Young adult Taylor-made for politics

     By Chris Jones
     View staff writer
      Although he won't turn 24 until August, Nathan Taylor has already gained a tremendous amount of experience in the political realm.
      The 1993 graduate of Eldorado High School has reshaped his once-passing interest in government to transform himself into an up-and-coming player in Nevada politics.
      A self-described "artistic eccentric" who focused on performing in the choir during his teen years, Taylor said his interests gradually shifted to governmental affairs as he saw more of the world.
      "Never at the time in high school did I think I'd be involved in politics," Taylor said. "I wanted to be a singer. But as I got into my early 20s, it all changed. I thought I could make a difference politically."
      After working for various businesses in Reno and Southern Nevada, Taylor said he felt a need to run for office in 1997 when he began gathering supporters and rasing funds to prepare for his election dreams.
      In 1998, he made an unsuccessful bid for the state Assembly. After losing the District 3 election by slightly more than 1,200 votes to Democratic candidate John Lee, Taylor received a number of job offers from people he had encountered on the campaign trail.
      "I was one of the youngest people to ever run for that position; I think people saw me as a go-getter and they were interested in seeing me continue to work for them in a different way," Taylor said. "I got a lot of calls."
      He narrowed down his offers, and in January, Taylor began working as the district manager for state Sen. Mark James' community service office at 4917 Alta Drive. He acts as a liaison between James and his constituents, doing everything from returning phone calls to answering questions about James' views on political issues.
      Taylor also serves on the board of directors for the Greater Las Vegas Christmas in April program and acts as the chairman of the Clark County Young Republicans. He even worked as a volunteer in four different campaigns during the recent elections -- all while taking classes toward an associate's degree in political science from the Community College of Southern Nevada.
      In short, he's a busy man.
      "It's kind of difficult to do so many things at once," Taylor said. "Time management is important -- you really have to prioritize."
      His fellow co-workers say Taylor's sense of focus is uncanny.
      "Nathan has got a natural feel for politics," said Rick Henry, who supervised Taylor's efforts during the campaigns for Las Vegas city councilmen Michael J. McDonald and Gary Reese. "He understands who runs what and who you need to go to to get things done, and that makes him a great strategist. He's always ahead of the game."
      That ability makes him an asset to James, who allows Taylor to handle public inquiries on various issues.
      "Here I have a job to do; this is how I pay bills," Taylor said while answering his telephone in the community service office. "I have to make sure things run smoothly and take care of constituent's issues. We act as a sounding board, even though I'd say 60 percent of the calls are related to issues we can't solve."
      Taylor said most calls that come into the office have to be referred to local government agencies, although he doesn't mind taking the time to direct people to the correct agency. In fact, Taylor said the only thing that motivates him is working to make a difference in people's lives.
      "This shows us that state and local governments can work together," Taylor said. "We have an office (locally) and it's not easy for people to go up to Carson City when the legislature is in session, but by working together we can make a real difference on the local level, even though Mark is a state senator."
      Said Henry: "Not too many people want to get into politics at that age, and the fact that a state senator trusts him to run his community office says a lot. He's got endless energy and he's extremely aggressive, which I think really sets him apart."
      Taylor doesn't plan to relax anytime soon. He hopes to be elected to the United States Congress by the time he reaches 30.
      "The way I look at it, I've got six more years to grow and make myself a better candidate," Taylor said.