Kelly Quinn

Kelly Quinn was born in Newport, Oregon. Quinn's career experience includes working as a corrections sergeant with the Nevada Department of Corrections, a REALTOR, as a wildland firefighter, in safety and compliance in the hazardous materials industry, and with local fire department and ambulance services. He has served with the Central Nevada EMS Council, Nevada Emergency Medical Association, and as a state and county regulator in Carson City, Nevada and Southern Nevada. He has been affiliated with the Fraternal Order of Peace Officers.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 38 year resident of Nevada, a 28 year resident of NV Assembly District 5. My work experience includes working as a Corrections Lieutenant with the Nevada Department of Corrections, a REALTOR, as a wildland firefighter, safety and compliance in the hazardous materials industry, and with local fire department and ambulance services. He has served with the Central Nevada EMS Council, the Nevada Emergency Medical Association, and as a state and county regulator in Carson City, Nevada, and Clark County. I am currently a member of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Public Safety - We have to support the well-being of our peace officers and first responders to allow them to effectively do their jobs. An unintended consequence of poor legislation is raising the threshold for property theft. The "snatch and grab", organized retail theft has increased since raising the threshold.

The district has seen an increase in the homelessness and mental health concerns. This is also related to unintended consequence of bad legislation effecting the safety of our communities. Studies have shown that if a certain population of the homeless stay engaged with available programs, they can break the cycle of homelessness. If they choose.Education - Quality education has been a struggle for Nevada for decades. Especially, in Southern Nevada. Nevada consistently ranks in bottom five nationwide with proficiency rates frequently below 50%.

Some key components of improving education in Nevada include:

- School Choice - allowing students to excel in their natural abilities and interests.

- Parental rights - curriculum transparency. Parents should NEVER be intentionally left out their child's education and social governance.

- Boys out of Girls sports and locker rooms - self-explanatory.

- Support our teachers in maintaining their own classrooms. Teachers have to be empowered to do their jobs without fear of undue reprisal.Economy - The economic growth of our state goes beyond gaming and tourism. We have to encourage diversification of our business incentives and tax policies to encourage other business sectors. Without penalizing our current taxpayers and revenue streams. With new business comes new jobs. We also have to address housing for those workers. Since COVID, the rental rates have roughly doubled. Supply and demand with corporate ownership, and financial pressures, have made affordable and attainable housing more difficult for new homeowners. Just like the incentives to attract new business, there need to be options for new homeowners. First priority homeownership incentives should include Veterans and First Responders.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My passion for public policy includes supporting first responders, improving healthcare, and supporting our small businesses. I also recognize that none of this would be possible without a quality education system as the base to our community and state.

Kelly Quinn did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have lived in Nevada for 30 years, and in Assembly District 5 for the last 20 years. I have served as a First Responder in the areas of Fire, EMS, and Corrections, for over 26 years. I am also a small business owner. I care about the future of Nevada and our community, and I am certain you do too. Please VOTE for me in the Primary Election, on June 14th and again, in the General Election on November 8th. Together, we will Restore Our Freedoms!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am committed to Restoring Our Constitutional FreedomsI have been a resident of Nevada for well over 30 years and in District 5 for the last 20 years. I have been serving our community through Fire, EMS and Law Enforcement for over 26 years.I care about the future of Nevada and my community in Nevada State Assembly District 5. While in office, I will serve our community by: Limiting Government Overreach, Demand Fiscal Accountability and Conservative Budgeting of our Government Administrators, Refund and Support our Law Enforcement Departments, Restore Parental Rights in Education, Defend Border Security and Crime Policy, Impose Harsher Sentencing on those that Human and/or Drug Traffick, Establish Election Integrity by Requiring Voter ID and Prohibiting Ballot Harvesting , Remove Healthcare Mandates and Support Healthcare Reform.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Restoring Our Constitutional Freedoms and Limiting Government Overreach

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My Dad.

He was the youngest child of 5 kids in a single-parent home. He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to work in the sawmills of Oregon to help support his Mom and his sisters. He continued to work in the timber industry, leading his own family of my Mom and 5 kids from Oregon to Virginia, landing in Montana when I was in the 4th grade. He loved the outdoors in mountains and trees. He wanted to share this part of the country selling ranch properties. But, he needed a high school diploma in order to get a real estate license. So as an adult, he finished his GED training and began another career serving people in the real estate industry, eventually retiring from the timber industry.

He was a calm-spirited man (mostly) with a desire to serve and respect others. He had incredible life wisdom which I wish I would have listened to and applied more frequently. But I am still impacted by the example and advice he has shown over the years.

His whole life is a legacy to me and the example he showed toward others.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have demonstrated for years that I am a servant leader. Meaning, I choose to serve and listen to those I serve and those I am responsible for. A servant leader must listen to hear, grow and build up the people they serve, and provide effective and responsible stewardship of the assets and resources they are provided.

Honestly, integrity, compassion, character. (I know, right?)

At this level of office, one needs to remember 1st, they are representing all of the people of their district. 2nd, the people of Nevada. 3rd, the greater good for all.

The responsibility of developing laws, regulations, and policy is far-reaching and should not be taken lightly. My philosophy in making these decisions:

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I would like to leave is I served those around me with integrity, honor and liberty.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that happened in my lifetime that I can recall where I was at, and what I was doing when I heard about it was the Challenger explosion in 1986. I was 22 years old and driving on the freeway just out of Missoula, Montana when I heard about the explosion on the radio.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was in the restaurant industry which I worked throughout High School.

My resume is varied having worked as a heavy equipment operator, and working in the timber industry in Montana before moving to Nevada. Originally moving to Nevada for the mining industry, I then moved into the hazardous materials industry working safety and compliance at a low-level radioactive and chemical waste disposal facility. It was during this time I became very heavily involved in serving my community through the fire and ambulance services. After becoming an instructor/evaluator, I spent many years traveling the state of Nevada working with emergency service agencies and responders to further develop their training opportunities.

Eventually, I left the private industry and went to work in government service as a regulator in Emergency Medical Serviced (EMS). This led me into the legislative process working on several bills, legislators and agencies. Collaboration with the many stakeholders during this process is essential.

After leaving State and County service, I started my own business in the real estate industry. After the real estate market crash, I went back into the government service as a peace officer with the state of Nevada.

I am currently employed as a Correctional Sergeant with the Nevada Department of Corrections for the last 14 years. As well, I continue to run a real estate business with my wife Leslie.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Watching our government officials overreach their authority into the lives of others. And then claiming "We're just doing what we're told". Watching their victims comply with their unsubstantiated mandates and having to deal with the adverse results. Just doing what we're told has had long-lasting effects on so many areas of our lives. We have to stop and ask.. why?

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

When the needs of the citizens of Nevada and its visitors are put before the wants and desires of the other. Each branch has to recognize the role and powers the other and hold each accountable to stay within its jurisdiction. While at the same time maintaining accountability and transparency to the people of Nevada. Thus, maintaining personal ethics, integrity and character.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Government overreach in restricting the freedoms and liberty of its citizens.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Checks and balances.

One chamber vs. Two chamber

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Beneficial - Yes. Necessary - No.

I believe it is beneficial for state legislators to have some sort of experience in government or politics. The learning curve is so steep in the "process" that it is difficult to come into legislature blind.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. It is the very nature of getting anything done. One has to collaborate with others to meet the needs of everyone. A free flow of ideas and discussions is vital, especially for legislators.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

geographic / population based

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I bring a wide variety of experiences to the table and would be glad to serve wherever I am needed. However, my top three areas of interest would be serving on Gov't Affairs, Health & Human Services, and Judiciary.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ms. Gene Segerbloom gave me my very first taste of working on legislative issues and getting things done. Once I started working on various issues, Ray Rawson provided guidance and mentoring on how to work the legislative process behind the scenes. Joe Dini was just straight to the point. But then Dennis Nolan took me under a wing and worked continuously to organize, guide, and push issues forward with total understanding and patience.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The first one which got me involved with the legislative process from Ms. Segerbloom. A family member had died outside of the hospital environment and the emergency medical service (EMS) providers were not able to honor the do not resuscitate (DNR) orders and advanced directives for healthcare. The feeling of helplessness and frustration the family had is still memorable. This demonstrated the lack of control patients and the citizens of Nevada had in the healthcare system. This incident launched multi-session legislation to give healthcare decisions to the people.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Absolutely!

NO Governor of either party should have the ability to lock down the state's economy, schools, businesses, healthcare, etc. The very livelihood of our State.

NO Governor or government entity should be able to MANDATE an employee to accept an experimental healthcare product in order to work.

As a State employee, I resisted a mandate to accept the COVID-19 vaccine treatment with NO regard to medical or religious exemptions in violation of our US Constitution, State of NV Constitution, Civil Rights Act, Title VII, and many federal regulations (CFR), NRS, NAC, etc. All under the claim of "Emergency Powers".

However, the Governor and emergency management need the ability to use certain emergency powers during a legitimate emergency or disaster. Such as the wildland fires we see every year, or wide-scale flooding. The ability to allocate resources without delay is vital to emergency response. However, once the event is underway for an extended period of time, there HAS to be some sort of oversight by the people's representatives. It is not feasible to call a special session of the legislature every time an emergency is declared. But there are standing committees of the legislature that could be convened on relatively short notice. Therefore, my proposal would be to require legislative oversight and concurrence of an ongoing emergency without tying the hands of the Governor or Emergency Management for the initial response.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely. As long as compromise is not compromising ethics, integrity, or character.

One HAS to at least consider the views of others while working out issues. What might seem a total impasse on the surface to some, might be 100% resolvable if everyone would simply explore the needs of the other.

The classic example comes to mind of the one last orange in the kitchen with two sisters each needed and orange and demanded to have it with no compromise because they each NEEDED it. After much debate and compromise it was discovered in the end that, one sister needed the orange only for the juice. The other sister needed it only the rind for baking. Once the needs of the other were considered, this was 100% resolved with everyone having their needs met.