In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo at the 78th Damboree in Boulder City. Jill and Gov. Lombardo explore the unique spirit and bright future of the Silver State. Gov. Lombardo shares how his childhood as a military kid and his decades of service as sheriff and governor shaped his deep appreciation for the liberties of this nation and the tight-knit communities of Nevada.

This isn't just a story about political leadership; it's about a mission-driven approach to state stewardship, a dedicated focus on lifting up Nevada's education system, and a celebration of local communities like Boulder City that are driving the state forward.

DISCUSSION

1. The Spirit of Nevada: Why people from all over the country choose to make the Silver State their home, creating a unique bond of camaraderie and community.
   
   
2. A Lifetime of Service: Governor Lombardo reflects on moving every three years as a military kid, choosing to stay in Nevada, and transitioning from sheriff to governor.
   
   
3. What Keeps a Leader Grounded: The Governor shares his love for The Week magazine and why keeping up with condensed, bipartisan global news helps him stay focused on local, kitchen-table issues.
   
   
4. The Education Governor: A deep dive into the Governor's primary mission to build a lasting foundation for Nevada's youth through improved graduation rates and early childhood education.
   
   
5. All Things Boulder City: A look at how the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce is successfully diversifying local tourism and elevating outdoor recreation.
   
   
6. The Adventure Center: Previewing the highly anticipated October 7th grand opening of the Boulder City Adventure Center.
   
   
7. Full Circle Moments: The Governor shares a hilarious memory of launching his first sheriff's campaign at the Boulder City Fourth of July parade—and getting completely drenched in the process!

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Governor Joe Lombardo and his administration's initiatives, visit the official Nevada Governor's website at https://gov.nv.gov.

Magazine Recommendation - The Week Magazine - https://theweek.com

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and the upcoming Adventure Center, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com.

KEYWORDS

Governor Joe Lombardo, Nevada, Boulder City, Education Governor, Boulder City Chamber, Outdoor Recreation, Adventure Center, Fourth of July, The Best Dam Podcast

#GovernorJoeLombardo #Nevada #BoulderCity #EducationGovernor #BoulderCityChamber #OutdoorRecreation #AdventureCenter #FourthofJuly #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: So welcome to Boulder City. We're so grateful to have you here. 

Governor Joe: Is that where we are? 

Jill: We're in Boulder City. 

Governor Joe: Oh, yeah, yeah. 

Jill: Right here, home of the Hoover Dam.

Governor Joe: Beautiful, beautiful Boulder City. 

Jill: Yes. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. 

We know you have a lot of choices for your your Fourth of July parade, so thank you for spending your morning with us. 

We do appreciate it. So Governor, what have your parents taught you about loving this nation, this great, great nation?

Governor Joe: Well, you never take anything for granted, right? Right? Um, so you don't assume all the liberties and everything that comes with a great nation such as America, um, you, you can't assume that's gonna be the case, right? And they wanted me to be appreciative of everything that we were able to do in our lives. 

You know, you always heard the proverbial dream, you know, you can dream and do whatever you want in America. 

Jill: Right. 

Governor Joe: But it's bigger than that, and the ability to even think about having a dream to do whatever you want in America is very important, and they made me realize that, you know? I, fortunately, unfortunately, I was part, I was a military kid. My dad was in the Air Force, so unfortunately we had to travel 

Jill: A lot 

Governor Joe: all over the world every three years, and that's tough on a, on, on a, on a kid.

Jill: Yeah, I get it.

Governor Joe: But what you do is you get to see other cultures, you get to see other governments.

Jill: Right. 

Governor Joe: You get to, uh, see other nations and other countries, and you realize America is number one.

Jill: It is number one. 

Governor Joe: Right. And, and the

Jill: For 250 years 

Governor Joe: and the grace of just being lucky enough to be mar uh, not married, but born in the United States makes a difference. 

Jill: That's true. 

Governor Joe: And people don't realize that, and they take that for granted, and I, I think that's the most important piece that I received from my folks.

Jill: So years and years of service 

Governor Joe: Yeah, yeah

Jill: to this great state, especially here in Southern Nevada as sheriff, and now as governor, and so you see all the way across this nation and all across this state. Do you, do you, what do you see is the, the reason for the spirit of Nevada? We have such a strong spirit here in Nevada. What do you think that is? What does that stem from?

Governor Joe: You know why? It's 'cause people came here. A lot of people aren't from Nevada, right?

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: But they came here because they said, hey, th- that's what they, that attracts them you know, the business environment, the, the, the spirit and the, and the, the welcoming nature of Nevada because we're, we're young compared to some of the other states, and people weren't born here, but they came here for a good reason, right? 

Jill: Right. 

Governor Joe: So a lot of times when people are born in the state they're like, "I," they can't wait to get out of here, right? Right. They, they wanna leave as soon as possible, right?

Jill: We said that in high school, right? 

Governor Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Soon as I g- as soon as I graduate I'm gone. I'm out. I'm gone. But in Nevada you don't see that because everybody came here for the same reason. 

Jill: Yeah. 

Governor Joe: Right?

Jill: They did.

Governor Joe: The, the, the, the camaraderie, the family, the neighborhoods, the community, um, all the things you could imagine across the board.

Jill: And so thank you for your vision for the

Governor Joe: That's why I didn't leave.

Jill: Well, I'm glad.

Governor Joe: You know? 

Jill: We're glad you didn't leave. 

Governor Joe: Every three, every three years we moved when I was young, but when I graduated high school, I said, "I'm gonna stay in Nevada," right? When I first showed up, I'm like, "How did I get here?"

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: But now I'm here, right?

Jill: Well, we're so glad you're here. Thank you for your service. So we have a couple of fun questions. 

Governor Joe: Hey, little man. 

Jill: Hello, little man. Thank you for being on the show, too. 

Governor Joe: This is my grandson, Theodore. 

Jill: Oh, Theodore, very nice to meet you. Yes, you get to ride in the parade right here for the 4th of July. 

Yeah, you're gonna ride in the car. Okay, I have a favorite question to ask.

Governor Joe: Yeah, sure.

Jill: What book are you reading right now? It gives us insight into who you are.

Governor Joe: You know, um, I wouldn't necessarily say I'm reading a book right now. I often read books, but what I'm doing right now, I- I was turned on to this new magazine. 

Jill: Oh. 

Governor Joe: It was called The Week.

Jill: The Week.

Governor Joe: And it comes out once a week. 

Jill: Okay. 

Governor Joe: You know, not 52 weeks of the year, but 48 I think, and it talks about all the world events and all the current events that occur within the preceding week.

Jill: Wow.

Governor Joe: And it, and it condenses it down to small articles so you can condense a whole world into one little magazine.

Jill: I love it.

Governor Joe: And it's very informative. Uh, it's, it's bipartisan.

Jill: I love it.

Governor Joe: And, uh, you get to learn what's going on in the world and what's affecting people, what's affecting the, the man on the street. You know, what, what is bothering them, what are they thinking about, k- kitchen table issues. Um, which a lot of times when you get in positions of leadership, you lose your way, right? You forget about what's bothering, um, the individual that lives next door to you, uh, and I think that's more important than what's bothering, you know, the bigwig in town, so.

Jill: I love it. I, I'm gonna have to check that out. Thank you for that share. 

Governor Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Jill: And so final

Governor Joe: Did that give you any insight? I- You said you, you wanted some insight by what I was reading

Jill: Well, you know, it's always fun when I find out you're reading rom-coms or something. 

Governor Joe: Oh, no, no, no. 

Jill: It makes me feel a little better about my reading list.

Governor Joe: That ain't never gonna happen. That ain't never gonna happen, so.

Jill: Well, thank you. And so final question. 

Governor Joe: Yeah. 

Jill: What is your dream? What's your vision? What do you want to leave with the state of Nevada? After your service is over, what do you hope was your legacy?

Governor Joe: Well, the, you know, when I first, uh, ran as governor, I, I told everybody I want to be known as the education governor.

Jill: Love it.

Governor Joe: Okay? And to me, education's the foundation of everything we do in life, right? Your vision, your ability to succeed, and quality of life. And we have not been known to be a good education state 

Jill: Right 

Governor Joe: for a long time, and I had made a promise to my constituents and the people I represent that I was gonna make a difference in that space, and I think we've made a fantastic strides in the last three and a half, four years in the education space. We're seeing that in the numbers, graduations, earl- early education improvement. Um, but we're gonna continue down that path for the next four years and ensure that it becomes foundational and it's not just a, a whim- whimsical idea.

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: And we're gonna be better for it as a state and as a nation because of that.

Jill: I really appreciate that. So. And thank you for helping to educate our youth. They are our future, so we're very grateful for that. Obviously, Theodore's part of that future, so thank you.

Governor Joe: But before we're done, let's talk about you.

Jill: Oh, what about me?

Governor Joe: Let's talk about the chamber and your success 

Jill: Boulder City Chamber are doing so well. We've got the Boulder City Adventure Center 

Governor Joe: Yeah 

Jill: grand opening October 7. 

Governor Joe: Yep, yep, yep. 

Jill: I know you're, you're hoping to be there too, so yeah, all things Boulder, trying to diversify tourism, re- really reaching that outdoor recreation, so thank you for your support in all of that. 

Governor Joe: Well, you should be proud because when people talk about chambers, you know, and there's hundreds of them

Jill: Yeah 

Governor Joe: they talk about Boulder City.

Jill: Well, thank you.

Governor Joe: And that's a testament to you, so.

Jill: Well, thank you. I really appreciate it. 

Governor Joe: Thank you, Jill. 

Jill: We appreciate your support. Thank you so much for all your years of service. 

Governor Joe: All right. 

Jill: And, uh, we're looking forward to the future.

Governor Joe: And thank you to Boulder City, and thank you for this parade.

Jill: Thank you.

Governor Joe: So just a real quick, real quick, um, you mentioned, you know, being the sheriff and everything else. I kicked off my sh- first sheriff campaign right here 

Jill: Really? 

Governor Joe: in Boulder City in this parade. In this parade, and I got duly, uh, saturated by the water.

Jill: Oh, so you did the water entry. 

Governor Joe: Yeah. 

Jill: Yeah. Very good. So. Well, it is quite a 

Governor Joe: All right. Thank you.

Jill: Thank you so much. We're grateful to have you, and 

Governor Joe: All right 

Jill: thank you, Theodore, for being a part.

Governor Joe: And God bless America.