Manny Kess For Nevada State Treasurer
Manny Kess, owner of hospitality business, Kess Group, struggled during the pandemic last year, as did many other Nevadans. He shared with us how this led to his interest in politics,
Last year, during the pandemic, I saw a real lack of transparency amidst serious issues for businesses here in Nevada. You could see how easy it was for our government to make decisions for us without even asking for our input. It was terribly disappointing to watch our state completely shut down while other states managed the process a lot better by being more transparent and taking input from their community.
It was during this time Kess began to ask questions about state government that ultimately led him to take action and decide to run for Nevada State Treasurer. Kess, a New York native who relocated to Las Vegas 10 years ago, runs a large hospitality business here in Nevada. His background in the restaurant and hospitality industry helped him understand the challenges businesses face, both before and after the state shutdown. Kess confesses that he was disappointed by the lack of accountability in regards to spending.
“Nevadans should have a right to know how our money is spent and the state’s budget should be easily understandable and available to all. If you try and read it online, you’ll see how difficult it can be to read,” Kess explains. According to Kess, this gap in understanding impedes citizens’ ability to hold legislators accountable and have certainty that tax dollars are spent efficiently. “The main thing I would aim to do as treasurer would be to maximize the state’s revenue and cut out the unnecessary spending so that we can ensure our needs are actually being met,” Kess claims.
Kess aims to prioritize funds for improving our education system and shares with us the following,
“We need to take a long look at successful states’ education programs and begin to innovate our own. This includes additional involvement of parents by giving them more options like expanding the current scholarships and savings programs that have served Nevada and other states so well.”
Kess explains that he never aspired to be a politician, but rather was compelled to take on the feat to create change and, as he puts it, “make sure our state gets back on track.” As a small business owner, Kess proclaims, “Nevadans can expect a non-politician to fight for their rights.” Furthermore, he encourages,
As we start to emerge into the post COVID era we can’t forget how businesses were treated through the process last year. My primary concern for the government is to ensure our rights are protected and not infringed upon as they often were last year. As constituents, we need representation that cares about us first and big corporate America second. I hope Nevadans will not soon forget and choose to participate this year at the polls.
To learn more, please visit www.mannyfornv.com.
