25 Oct **VIDEO INCLUDED** Widows of Fallen Officers, Faith Leader, Small Business Owner, Labor Unions, Speak on Gov. Sisolak, Sheriff Lombardo’s Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25th, 2022
Contact: Will Pregman, wpregman@battlebornprogress.org, 702.752.0656
**VIDEO INCLUDED**
Widows of Fallen Officers, Faith Leader, Small Business Owner, Labor Unions, Speak on Gov. Sisolak, Sheriff Lombardo’s Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic
Las Vegas, NV – On Tuesday, speakers gathered to make the case that while the pandemic was a challenging time for Nevada’s economy, Governor Steve Sisolak sure-handed and science-informed response was effective, necessary, and that Nevada’s economy is bouncing back stronger than ever. In addition, the wives of Sgt. Doug King and Officer Phil Closi, addressed the failings of Sheriff Joe Lombardo to take COVID safety seriously and lack of leadership in honoring their husbands’ untimely deaths.
“When the pandemic hit Nevada, it was clear that protecting one another would require sacrifice. For my husband, Sgt. Doug King, that sacrifice was greater than most,” said Cinnamon King, widow of Sgt. Doug King. “Doug was one of the first officers on the scene during the 1 October mass shooting at the Route 91 festival, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. On that terrible night, he put his life in danger to protect his community. Sheriff Joe Lombardo did not take COVID-19 seriously at all. He did not take the safety of LVMPD officers like my husband seriously. Metro was even fined for its lax COVID safety protocols during the pandemic. At the one debate he actually agreed to, Joe Lombardo dismissed Jenn and I’s stories as “political theater”. This was incredibly insulting, and shows where Joe’s priorities lie.”
“When Phil passed away, Sheriff Lombardo apparently did not see fit to honor him with a police motorcade, or end-of-watch call, or anything,” said Jenn Closi, widow of LVMPD Officer Phil Closi. “He served honorably for 20 years and that’s how Joe Lombardo thanked him. But Gov. Steve Sisolak was there. He showed up and grieved with us, when Joe Lombardo did not. Joe Lombardo likes to accuse Gov. Sisolak of being “anti-cop”. I can tell you from personal experience that isn’t true. In fact, Joe Lombardo is the one who needs to decide if he really supports law enforcement, or simply uses his badge as a political talking point.”
“During the unprecedented COVID crisis, a big issue was made about churches being closed. I’m here to say that while it may have been inconvenient, it was the right and necessary thing to do to protect one another,” said Reverend Leonard Jackson, Executive Director of Faith Organizing Alliance. “Governor Steve Sisolak did his best to listen to public health experts and took difficult, but necessary action to protect the health and lives of all Nevadans. While not everything was always smooth, he demonstrated courage by taking action to save lives in the face of pushback and criticism. As the Executive Director of the Faith Organizing Alliance, I want to express my regret that faith was used as a political attack to criticize the tough, but responsible decision by Governor Sisolak, to close houses of worship in response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
“Throughout COVID, we heard a lot about businesses owners that were struggling. I was one of them. No one was happy about having to close down or limit capacity. But there was a global pandemic happening that put our entire community at risk,” said Ryan Brown, Las Vegas Small Business Owner. “Now that we have safe, effective vaccines and robust testing, Governor Sisolak is steering Nevada’s recovery out of this pandemic by putting support for hard working Nevada families first. Sisolak is using the federal dollars our delegation secured for us to create sustainable good-paying jobs, provide quality affordable childcare, help grow small businesses, and lower costs for healthcare and prescription drugs.”
My fellow union members and I were directly impacted by this upon returning to work, and had to fight alongside one another to demand safe working conditions,” said Culinary Union Member, David Saurez. “Gov. Sisolak signed legislation to ensure that workers like me had safety protections while at work, so that Las Vegas could reopen safely. The pandemic was a rough journey for every family, but through listening to medical experts, Sisolak got us through, and is continuing to work to ensure good paying, union jobs are being created as our state bounces back.”
“As a health care worker, I witnessed firsthand the devistation caused by this disease. If Gov. Sisolak had not taken the actions he did when the pandemic hit, our health care system would have been overwhelmed, and even more people could have died,” said SEIU Health Care Member, Liz Bolhouse. “My union members and I work to keep Nevada healthy, but we couldn’t have done our jobs without a Governor who took COVID seriously. While some candidates like to complain about how COVID was handled, they should first talk to a health care worker who saw with their own eyes how incredibly serious this disease was. This was not easy, but we got through it, thanks to Sisolak’s leadership.”
Notes: Spokespeople in Spanish or English are available for individual interviews.
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– EARLY VOTING –
Early voting in Nevada runs from Oct. 22 – Nov. 4th, and Election Day is on Nov. 8th. Every registered voter was sent a mail ballot. Mailed Ballots must be postmarked ON or BEFORE Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 by 7:00PM, and received by 5:00 PM on Saturday, November 10th, 2022. Instead of mailing the ballot, voters may also fill it out, sign the return envelope, and drop off your ballot at any designated polling location or ballot drop box within their county of residence, from October 22nd – November 4th 2022 or on Election Day, November 8th.
For a list and schedule for drop-off locations in Clark County, go here.
For drop-off locations in Washoe County, go here.