Rick Leavitt

Richard “Rick” Leavitt (born June 22, 1958) is an American politician and businessman who served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 2005 to 2011, the Mayor of Reno from 1994 to 2002, and a Member of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1987 to 1990. He was the nominee the United States Ambassador to Australia in 2015.

Early life and early career
Richard “Rick” Leavitt was born on June 22, 1958 in Reno, Nevada. The son of a casino magnate he inherited his father’s business at the age of twenty-one after graduating with a bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He held a largely ceremonial role as a member of the board of directors for the next four years while he earned his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Leavitt assumed the role of CEO of Leavitt Resorts Ltd. in 1983. He served in this capacity for four years until he was appointed to serve as a member of the Gaming Commission of Nevada, which oversees the state's gaming industry. During his three years on the commission, Leavitt fought national efforts to block gambling on college sports events, worked on regulations limiting neighborhood gaming and worked for regulations prohibiting slot machines with themes attractive to children. Upon his resignation from the gaming commission he was unanimously voted by the board of directors to return as CEO of Leavitt Resorts Ltd. where he served from 1990 to 1994.

Mayor of Reno
A popular and successful businessman he was elected Mayor of Reno in 1994. On his first day in office he stated that he would reverse the policies of his “tax and spend liberal” predecessor. In his first term as mayor he was a vocal opponent of increasing taxes and establishing a state income tax. He greatly reduced the city’s spending to $3,000 from his predecessor’s $10,000 spending limit which he deemed “extremely wasteful”. Mayor Leavitt was key in bringing many businesses to Reno which he used as a way to bring in revenue and fight attempts to change Nevada's tax structure. He was reelected in 1998, despite speculation that he would run for the Republican nomination in that year’s gubernatorial election. Although being known as a staunchly anti-tax Republican he was also known for being somewhat of a centrist and bipartisan. He supported Democratic city councilmembers’ work to improve the Midtown area of Reno and promote affordable mental health services. Mayor Leavitt left office in 2002 and returned to the board of directors of his hotel-casino company.

United States Senate
In 2004, Leavitt ran successfully for the United States Senate, defeating four-term Democratic incumbent, Jay Gould by 52%–46% as many were disillusioned with Gould, unsuccessfully urging him to retire. During his tenure he continued his reputation as a moderate opposing the National Right to Work Legality Defense that was opposed primarily by Democrats and labor unions. He also supported other largely liberal policies such as environmental protection, abortion rights with the exception of partial birth abortion, and gun control measures. Senator Leavitt supported traditional Republican policies like deregulation, tax cuts, fiscal conservativism, and states’ rights. Due to his belief in states’ rights he has stated that individual states should determine the legality of issues such as marijuana and same-sex marriage. He voted against the National Healthcare Act of 2010 that passed in the Democrat-controlled Senate and failed in the Republican-controlled House. During the 2010 midterms he was defeated by Democratic Congressman and future Vice President, Jon Herrera by 50%–47%.

Subsequent Career
After leaving Congress in 2011 he worked for three years as a Washington lobbyist for the casino industry. After that he was considered yet again as a potential Republican candidate for Governor of Nevada, this time in the 2014 gubernatorial election. He ultimately declined in favor of returning to private sector where he formed Leavitt Resorts International, an offshoot of the casino-hotel company inherited from his father. The company is currently headquartered in Sydney, Australia and Leavitt owns three homes; one in Reno, one in Sydney, and one in Singapore where the company has done a lot of business. His business in the small island citystate has been criticized due to their record on civil liberties and privacy rights.

Nomination for United States Ambassador to Australia
In 2015, he was briefly nominated to become the new United States Ambassador to Australia by President John Grady. This was largely due to his business connections from Leavitt Resorts International. He was fervently opposed by “No Pokies” Australian politician, former independent South Australian Legislator John Davies who testified before Congress during the confirmation process citing potential conflicts of interest and an “enablement of Australia’s toxic gambling culture”. A bipartisan letter was then sent to The President stating that Leavitt did not have the votes needed to confirmed by the Senate. The White House released a statement praising Leavitt and his time in public office while announcing the withdrawal of his nomination.