MARILYN KIRKPATRICK: A SHORT BIOGRAPHY



Personal


I’m a wife, mother, businesswoman, civic activist and leader. As a life-long resident of Clark County’s Assembly District 1, I have been involved in community events and grassroots campaigning for most of my 42 years. My volunteer work spans the range from the PTA and Girl Scouts of America to the North Las Vegas Planning Commission and numerous political campaigns. I’ve worked at the local, regional and state level as both an active participant and as an elected leader. It is this commitment to our community that motivated me to first seek election to the Nevada State Assembly representing District 1.


Family


My husband Michael and I have been married for 17 years. Michael is a skilled plumber and a member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 525. He recently retired in late 2009. Together we have a blended family of Jessica, Tamara, Destiny, Dalton, Sarah and Tara. We have five grandchildren Brianna, Brett, Sierra, Lexis, and Ryan.


Education


I was born in Clark County and I grew up right here in this area. I had great fun attending local schools, and I enjoy taking additional courses to keep up in my work and just for the pleasure of learning new things. I have attended school and college at...

  • Vegas Verdes Elementary
  • Cashman Middle School
  • Brinley Middle School
  • Western High School
  • Krolack Business School
  • Community College of Southern Nevada

Employment


I’ve held a job ever since I was a teenager. I worked my way from a waitress to a trainer for the Carrows Corporation. I worked at Circus Circus and the Fremont Hotel. I even worked for seven months in Alaska before returning to Clark County and getting married. Here, I’ve held a variety of jobs while maintaining our home and volunteering in community and church activities. My work experience includes . . .

  • 1994-1997 Waitress
  • 1997-2001 First Aid Safety Assistant, Clark County School District
  • 2001- Present Sales Executive for local food distribution companies working directly with executive chefs and purchasing agents in major hotels

Community Service


So many people give their time to help make our community better. I’m one of them. I believe I should make a contribution. I’ve enjoyed doing so many things, working with others, and especially working with scout groups and Parent Teacher Association parents. We’ve won awards for our programs, but the real fun is in helping young people learn, explore and grow. On the North Las Vegas Planning Commission we were able to start setting higher standards for developments, work on new ordinances such as those controlling the location of cell towers, and establish a greater distance between taverns and schools.


Among my activities...

  • Planning Commissioner, City Of North Las Vegas, 2001-2004
  • Vice Chairman, North Las Vegas Planning Commission, 2003-2004
  • Girl Scout Troop Leader
  • Parent Teacher Association President and activist on the local and state level
  • Community Partners Clean Up Our Neighborhood Volunteer coordinator
  • Little League Volunteer
  • Team Mom for T-ball
  • Kids Voting USA Program Volunteer
  • Member of North Las Vegas Design Committee for Library Development
  • Sponsor: Back to School Fair benefiting under privileged students
  • Grassroots coordinator for numerous political campaigns 1995-2004
  • Volunteer, North Las Vegas’ annual Taste and Toons
  • Volunteer, annual International Food Festival

Community Service Awards

  • Parent Hall Of Fame Award Recipient
  • Various awards for Girl Scout and PTA activities

Grassroots Activities


As a teenager I helped Richard Bryan’s first campaign for governor by going to bowling alleys and handing out material as he shook hands with voters. I’ve always been interested in the political process and have been involved with good citizenship projects such as Kids Voting USA.


Through my work in youth activities, in schools and in our community I’ve seen how political decisions can affect our quality of life. I believe that works best when we are all involved at the grassroots level, and I’ve spent much of my time working at the person-to-person level.


Among my volunteer projects...


  • Volunteer for Kids Vote USA Program
  • Volunteer, unpaid, lobbyist for PTA and community projects in the Nevada Legislature
  • Coordinated grassroots campaigns for . . .
  • North Las Vegas judge, constable and city council races
  • City of Las Vegas city council races
  • District Court Judge races
  • Family Court Judge races
  • Clark County Commission races
  • United States Senate race

Elected Office


I was first elected to represent District 1 in the Nevada State Assembly in 2004. It was a tough campaign and I would never have been successful without the support of community neighbors and friends. We knocked on doors, wrote postcards, put up signs, campaigned hard and were successful.


Since then, I’ve served in 3 regular and 5 special sessions in the Nevada State Legislature. I’m the Chair of the Government Affairs Committee, Vice Chair of the Committee on Taxation and a member of the Commerce and Labor Committee.


As your Assemblywoman, I’ve worked hard to keep in touch, answer questions and connect constituents with the services our county and state provide. If I can ever be of service to you and your family, I hope you will contact me by phone (702) 655-0332, fax (702) 655-3327 or email Marilyn@marilynkirkpatrick.com!