A former assistant director of Clark County's Regional Transportation Commission,[2] he was first appointed to the Paradise Town Advisory Board in 1991 and served three terms.

He was not a candidate for re-election to the Assembly in 2008 but instead ran for the Nevada Senate in the 7th district, seeking to succeed Dina Titus who mounted a successful bid for Congress.

In the primary election held on August 12, 2008, he faced a well-funded opponent[5] but prevailed easily, winning 71 percent of the vote in a three-way race.

In 2010, he ran to succeed Rory Reid on the Clark County Commission, losing the Democratic primary election to Mary Beth Scow by just 91 votes.

[21] He is one of five openly LGBT members of the Nevada legislature, alongside Senators Pat Spearman and Kelvin Atkinson, as well as Assemblymen Andrew Martin and James Healey.