The Scoop with Tanya Flanagan

Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a Kun V studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Tanya Flanagan 0:19
Good morning, and thank you for joining me for the scoop with Tanya Flanagan, I'm so happy you decided to wake up and start your day with me here on the scoop, where we talk about life, joy, funny moments, trending topics and so much more. We promise to keep you in the know and find out what you know. So let's get started.

You Hello Las Vegas, hello Nevada. And thank you once again for joining me for another edition of the scoop right here on 91.5 jazz and more, I appreciate you being loyal and supporting listeners, and I hope you have enjoyed the many pieces that we've done throughout this 83rd legislative session. To spot my people who are serving as legislators, mostly in the assembly, I hope to welcome some senators to the show before the session ends, it is scheduled in on June 3, but also we've begun to have some conversations with other people behind the scenes here, at the legislative session, or even out front, depending on how you look at it, some of our lobbyists, as well as some staff. And so today, I am pleased to welcome to the show a very exciting and dynamic guest who story I think you will find very entertaining and very intriguing, who has quite the history and the legacy here at the legislature of in Carson City, I am delighted to welcome Jason Frierson, and I'm going to tell you the hats he wears in a minute, but first, I just want to say good morning and hello to you, Jason.

Jason Frierson 1:55
Good morning, and thank you so much for having me. Well,

Tanya Flanagan 1:59
thank you for being here, folks, Jason Ryerson is, as I mentioned, a legend. I'm going to tell you why. He has held a number of titles on a number of hats, one former Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly for, I think, a couple of sessions while he served as a legislator here, but also as our US Attorney for the District of Nevada, and is currently a principal and council partner for Cornerstone government affairs. And his story is just one where you watch a young man mature and grow up, and he may be younger, older than me, he may be younger than me, but having kind of roamed in similar circles and had shared friends, it has been my pleasure to watch you, Jason, to watch you evolve and as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, just to watch you evolve into this amazing person who's done so much good for the community and given your heart and served so I first of all want To say thank you for that. Well,

Jason Frierson 3:01
thank you. And you know you're not job deliver you've done. The reason that we have run in the same circles is because of all of the ways that you have been involved in the community as well. So the admiration is mutual.

Tanya Flanagan 3:15
Well, thank you for being an inspiration to me. I mentioned that you served within the legislature. So I that was a brief synopsis. What I would love for you to do is give the longer version of your life story, how you found yourself in politics and the things that you've done over the years. Sure,

Jason Frierson 3:31
you know it's really funny. I have found myself wanting to serve in a representative capacity almost my whole life. I mean, through grade school and student government. Through college and student government, I ended up attending University of Nevada, Reno, and later serving as student body president there. I went to law school at UNLV, in the charter class, and ended up serving as president at the law school, and I, after I graduated from law school a few years later, became a deputy public defender and got interested in the legislature. So I lobbied on behalf of Clark County for two sessions, and lo and behold, the outgoing speaker of the Nevada State Assembly, Barbara Buckley, asked me if I would run to replace her as she turned out. And so, you know, you don't get that call every day. And I decided to move and run and serve. So I ended up serving in the assembly in 2011 and 2013 in a wave of in a low turnout election cycle. In 2014 I lost. And, you know, look, no one is entitled here. You work hard and you win some, you lose some. But I did not feel like I was done. And so I came back in 2017 and and was selected amongst my peers as the first African American speaker of the Nevada State Assembly, where I served there for three i. Consecutive terms before President Biden nominee nominated me to be US Attorney for the District of Nevada, and I served there in the federal system for two and a half years. And of course, when the administration changes, they are entitled to pick their own leadership. So I resigned and was fortunate to land at Cornerstone. I mean, it is,

Tanya Flanagan 5:20
um, your story is just, I was, so let me say this. I was walking through the halls here in the Legislative Building, and then looking, there's a wall, and the wall has all of the past, because it's just coming from the beginning of 1871 or something like that. So from the beginning of when legislative session started, it goes all the way back, and you get to the end of it, and there you are. And it's like, wow, the only African American. Like, it's amazing, Lee, it is like, such a tribute, and it is so heartwarming, and it's humbling to see your name up on the wall amongst the other men who have served as speakers. Because I think the only of the women were Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who's currently a Clark County Commissioner, is there. And I want to say Barbara Buckley, Yes, yep. Those are the only kids there. And I think those are the only two women, to put this in context. So those are the only two women on this wall. And then Jason frier said, You are the only African American on this wall, and it is just such a huge accomplishment. And it warmed my heart to see it, and it really put in perspective, like, wow. The weight of the responsibility, you know, the old saying goes to whom much is given, much is expected. But the weight of the responsibility just really hit home for me, and I've you know, known you from in the community, at church, in the community, working for the county, and it's in the community as a whole, being a part of Greek letter organizations and giving back to different programs that way. I had never known how long you have been engaged in the space of serving, of servant leadership, but it's awesome to hear. What was it like to go from the state level work as speaker? Because what would you say before we get into the transition from state level government as a speaker to going into the US Attorney for the District of Nevada, role? What are some of the significant how does it compare the time you were in the in the legislature, took being at the legislature now as a lobbyist and seeing the issues that we're dealing with, because it's a very different time. Yeah, no,

Jason Frierson 7:30
they're very different times. Even in the three years that I was gone the you know, the politics has changed, not just in Nevada, but across the country, and of course, the environment here in Nevada, with limited, you know, budget opportunities to pay for basic needs and things being cut in the federal system is certainly different. You know, Nevada, it's really interesting, but challenging. Nevada operates in a structure that was when Nevada was founded worked. But we have a dynamic economy where we are relying on mining and gaming and tourism and now in entertainment to pay for our basic needs, our schools, our hospitals, without a state income tax, and that is built into our Constitution. So the likelihood of that changing is slim, but we don't stop meeting emergency rooms when the economy tanks. We don't stop meeting schools to send our children to when tourism goes down or when the value of gold goes down. And so it is, it ongoing struggle to be able to provide our basic community needs, whether it's, you know, affordable housing or services for seniors, you know, Child Protective Services, Family Services, all of those things that communities need. It is difficult to run a state that way, and so it creates really unique challenges every every two years, let alone the legislature, only meets for 120 days every other year. And so you have to wait two years to fix the problem. Once the problem arises, you know, I'm sure you recall, I think, the housing crisis in 2005 Well, you know, by the time we were able to fix it. We were, we were out, you know, we, you know, the game had changed several times before we can get back to fix it. And so you have all of those problems leading up to what we have now with federal cuts and a downturn, significant down, turning the economy and, you know, some likely budget pains moving forward, it's a thankless job, and I applaud you and all of those folks that are willing to make those sacrifices to make decisions that everybody in Nevada has to

Tanya Flanagan 9:47
live by. You know, people have, we have these conversations often, and we put it in the perspectives of the legislator, the elected representative who's up here in this capacity. But I can't stress enough. I. As I'm reading a book, and I can't stress enough the takeaway of the importance of everyday citizens after the election take place, after you've cast your ballot, a major selection staying engaged in this process and understanding this process and how the decisions that happen up here affect your everyday life. And I know life is heavy, and people have husbands and wives and kids have activities and responsibilities, and we're all dealing with financial hardships and challenges, but it's so important to understand the structure of your state. Would you say that?

Jason Frierson 10:35
I think it's important. I do. I think it's important, especially here in Nevada, for folks to understand and stay engaged again, because there's only 120 days and legislators pass laws that the whole state has to live by. And it could be everything from the cost of registering your car to, you know, whether or not the roads get fixed, you know, what? How much your teachers get paid for your children, how big of a classroom your teachers are going to be in? You know? You know, minimum wage, all of these things that affect everyone, every day, and because we only meet for 120 days every other year, it's incredibly important that folks know who their representatives are and let them know what they think. You know, everybody has an email address and get, you know, emails from their their their, you know, constituents. But it's, it's important that folks that are passing laws do it, you know, from a informed perspective. And so I think it's really, really important folks know who their representatives are and that they, you know, communicate with them in some way, shape or form, and let them know what their priorities are, absolutely and

Tanya Flanagan 11:48
thank you for saying that. I just wanted to kind of get your perspective on that and included in this conversation, as we send this message out to the state, to anybody who's listening. You can listen, you know, here on the station, you can then re hear this conversation on anywhere you access podcasts, any podcast platform. I mentioned earlier that you were a legislator, and then you became the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. What was it like to go from serving in a state level capacity to being part of the federal delegation in a legal space, and you manage the team of like 100 prosecutors and professionals, including 55 attorneys who handle federal criminal, civil and affiliate appellate cases. So what was that like for you? You

Jason Frierson 12:34
know it was, it was challenging to move from what was really front line, community impact when you're you know, when we were in the legislature, we, you know, we passed laws expanding access to the polls and restoring ex felons right to vote, and, you know, taking care of, you know, foster children. You know, those things that impact people every day. And then you go to the federal system, where you're limited and what you can do and who you can talk to and who you can be seen with. I, as a part of DOJ, had to avoid being photographed with elected officials, when, for the last 12 years, that was my whole frame. Base, the bureaucracy in the federal system makes the system moves slow, and so even a federal criminal case takes sometimes years to develop, you know, so that was it was frustrating an antidote. I tell people, when I resigned, when I was confirmed by the US Senate as US attorney, I had to resign right away, and my phone went from ringing every 30 minutes and getting emails, hundreds of emails a day, to entire silence. I went from being, you know, that directly engaged in the public, I thought my phone was broken because it just never rang after that. And you know, I I realized that number one, you know folks that are in the lobby core, that are in government affairs. You know, their job is to lobby elected officials who vote. And I was no longer that, you know. So that was a that was a culture shock of some sort. But then again, you also go from leading a group of you know legislators to being the face of an office, but they know you're only going to be there for a short while, and they've been through different US attorneys and different attorney generals in the federal system. And, you know, it makes it much more difficult to adjust and adapt and change culture. And so, you know, I, I've been a lawyer since 2001 and I really didn't know anyone in DOJ, so my goal was to make sure that the community knew what DOJ was and who we were and how we could impact the community and engage in community organizations. And it was incredibly difficult to make that transition because the federal system was so much further removed from. And the people in direct impact in the state was

Tanya Flanagan 15:03
so in the end, what is the thing that you would say you were most proud of being able to do? And then we're going to talk about your attorney do now, yes, well, a little bit about like in the legislature, because I'm super curious about what you would say was the most impactful legislation that you brought forward, or process that you helped shape in the legislature, and then comparatively, even though they're in some ways, you just said, it's kind of no comparison. But what was in that short window as US Attorney, because it has a different type of time limit to it, what was the thing that you carried with you as, hey, I'm, I'm proud of this. Or, you know,

Jason Frierson 15:44
I think that, you know, voting rights restoration was something that was very important to me as a legislator, because I don't believe that we throw away citizens. People make mistakes, and they pay their debt to society, but then they reenter society. They work in this community. They pay taxes in this community. They have a perspective in this community. And I think in order for us to expect those folks to buy into community norms and re enter society, they got to be a part of it. And so it was very important to me that once someone paid their debt to society, no punishment was expected to be forever if you're released from prison. So, you know, voting rights restoration was something that was, was very important to me. I was particularly proud of, I think, expanded access to the polls. You know, we started the beginning of COVID with mail in, ballot expansion and drop boxes. And it became so popular that our, you know, our bipod in a bipartisan way, our turnout went up dramatically. And so I'm proud that we were able to put that in place, and it was able to stay in place. Now we have drop boxes in rural communities, on Indian reservations, everywhere. We've expanded access to the polls. I was especially proud to be a part of the first female majority legislature in history of the country. I recruited and trained up and put in leadership roles a very diverse set of representatives that I thought reflected the state. So, you know, I say those things are, are just a number of the things that I was especially proud to have accomplished or been a part of. And, you know, you know, transition into the federal system, moving mountains takes time, and a lot of that would have taken more than two and a half years. But I hired some diverse folks. I hired some strong, I think, forward, modern thinking attorneys to think about, you know, administering justice in a more modern way. I definitely increased our presence in the community, whether it's, you know, at different events, or you know, you may remember, there was an incident at Spring Valley High School A few years ago where an officer had an exchange with a student, and it was on video, and I decided to go adopt that school. And it was, I think it's Durango. It was in Spring Valley area, but I went, I started going to that school once a month and talking to student leaders there about engaging in law enforcement and and considering a career in it, because the only way we're going to make sure that that system treats the community the way we think we should is if we are a part of it. And so I wanted to, you know, make it less intimidating. I didn't want the first time that anybody heard from the US attorney to be because their relative was being prosecuted federally. One, I thought it was important that they see that we're a member of this community and that we serve and live and, you know, enjoy this community and want to be safe in this community, just like everybody else. So those were a few, you know, a few things that I think were important that I was able to do. And, you know, it's part of the process when, when it's a new president, so I had to accept it as what it

Tanya Flanagan 18:46
was. Yeah, you know, full circle moment you were talking about the register, the restoration of voter rights, and people being able to participate in the process, who at one point couldn't, after they had, you know, been convicted, served their time in the best and gotten done. We have a legislator here for the first time who is a felon, and it's like the full circle moment of having gone through something and now serving. And he's one of the most you know, I think, humble members of the legislative body, but Assembly Member Jackson has a history, and he's talked about it openly and candidly in interviews and other on other platforms about his journey, assigning himself Dave, huge inspiration.

Jason Frierson 19:28
Yeah, we didn't realize when we, when we, when we restored rights of ex felons to vote, that we were also restoring the right to serve. And in Nevada, your eligibility to serve in an elected role is based on whether or not you're eligible to vote, and so when we made him eligible to vote, he became eligible to serve. And I think that's amazing, and he is an inspiration to me, and I'm sure many people, I'm grateful that he was able to use that and contribute to the community. Yeah,

Tanya Flanagan 19:58
it is, and I. It just when you said that, it made me think about, wow, that is truly a full circle moment and a significant step forward toward progress and change. And then what that looks like when the work that you do on the front lines manifests itself, right? So you have now done a 180 I guess, a 188 180 and gone from elected representative to lobbyists. So you're coming up here to do what people used to come up here to do with you. How's it been to, you know, to wear the other hat,

Jason Frierson 20:34
you know, it's, it's, it's, I think I have a greater appreciation for your job and what you all have to do in the dynamics. I really try, number one, to not try to Monday morning quarterback and talk about what I did when I was here. Because every caucus is different. Every session is different. Those dynamics are different, and those challenges are different. I respect, I try to respect you all's time and do it in 30 you know, do it in 30 seconds if I can, because it's a lot of work every day. But I will also, right, no, it's different.

Tanya Flanagan 21:09
Thank you. Because there and I, when I first asked the question, I wasn't even thinking about it like that. But there's the lens that you weren't elected. So now you can look at us and say, because you have a different perspective what we may be doing the way you would have done it, or we're doing it in a way that you would have not to approach it, or you would have taken a different path. And then there's also just the space of now, I'm a lobbyist, so this is how I come at this, and this is how I look at it from and I see what you do, what I do as a legislator, completely different now as a lobbyist, and through a list that you never even thought of it when you Yeah, wow, yeah,

Jason Frierson 21:48
no, it's I respect you all. I don't Monday morning quarterback. I admire you. And you know, I try to respect your time. And you know, this game, this this exercise is all about credibility and relationships, and so I try to stop by and say hi even when I don't need anything, because this is about relationships, and there's going to come a point in the next four weeks where we're not going to have time. So I want to make sure that that we have those relationships and that trust and that we can shoot straight. And sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't, and that's the way it goes, and keep it moving. Yeah, I

Tanya Flanagan 22:23
think that's the most important point of it, is respect and honesty, and it is about relationships. And it's just because you're not going to like every bill that comes forward, you're not going to agree with every idea that a colleague has, whether that colleague is all across the aisle on the part of the different party, or just working on behalf of an agency that might be pushing an agenda that you just don't agree with, whatever it may be. But there's a respectful process that goes on up here in terms of that disagreement. And there are going to be moments when you're on board together on an issue, and you find yourself at other times, at opposite ends, two different sides of the coin on different issues. And it's about respect, and it is about relationships. And so I have to 100% agree with you, yeah. What would you say? I mean, I often talk about the difference in being in Carson City versus being in the southern portion of the state. Is that completely different? It's just so what do you what was your first takeaway to that, you know, so different?

Jason Frierson 23:29
Well, I'll say I have a unique perspective, because I went to UNR undergrad, so I lived in Reno for 10 years, so I knew what I was getting into. But Carson City is a very small town, not super diverse, and you stand out here, and you know, in that way, it's a little, you know, jarring, because you can't go anywhere where you're not recognized. And, you know, I think, you know, a lot of the locals kind of stay out of the way during session, and they maybe come out on the weekends, but, yeah, no, it's it is. It is unique to always be the only person in the entire grocery store of color and to be recognized everywhere you know it, you know, but it's a reminder that people are always watching and that you have to conduct yourself in a way, as if you're being watched, whether you think you are or not. And I think we all need to be reminded of that, especially as you all being public officials these days, it

Tanya Flanagan 24:29
is a very quaint town, and that is a very good description of how it is in terms of numbers. I also think it's very cool how it's just so nature driven. Everybody is coexisting together. The animals are coexisting with the people, the kids, the dogs are running around. The deers are like, just hanging out together in the street deciding whether or not they want to cross the street, yeah, whether or not they want to cross the street as a pack. And then all the traffic stops to wait for the deers to decide what they're going to do. In, and then the rabbits are out, and it is just like Kumbaya. And it is beautiful that way. It's like, in a way, it's like life flows down. You are here for, we are here for a 120 day session that people will tell you repeatedly, moves at this rapid pace. And there are times when you are I can get 9000 steps inside the building in a given day, right? Not going outside. 9000 steps inside the building, right? Yep. But at the same time, life slows down, and it is so strange how that is also happening at the same time that I'm getting nine to 10,000 steps inside a building in a given day,

Jason Frierson 25:40
yeah, yeah, no, it frequently is hurry up and wait. And you all have deadlines. You know, it's a beautiful environment to be in. I always recommend the folks get some fresh air when they can and when they think about it, because things go fast and then they pause, and they go fast and they pause.

Tanya Flanagan 25:55
Yeah? Well, I have had a pleasure talking to you, and I always want people to kind of see a little bit more of who you are, not just the political answers or the professional perspective. So I like to kind of do a little glimpse of what I call man on the street, the rapid fire. So with the rapid fire and finds out favorite artist. So who's in your ear right now, what you're listening to? Oh, wow, I'm

Jason Frierson 26:22
I'm still on Kendrick. Okay, that's the I fire up on the way to the building with him.

Tanya Flanagan 26:31
I love it. Um, book. You reading any books right now? Besides, let the Senate bills coming before you every day.

Jason Frierson 26:37
I am not, although I'm planning on writing one about leadership and public service kind of stuff, but I'm reading mostly bills right now. Okay, well,

Tanya Flanagan 26:47
I can't wait for the book, for the book to come out. Favorite movie, if you had time to watch something, what's your favorite movie to

Jason Frierson 26:54
watch? You know, I am notoriously known for loving really bad movies, and my favorite movie is Tropic Thunder, by far. My favorite bad movie I love I can't get enough.

Tanya Flanagan 27:05
You are one of those people I am going to not even touch that I can't even believe you said favorite thing to cook, because I know you create things you're like, you know, make salvages in your own right. My favorite thing to cook, my favorite thing that cooks.

Jason Frierson 27:20
My favorite thing to cook is ribs on my smoker. And

Tanya Flanagan 27:25
you know, I brought that up because I want some ribs, so I just thought I would put that in the universe, on the air, on the record, because I hear you are mean with the with the barbecue. So we gonna get some cute happening, and we're down to our last few seconds of the show. And mostly I just want to say thank you, Jason for coming on, folks. Jason Frierson, former Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly, US Attorney for the District of Nevada and currently principal and counsel for Cornerstone government affairs. Thank you. Have a great week, and thanks for tuning in. We'll catch you next time I want to thank you for tuning in to the scoop with me. Tonya Flanagan, and I want to invite you to get social with me. I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My name is my handle, T, a n, y, A F, l, a n, a G, A N. You can also find me on Instagram at Tanya almond eyes Flanagan, and if you have a thought, an opinion or a suggestion, don't hesitate to shoot me an email to tonya.flanagan@unlv.edu Thanks again for joining in. Stay safe and have a great week. You.