Dicks makes bid for Dist. 39 seat

Fish Springs resident John Dicks, a Republican, said he's running for the District 39 Assembly seat to give people a choice.

"I'm not basing my campaign on the thought that I'm better than anyone else who is running," he said. "That's for the people to decide."

The 3 percent property tax cap on primary residences was enacted to prevent a law similar to California's Proposition 13, a measure passed in California in 1978 that curtails property tax increases. It's a temporary measure, and taxes on primary residences should be eliminated, Dicks said.

"If we need to tax for the limited purposes government exists it should be on money that moves, the money that is exchanged," he said. "It's time we tried to evaluate ways of funding a limited government."

Originally from Indiana, Dicks, 64, believes government is too big and shouldn't be trusted. Strengthening parenting skills would do more than throwing more money at education, he said.

"I'd like to see influence-peddling with respect to money eliminated and I'd like to see us rely less on government," he said.

A retired lawyer for Dow Chemical, Dicks said he worked in a world where he was expected to improve and become more efficient. Government should work the same way.

"In government no one sunsets any laws, departments, activities or functions," he said. "They simply perpetuate themselves. The people holding office just try to get through their shift without any disasters."

Nevada has a significant budget surplus. It's ludicrous to pass tax increases and then refund residents due to overpayment, Dicks said.

"We've got to turn back government. We've got too much and nothing is fixed," he said. "The only way to control government is to control the money. If we allow our representatives to decide on their own budget, we don't have control."

Born in Covington, In., Dicks spent his childhood working on the family farm. He was a corporate lawyer for Dow Chemical for 20 years, living in both Millard, Mi. and Pittsburgh, Calif.

Retired but very occupied, he now sits on the local government employee management relations board and is on the regional advisory council for the Bureau of Land Management. He is owner of Explosive Technology and Cattle Company, a small firm that organizes fireworks a few times a year, including those at South Lake Tahoe on the Fourth of July. Dicks is also a pilot and blacksmith.

He has been married to wife Karin for 42 years and together, they have two children. Daughter Heather works for an accounting firm in London, England and son Joel is an engineer with Intel in Albequerque, NM.

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.