce tax and it is because it affects businesses,” Fisher said. “Especially, businesses that have high values of inventory.”
Fisher says education is his first priority, saying the state should look into leasing schools, rather than build them. He says the savings from that could then be funneled back into the public school system in other ways.
“We really need to quit trying to put band-aids on the bucket, filled with water from the outside,” Fisher said. “We need to go out and do a solution from the inside.”
School safety is another area of concern for many Nevadans. Fisher says the best way to keep schools safe is to lock them down to keep criminals out. He says a bigger concern is funding for mental illness.
“We’re bottom of the list on mental health here in Nevada,” Fisher said. “We don’t have facilities. We don’t have the amount of doctors we need to treat people who go into these schools.”
Fisher has lived in Nevada for 27 years and says traveling the state and meeting people from different towns gives him important knowledge on what the state’s needs are. If elected, he hopes he can bring people together to find solutions.
“Everywhere I go, I feel like I’m connected to everybody,” Fisher said. “I just hope that I can bring that to Carson City and bring everybody together.”
