In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Nevada Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony. Jill and Stavros explore public service, community pride, and the shifting landscape of civic responsibility across Southern Nevada and the Silver State. Stavros shares how his 29-year career in law enforcement and time on the Las Vegas City Council led to his state leadership role, while reflecting on the importance of listening directly to Nevadans in every corner of the state.

This isn't just a story about state politics; it's about honoring local heroes, embracing educational freedom, navigating thousands of miles of rural road trips, and celebrating the enduring spirit of small communities like Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

1. The Spirit of Statewide Service: Stavros reflects on his transition from a 29-year police career to city council and now serving as Nevada's Lieutenant Governor.
   
   
2. Road Trips and Rural Nevada: A look at completing all 10 Travel Nevada road trips twice to directly support small business owners, ranchers, and rural tourism destinations.
   
   
3. Civic Duty and Core Principles: How understanding the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution empowers everyday citizens to strengthen their democracy.
   
   
4. Parental Choice in Education: Exploring options for Nevada families, civics curriculum, and the founding impact of programs like Founders Academy.
   
   
5. Honoring Hometown Heroes: Highlighting Nevada's commitment to veterans and active duty military, including facilities like the Veterans Home and Cemetery in Boulder City.
   
   
6. A Presidential Reading Challenge: Stavros shares insights from his goal of reading a biography on every U.S. President and why John Adams stands out.
   
   
7. Lessons from the American Dream: Carrying forward the strong work ethic, faith, and family values passed down by his immigrant parents.
   
   
8. Community Strength in Boulder City: Celebrating small business owners, local tourism highlights, and the future of Boulder City's growing economy.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony and state initiatives, visit the official Nevada Lieutenant Governor's website at https://ltgov.nv.gov To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com.

KEYWORDS

Stavros Anthony, Nevada Lieutenant Governor, Boulder City, Public Service, Travel Nevada, Veterans, Civic Responsibility, Small Business, Nevada Tourism, The Best Dam Podcast

#StavrosAnthony #NevadaLtGov #BoulderCity #TravelNevada #CivicDuty #SupportVeterans #NevadaSmallBusiness #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: We are joined, listeners and viewers, today with the most wonderful Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony. Thank you so much for being with us. We sure appreciate you, and, thanks for thinking about Boulder City. We appreciate that.

Stavros: No, I appreciate you having me on your podcast, Jill. we've, been working together, for Boulder City and the State of Nevada for a while and I just wanna thank you for what you do for Boulder City, and also, being, a commissioner with the, Nevada Tourism Commission, which I chair.

And we work together to make sure that, people know about our great tourist destinations in Nevada. So appreciate what you do for our city and state.

Jill: Thank you. I am honored and really enjoy it. It has been one of those, defining moments in my career. I don't know about you. Obviously leading it, you get to work with so many of the different commissioners.

But it. I don't think people realize the value and the importance of Travel Nevada and, the commission, and what state tourism looks like. And so that's a whole nother show. We'll have to get into that. Maybe I'll 

Stavros: Yeah 

Jill: ask Rafael if he'll be on the show. But so I really, I wanna thank you also for coming out for the America 250 celebration that we had here in Boulder City on the Fourth of July.

I won't put in the version of what I recorded in your amazing dance moves from the stage there as you welcomed the crowd at the fireworks, but, just in case I ever need anything, I might, hold that video back just in case. But you did a fabulous job. We were so glad to have you there. Thank you for coming out.

I know you have options in other places, that you can be all over the state, so thank you for joining us that day. It was such a great day.

Stavros: It actually was. I mean, the- we're talking about the 4th of July, and especially the 4th of July 'cause it was our, 250th, anniversary, and I started the day in, in Summerlin with the, the Summerlin parade, which is a very big patriotic, 250th anniversary parade.

There must've been 40,000 people in Summerlin, and I was one of the, the first floats in there. And just, it was just great to see so many people out there waving the American flag and, you know, just being proud to be, Americans. It's... And it was a lot of fun. And then I had a few smaller events during the day, and then it culminated in one of the best fireworks, shows I've ever seen in Boulder City at the, Veterans Park.

And I don't know how many people were out there, but there must've been 5,000 people out there, and everybody was having a great time. And you guys put on a, a great party in Boulder City. People were just dancing and, again, proud to be Americans, proud to be Nevadans. And, I get, got up on stage, and before I gave my speech, somehow you all got me to do a little, dance moves here and there.

I haven't actually seen the video to see what it looks like, but if you think I did a good job, then I guess I did.

Jill: You did. It was awesome. We sure appreciate you. The crowd loved it. All over the state we really had a bunch of neat celebrations, and almost every community found some way, the... and throughout the whole year, to find some way to represent the spirit of Nevada for the celebration of the America 250.

And so what a, an honor it was to be a part of all of that. So glad that you were also here for that, 'cause it was fun to enjoy that with you. So I know you've had, a long history, a long career history of serving the state, the, the community, especially here in Clark County with your, retirement from Metro, was there a defining moment after that, or what was it that you realized, "It's time for me to extend my service and now go into the political realm"?

And was there something that kinda defined that for you?

Stavros: Yes. I mean, as you mentioned, I did 29 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. I started in 1980, and, rose to the rank of captain. And my, my last 10 years I was a captain. I was the commander of an area command, vice narcotics, internal affairs, financial crimes.

And, you know, it's, it... once you've done policing that long, you kinda decide what is it that you wanna do after policing. And, do you retire? Do you go golfing every day? And, I decided that I wanted to continue my, public service, in some capacity. And the opportunity, it was really just a fluke.

The opportunity came up to run for the Las Vegas City Council. It was an open seat as many of you know, beating an incumbent is a little bit more difficult, but it was an open seat. And, some friends of mine said, "Why don't you run for the Las Vegas City Council?" 'Cause really, it's, being on the Las Vegas City Council is kinda like policing.

I mean, all you're really doing is trying to solve problems in neighborhoods, trying to make life better for people, whether it's, public safety, whether it's schools, whether it's, roads, whether it's, getting rid of graffiti and making sure that development occurs correctly.

So, I just happened to fall into, running for the Las Vegas City Council. I won, and I ended up doing, three terms on the Las Vegas City Council, 13 years. So all I've really ever done in my life when it comes to my career is just trying to make life better for, people in their workplace, where they live, where they go to school, and, I'm gonna continue doing that.

Jill: I love that. And so as you travel across the state, and you are... I don't know, in the 25 years I've been in my position, I don't know of another lieutenant governor who has bebopped across the state as much as you have. And so thank you for documenting your travels too, because that really does help support and promote those rural communities.

And as you are traveling, though, across the state, what gives you the greatest hope for America's future?

Stavros: Well, when I was elected to, Nevada lieutenant governor and I became the chair of the Nevada Tourism Commission, and as Jill, Travel Nevada has, 10 road trips around our state where if you take all 10 of those road trips, you've pretty much, seen, all of Nevada.

And, I thought it was my responsibility to really get out and travel Nevada and do those road trips. And I told myself I was gonna do 10, all 10 in four years in my first term. Ended up doing all 10 in my first two years 'cause I was just having such a great time, and I've, I think I finished my, second, 10 road trips in my, up to this point.

And what I found is really a couple things. Number one, we have some great tourist destinations in Nevada. Travel Nevada focuses some on Las Vegas and Reno, but we really focus on the rest of the state 'cause, there are businesses and families that rely on tourism in Winnemucca and Elko and Ely and Tonopah and Lovelock and so on and so forth.

And we have to make sure that, we support the tourism industry in those, in those, communities. And the best way to do that is for me to be there to listen to folks and find out what we can do to support them when it comes to, ramping up their tourism. Not only that, but, I'm on the board of, the Nevada Board of Transportation, so I need to talk to people about roads and bridges and economic development and healthcare and workforce development.

But the people that live in rural Nevada are just really down-to-earth, patriotic. They love our state. They love our country. They're ranchers. They're farmers. They're small business owners. the people just, they don't want a handout from the government. They just, wanna, wanna live and work, and, if there's any way the State of Nevada, can help them, achieve their goals, we're here to do that.

So I just love traveling the state. Unfortunately, it's a big state, so it takes a while to get around, and you put a lot of miles on your truck. So but I'm gonna continue doing it, and I appreciate you mentioning that. I've heard that from a lot of folks, that they haven't seen a lieutenant governor travel as much.

And I've been to places in Nevada where a lieutenant governor has never shown up, and, they really appreciate me coming out and, listening to what their concerns are.

Jill: I appreciate that as well. And so as that unity that, that, that sense of pride and spirit that the State of Nevada has, you're experiencing that firsthand.

And we are realizing that it's our civic responsibility to be aware of what's going on within our state, within our communities and state, and the entire nation. And so I would imagine, that you probably have a few, perceptions and ideas of what role an everyday citizen can play in strengthening our democracy.

Is there something beyond simply voting? what do you see that helps create that unity and the civic responsibility?

Stavros: Well, I think, it starts with, you know, really knowing what the Declaration of Independence says, which we've been, focused on for probably the last, six months because it's, our 250th anniversary, and finding out what our principles are.

The Declaration of Independence really lays out our principles, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, Property rights. So it's really important to read the Declaration of Independence, and then to understand the United States Constitution.

I mean, our government, our whole system of government, whether it's the federal government or the states is based on the United States Constitution, and we need to continue to talk about that, what it looks like, what the Nevada Constitution looks like. And, once we know that, then it's, really the third thing is when these elections come around, we need to get to know the people that are running for office, find out what their values are, what their. 

Are they virtuous people? Do they have good character? What do they stand for? And, if you do those three things, I think you're a better informed, Nevadan and a better informed, American, and you can start to participate more in our governmental system and, be involved, maybe not as an elected official, but be involved in making sure that our elected officials know what the issues are in Nevada, what's important to people.

And you can't do that, sitting in the office. You have to be out in the, community talking to folks about, what's important to them and how, the government can help if they can. Sometimes they can't. Sometimes it's, strictly a private matter, but, it's good to be out there talking to people and find out, does our Nevada Constitution or United States Constitution have a role, in, in, that particular area, and I'm proud to do that.

Jill: That's awesome. And so I know that this administration, you and the governor have really put a lot of emphasis in education. What do you see as your role and as Nevada's role in better educating our youth on some of these civic responsibilities? Is there, a target or a task force, or is there something specific that you are doing so that we can help educate the youth on the value and the importance of civic responsibility?

Stavros: Yeah. I think what it, the first thing that it comes really down to is parental choice. We need to start moving in the state towards a system where the, the parents, really have a, a bigger impact on the education of their kids, on where their kids go, whether it's public school, whether it's, private school, whether it's, charter schools, whether it's homeschooling, it, we really need to give options, to parents.

Give them a, some kind of a certificate, that allows them to take their kids to whatever public school they wanna go to or let, those sorts of things. I think that's where it starts. For example, I don't know, maybe 15 years ago, I was, one of the, founding board members of what was called the Founders Academy, which was based on Hillsdale College.

And if you look at... I'd encourage your, viewers to look up the Hillsdale College, curriculum. They're located in Michigan. they don't take any federal funding 'cause they don't wanna, they don't want any input from the federal government, and they really focus a lot of their curriculum on the history of America, on the Constitution, on the Declaration of Independence, on, on our, the history of our government.

And, I think if we did more of that, we would have a better informed, citizenry. In fact, the Founders Academy is now, We started it out for, like, three grades. Now it's all the way up to high school, and there's a huge waiting list to get in there. So we need to do more of that sort of thing to allow our parents to have, better options when it comes to education.

And when you do that, you start to focus the curriculum on things that are important, especially, what I believe is important is the history of our country because we can use that, to develop the future of our country.

Jill: I love it. Thank you so much. And as a proud supporter of Hillsdale, I'm fully aware of the program.

My daughter competes at that particular location. They have a new range there. And, they truly do understand and believe in educating our citizenry, so thank you for sharing that. And I will check more into Founders Academy. I had not. I don't know much about that. So you know Boulder City is, the proud home of so many veterans programs, the veterans home, the veterans cemetery, and, I know that this is, one of those key areas that you really want to also stay focused on.

And so Nevada being home to so many active duty military members and veterans, what have they taught you about service and sacrifice and how we can better honor them?

Stavros: Yeah, well, let's start with the, Department of Veteran Services, which is a, a Nevada, department that is, is there to, provide all the, as many services as we can for our veterans.

As you mentioned, that department is involved with the, the Veterans Home in Boulder City, which is an absolutely wonderful facility where, some of our veterans can be, taken care of in their, elderly, years or if they have disabilities. We have, one of the best veteran cemeteries in the country, in Boulder City and also one up in, in, Fernley.

And we have some absolutely remarkable, events when it comes to, supporting our Veterans Day and remembering our, those who, lost their lives during Memorial Day. We have, ceremonies at both our cemeteries, here in, in Nevada. We have one of the... We have the largest veterans parade, west of the Mississippi in downtown Las Vegas, events all over the state.

And, when you do that, you get to talk to veterans from all over the state, you get to talk to active, military all over the state. You get to talk to the families that have lost loved ones, that were in the military, and you find out that these are just great Americans that s- love this country, that love this state.

And, we're here to provide whatever services, that we can provide them, whether it's housing, medical care, workforce development, just recognizing, what they've done, the sacrifices that they've been through. And, I'll tell you, Nevada's a military family. We really, it's something important to us.

We have, Nellis Air Force Base, Creech Air Force Base, the largest army depot in Hawthorne. We have, Top Gun up in, Fallon, and we have the, Nevada, National Guard. We are a, a state that supports our active military, our veterans, and recognize, those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Jill: Yes, we love our hometown heroes, and so thank you for recognizing and better supporting them as well. I know that we know a little bit about you. We know that you came from law enforcement and, and then also served on different city councils, but, I'd like to know a little bit more about who you are.

What book are you reading right now?

Stavros: Well, actually, about a, a year ago, I decided that I was going to read, at least one, maybe two books on every president, of that's ever been president of the United States. And, I've, successfully done that, couple of months ago. I've read every single book on every president in America.

And I would. And you'll, not only do you learn about that particular president, but you learn about that particular part of our history. So I would encourage all our viewers to, to, if you really wanna learn about our government, our history, our presidents, is, make a list or Google the list of all the presidents of the United States, go on Amazon, and start buying books.

And if you read every single book like I did, you're just gonna marvel at some of the things that, happened in our country, and really around the world, that you had no idea happened. And, so it's not one book, it's,47 books. 

Jill: Wow. 

Stavros: Actually, it's a coup- it's a couple more than that, 'cause a couple of presidents I was so fascinated with, I bought a few other books to finish it.

But I did that in, in, in about a year, so yep.

Jill: That's impressive. So who was your favorite?

Stavros: Boy, my favorite was probably, John Adams. I mean, he had such a major impact on, on the, on the, Declaration of Independence, on the Revolution, on the writing of the Constitution. He was a president.

He just had his hands in so much that, that changed the course of the world, changed the course of, the colonies that developed our country, and really, really had a sig- an impact on the next 250 years. So he was probably one of the, the more, more interesting ones and, the one that really had one of the biggest impacts.

Jill: You know, we're, my husband and I are watching a series on him right now, and something that is absolutely forefront of my mind is the impact that Abigail, that his wife, Abigail Adams, had as well, and what that relationship looked like and how it impacted some of the decisions that he made and which were, as you said, monumental to the next 250 years.

So, I absolutely, I think that's fascinating that you selected him, because that was somebody that that's kind of, in our world right now as well. Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing that. So I am sure you came from some amazing parents. Is there a life lesson that they left you with that you still carry towards, everything you think of in the day?

Stavros: Yeah, no, thank you for bringing up my parents. I mean, they, they grew up in the country of Cyprus. my mom was a, just a it was a small farmer, her family. They had some grape vines. they worked hard, didn't really have much, didn't have an education. My dad was a sheep herder, had absolutely no education.

They just worked hard and, didn't make a lot of money, but they both ended up coming, to the United States and they met here, they got married, and, my dad started out as a kind of a short order cook in a, a little diner. Ended up being the executive chef for the, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, which was one of the exclusive, country clubs in the country.

My mom stayed home and raised, me and my three sisters. So, you know, we started out with, really nothing and, we basically lived the American dream. And, you know, what it taught me was, from my parents is the only way to succeed in this country is, is to work hard, take care of your family, go to church on Sunday, rely on your friends for support.

And it's really, It's not, it's like John F. Kennedy said, "It's not what, your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." They didn't rely on the government, for really anything except to make sure that they were kept safe, that they had good roads, and, the, their neighborhoods were kept intact.

Other than that, they would, they'd take care of themselves and their family and their friends and, that's really the, should be the message for all Americans. If you work hard, in this country and you have some solid goals, you can make it.

Jill: Well, that's wonderful. I wanna thank them for leaving a lasting legacy in you.

That's wonderful. So our chamber's mission is to strengthen our community and support opportunities for all. What gives the greatest optimism about America's future, and what role do local communities like Boulder City play in keeping America's spirit strong?

Stavros: It's, you know, Boulder City is really considered one of those cities where it's not a city, it's a community. It's, small businesses working with, working with schools, and it's, the, the Boulder City Chamber supporting businesses. So, these small businesses, people think these are, you know, people think that somebody that runs a small business is, doesn't work and, they sit around and let the business kind of runs themselves.

That is completely opposite. Small business owners work their butts off to, to make sure that, their businesses succeed. This is like a family for them. And all these small businesses working together with, the city council, it's really a community in Boulder City, and I'm proud of what they do, and it's great to have the, Boulder City, the Nevada Railroad Museum in Boulder City, and the outdoor activities that happen in Boulder City.

So,I would encourage people to go out and, support the businesses, go through the tourism. And I'm looking forward to the, adventure center in Boulder City. That is gonna have a major impact. So, that, that's a great city, and it's a great community.

Jill: Well, thank you. We so appreciate you.

Thank you for joining us today. We're, very glad to have you in our leadership role, and, we look forward to many, many more years ahead.

Stavros: Thanks for having me, Jill, appreciate it