Conservative of the Year files for Carpenter’s Assembly seat

(Chuck Muth) – For her lifetime of service to the conservative cause, and the yeoman’s job she did in Carson City during the 2009 legislative session as a citizen advocate, I chose Janine Hansen of Nevada Families/Eagle Forum as 2009’s “Conservative of the Year.”

Janine is also a member of the IAP and is running for an open state Assembly seat. The following is an Elko Daily Free Press story by Adella Harding on Janine’s campaign which was published on Thursday.

Janine Hansen of Elko filed Wednesday in Carson City as an Independent American Party candidate for the Assembly seat now held by John Carpenter, R-Elko, who is termed-out.

Two Republican candidates already have filed for the seat — Elko County Commissioner John Ellison of Elko and Dale Andrus of Spring Creek.

“Elko deserves a representative in the state Legislature who actually represents Elko’s conservative views,” Hansen said Wednesday.

“During the last legislative session Elko’s senator and assemblyman both voted for the huge increases in taxes, which have proven to be a monumental mistake. I spoke as a citizen advocate for the families and taxpayers opposing the tax increases at the Legislature,” she said.

She ran two years ago for the seat now held by Sen. Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora.

“My record of 38 years is unmistakable. I will stand for less government, lower taxes and a return to constitutional standards and liberty,” said Hansen, who has been a citizen volunteer for every Nevada legislative session since 1971 and has served full-time as a lobbyist for Nevada Eagle Forum and Independent American Party since 1991.

“I raise the money to pay my expenses to be a lobbyist,” Hansen said.

Hansen, 58, also was a speaker at several Tea Party events in 2009.

“The Legislature ignored the people during the 2009 legislative session and significantly increased the taxes. This was a travesty, but not surprising since many legislators are themselves government employees and there are more lobbyists representing government and government unions than other interest at the state Legislature,” Hansen said.

She is executive director of the Independent American Party of Nevada and founder, publisher and editor of the Nevada Families Voter Guide published every general election since 1988.

Hansen is a Nevada native and moved to Elko in 2005. She graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in child and family relations.