Spotlight On Nevada District 20 Assemblyman Crescent Hardy, An LDS Enterpreneur Who Believes In Smaller, More Efficient Government

On December 28th, 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a profile on Crescent Hardy, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was just elected to represent the citizens of Nevada's Assembly District 20 on November 2nd, 2010. Hardy hails from Mesquite, NV, and traces his family history in America all the way back to the 1600s when Thomas Hardy arrived in what is now Essex, MA. Furthermore, Hardy says his grandfather was the first baby born in what is now Mesquite, where he was born, raised and now lives.

Hardy hasn't always been active in the Church. As a young adult, he drifted away to sample "the world"; consequently, he never filled a standard two-year proselyting mission. But marriage and fatherhood re-kindled his interest and activity. All four of his children are now grown up. To earn the seat, Hardy had to defeat Richard Stubbs, a school psychologist for the Clark County School District, in the Republican primary, and Democratic challenger Lynn Marie Goya in the general election.

To get a good perspective on Crescent Hardy's politics, one must visit his website, which is still up. District 20 encompasses an area extending from Boulder City to Mesquite to Laughlin and to Henderson, a mix of rural areas, small towns, and one large city. Hardy is a conservative who believes in small, efficient, and effective government that allows families and workers have the freedom to live their lives as they see fit as much as possible.

Hardy wants to keep bureaucracy and costs to a minimum to help restart Nevada’s business engine. He prefers to direct education dollars primarily to the classroom, where it belongs. He will fight for affordable, accessible health care with the primary care decisions to be made by patients and their doctors. He will support effective tort reform to keep health care more affordable. He acknowledges that government does have some role in social services, but that they should be primarily directed towards those with more limited capacities, such as the elderly, the infirm or disabled, and children from low-income families.

Above all, Crescent Hardy is a firm believer in personal responsibility and opportunity. He believes that the government that governs closest to the people is best, and is a firm supporter of the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution that gives power to the states.

One other advantage he brings to the table is that, unlike many who are elected to public office, he understands first hand the pressures of making a payroll. He's had the painful experience of severing good people from his payroll in order to stay in business. The recession took a major toll on Hardy's business, Legacy Construction Development, which shrank from a peak of about $45 million annually in gross receipts to less than $10 million. The number of employees dropped from 150 to fewer than 25.

We trust that he will be just as respectful of the public dollar as he has been of his own private dollars.