Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

News
May. 07, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Dallas Augustine files for Assembly seat mother held

GOP challenger faces formidable task

By ED VOGEL
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
More Info
ON THE WEB
Clark County filings


Dallas Augustine stands next to a board Tuesday at the Clark County Government Center displaying her name as a candidate for Assembly District 12. The Republican seeks the seat once held by her mother, Kathy Augustine, who was slain in July 2006.
Photo by John Gurzinski.

The 28-year-old daughter of the late state Controller Kathy Augustine filed Tuesday as a candidate for the Assembly District 12 seat that her mother held when she first entered politics in 1992.

"I never anticipated seeking her old seat, but I think she would be proud of what I am doing," Dallas Augustine said.

Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

Most Popular Stories
  • Another plane hits LV home
  • NORM: Rocky Mountain oysters to go
  • 'Thug' Presley, Elvis' cousin, pleads guilty in fatal melee
  • Pilot dies when plane crashes into home near North Las Vegas airport
  • Pilot dies when plane crashes into home near North Las Vegas airport
  • HOMEMADE AIRCRAFT: PLANE CRASH KILLS THREE
  • Nevadans want end to illegal residency
  • DOMESTIC ABUSE: Knight arrested in assault
  • NORM: Son, friend revisit Russert memories
  • NORM: Classmates took different paths
  • NORM: Celebrities rally for Obama-rama



    • She remembers spending hot summer weekends walking with her mother through District 12 to talk with voters.

    "I grew up here," added Augustine, who lives in the family home. "I would like to make a change. There is too much graffiti and too many boarded-up shops. You can't stay on the sidelines. I know I can make a difference."

    The district runs between Charleston Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, from 15th Street east to Sunrise Mountain.

    A Republican like her mother, Augustine faces a formidable task in trying to win in a district where Democrats have a better than 2-to-1 registration advantage.

    Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, is the incumbent and he said he intends to file for re-election.

    Ohrenschall replaced his mother, Genie, as the Assembly member for District 12 in 2007.

    Genie Ohrenschall had been the representative of the district for 12 years.

    "I hope we will discuss the issues and the race won't be based on who has the better-known name," James Ohrenschall said.

    Augustine didn't want to have the better-known name. She was thrust into the public limelight when her 50-year-old mother, Kathy, was murdered by emergency room nurse Chaz Higgs, her husband, in July 2006.

    Higgs received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years, at the conclusion of a two-week murder trial in June 2007. Dallas Augustine attended the trial and tearfully expressed her grief over the loss of her mother during the penalty phase hearing.

    She said she is finishing a book about the murder and loss of her mother.

    Kathy Augustine served a term in the Assembly, two terms as state senator and then two terms as state controller. She was running for state treasurer at the time of her death.

    Dallas Augustine did not know Higgs well and initially did not suspect him of the murder. Her mother had told her he made her happy.

    "The past couple years have been extremely difficult," she added. "I had time to process what happened with my mom and to come back to the district and notice things that need help."

    "I call this the heart of Las Vegas. I would like to see more families move in, fix up homes and stay and leave property to their children. I don't want to see a mass exodus."

    Ohrenschall said crime and graffiti are important issues in the district, but the overriding issues now are the economic slowdown, foreclosure and energy costs.

    "The focus has to be on helping people survive," he said.

    Augustine, however, said gasoline prices and the economy are more federal issues.

    Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.



    Leave Your Comment 5 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Mark wrote on July 15, 2008 09:14 AM: Wow....David Johann, you sound like the one who is wacked. Your posting is so full of nastiness (as it appears all your postings on this site are) and crosses the border in sounding like a crazy stalker.

    How about focusing on the issues in the districk instead of focusing on attacking Augustine because of her family?


    Alphamom wrote on May 08, 2008 11:16 AM: If you don’t stay awake at night worrying about graffiti either you don’t live in District 12 or you’re an idiot. Graffiti is the lifeblood of gangs. If you know how to read the tags, you’d know they advertise drugs and weapons for sale the same as a yard-sale sign. My kid is afraid every day in school, how is he supposed to get an education through that fear?

    Graffiti, slum lords, crime, it all goes together. If the local politicians don’t do something, who will? If you think it doesn’t matter, go park your car on Bruce, east of Charleston at about 10:00 tonight. Then, get out of your car. I dare you.


    David Johann wrote on May 07, 2008 09:59 PM: Dallas Augustine,

    Can you somehow prove that you have somehow transcended your extremely dysfunctional upbringing and are competent to make hugely momentous decisions and cast your vote based upon you conscience?

    You mother was wacked. Your father was pathological.

    You want to run for what?

    Maybe you should start as dog catcher or meter reader.

    I promise you, I will track all of your public appearance from now on and ask you these questions and elaborate upon them.

    Particularly important is all of your history.


    Ted wrote on May 07, 2008 05:42 AM: Dallas, maybe you ought to focus on more important issues than the graffiti problem. There arent any nice bowling allies in AD 12. Being such an avid bowler Dallas, I am sure you understand why this is more important than graffiti.


    Bill wrote on May 07, 2008 03:49 AM: Yeah, graffiti, our NUMBER ONE PROBLEM. I stay awake at nights, tossing and turning, agonozing over all that graffiti...Until I remember that you can paint it all over. Get a grip, girl. We need police reform and a tight leash on developers. The fact that you want to use graffiti as your springboard issue doesn't speak well to your respect for voters.