Legislative Watch

Robert Beers

District: Clark, No. 21
Political Party: Republican
Current Job/Position: Graphic Artist, Illustrator, Author
Born: 1951
Hometown:
Family: Wife Julie, son Adam
Education: Arcata High School; Humboldt State College
Interviewed By: Andrea Stevens
Interview Date: 4/10/2007

Q & A

Q - HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE?

“The 2003 legislative session was the beginning, and I wanted information regarding an issue. I got zero response, so I said, ‘if I were ever in that position, I would at least give people the courtesy of an answer!’… I found out more (in 2006) and decided to go down and pay my hundred dollars. Then I started walking my district, and won my primary by spending only $115 for supplies.”

Q - WHAT OTHER JOBS DID YOU HAVE LEADING UP TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW?
“I have been a professional artist since 1969, and that was when I had my first job as a courtroom artist. I went to a college on a combination of athletics and an arts scholarship, and I was working as an artist while in college.”

Q - DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW?
“Of course not. When I was 45, I never thought I would be an assemblyman. That was a job for people who knew people.”

Q - WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR REGULAR CAREER OR PERSONALLY?
“I would like to expand my fine arts because it is more satisfying, but you have to build up a market for that. Being a fine artist is entirely different than being a graphic designer.”

Q - WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OR INTERESTS?
“Cooking, music, and I play the guitar. Art, although it is my career, is also my hobby. I write novels, and have had three published. One of my fantasy novels went No.1 for six weeks straight.”

Q - HOW DID YOU BECOME SUCCESSFUL AT WHAT YOU DO?
“If I ever get to the point where I look around and say, ‘… yeah, I am the man!’ that is the day I will retire. No one should consider themselves above their constituents, and I never will.”

Q - WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE CAUSES?
“Career and technical solutions, because they deal with 90 percent of the problems we face in the state. Most people entering high school have no idea what they want to do. If we can get career and technical education into middle school as introductory courses, than by the time students are in high school, they will be ready for more information. There is no failure rate with that system.”

Q - WHO OR WHAT WERE YOUR INSPIRATIONS?
“My wife. She has had MS (multiple sclerosis) for almost twenty years, and in spite of problems and living in constant pain, she managed as a returning student to graduate from UNLV at the top of her class. She passed the Praxis Exam scoring in the top 15 percent in history. She is an award winning quilter, and all-around textile artist. In her student teaching, she has done so well in turning her class around. How can that not be an inspiration?”

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