OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
Tired of her district's incumbent, Randi Thompson has her heart set on making a difference
BY DAVID HIMMEL

Northern Nevada has been misrepresented. Randi Thompson, candidate for Assembly District 31, is sure of it. So she's running to fix the problems she says Assemblyman Bernie Anderson is ignoring. Take, for example, the bill proposed in 2005 by Sen. Maurice Washington - SB 109, which would change the standards a court follows when looking at custody between divorcing parents. After the Senate, it went to Anderson, only to be tucked away at the bottom of the "IN" pile. Maybe it's because Anderson is a fan of litigation and lawyers bringing home the big bucks, instead of looking at the best interest of the children. 

Yes, it's an off-putting accusation Thompson makes about a teacher of 30 years. But Thompson knows what District 31 needs to have done in Carson City. And she's just the one to do it. 

Protecting children is where she wants to start. Never having to experience divorce, Thompson is passionate about Washington's bill and changing the family-court structure. Often, she says, you have one parent take out a temporary protection order against the other, even when it is not necessary. It paints an unfair picture. The court would automatically look at that and give sole custody of the children to the parent who filed. 

Thompson has four steps in her thought process of fixing the court structure: First, a Community Family Court panel should be designed and implemented to advise the court on improvements. Next, lawyers should be sworn in, just as witnesses are.

"An attorney should have to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth too," she said.

The court should look at each case with total fairness. A change in legislation would mean that both parents walk through the courtroom doors with a presumption of joint custody from the judge. Lastly, there should be mandatory mediation between parents. 

"They should have to sit down between a mediator and work it out as civilized adults," Thompson said. "Although it is not the court system's role to tell people to be responsible, we need personal responsibility back in society," she said.

Unfortunately, District 31 has more registered sex-offenders living there than any other district in northern Nevada. The current system in place does not track sex-offenders and should they be slick, and move around often enough, they can get lost. One suggestion Thompson has is to slap an anklet monitor on sex-offenders.

"If the feds can track Martha Stewart, the local police should be better equipped to do the same for a rapist," she said.

Thompson's concerns also lie with obesity and stress and how damaging yet preventable these two health problems are. She plans to look for the best ways to improve health education. 

"Most of the drugs taken are to correct bad behavior," she said. "More drugs means more money for the big drug companies. If we emphasize more education, people might not spend as much on drugs." 

Her question is, "How can we curb the problem of obesity and stress instead of just filling people with temporary cures in drugs?"

Thompson is a woman ready and willing to go to the people. With a long history in Nevada politics, serving on numerous community event boards and even chairing a few, she is sure she has the know-how to get things done the best way possible for Nevada. 

A knowledgeable outsider is just what District 31 needs. Not a deep rooted bureaucrat like the incumbent. LW