DR. ROBIN TITUS ANNOUNCES PLAN TO SEEK ASSEMBLY DIST. 38 POST
Respected physician hopes to prevent rurals from becoming overlooked as “fly-over counties”
Adopting the slogan “File Down Government”, respected Lyon County physician Dr. Robin Titus (Republican) has announced plans to file for the Assembly District 38 seat in the Nevada Legislature.
That seat (Lyon and Churchill counties) has been held for 12 years by Tom Grady who is term-limited-out and will not seek reelection.
“I have been asked to run before,” explains Dr. Titus, as she hands out a red, white and blue emery board stating that slogan. “This is the right time and this is a position that I have been planning to seek for a long time.”
“I feel a passion for this. I have been a registered Republican since before it was popular to be a Republican and the economic philosophy falls more in line with my own,” she continues. “You help people by giving back which is what I have always done. Lyon County helped me with three years of medical school expenses and I returned here to give back; and 30 years later I am still here.”
“Absolutely, I believe in helping people, but people are so dependent on government now and some people don’t know how to support themselves anymore,” adds the candidate. “I’m frightened our society is becoming so dependent on government instead of doing things for ourselves.”
Rurals are not “fly-over” counties
Dr. Titus uses Nevada’s economy as an example of “putting all its eggs in one basket” when the recession hit, helping to rank the Silver State at the top of national unemployment and foreclosure statistics.
“The economic value of Lyon County and Churchill County is not respected in this state. As a rural person, I think I can help them have a strong voice,” she adds. “We bring ‘real money’ – the ranchers, farmers, miners – that does not receive the respect we’d like to have.”
She explains, “Holding this state together long after gambling is gone is going to be natural resources that are here. That’s the true value that we have here in our state.”
The Republican assembly candidate points to the battle between Clark and Washoe Counties as the two largest counties in Nevada over “getting their fair share” as dominating recent legislative sessions; and she turns to country music (Jason Aldean) about fly-over states to provide this comment: “I don’t want the rural counties to be ‘fly-over counties’. Clark and Washoe counties have to know how important we are and how far we go in holding this state together.”
Continuing, she says, “I do not expect everything to come to the rural counties, but we deserve some respect. As a republic, you have to look at what is best for the entire state, not just one county.”
“I understand what Clark and Washoe counties want, but they cannot ignore the rurals,” says Dr. Titus. “So many times the rurals are totally ignored. But, I am realistic about what I can get done. I understand that in order to get things done, you have to get along with folks. You have to show up and be a participant or you don’t get anything done.”
“I have a tendency to take charge, but that does not say that I am not able to get along in a group and find out what everybody’s needs are and work with them,” she states. “I do not plan on being obstructionary. That’s not my role.”
“I’m a big states’ rights advocate and believe we do have input nationally,” the candidate continues.
This is not Dr. Titus’ first foray in the political world as she did run for U.S. Senate back in 2009 in an attempt to gain the GOP nomination to dethrone Harry Reid. “I got involved and took that senate race as an opportunity to educate myself on how the process works from a local level to a national level.”
Dr. Titus is a past president of the Nevada Academy of Family Physicians; a past member of the Nevada State Medical Board (an appointment by the Governor to this regulatory body) and a current member of the Nevada State Medical Association; has served as the Lyon County Public Health officer for 30 years; chief of staff at the South Lyon Medical Center for a long time; is the immediate past president of the Lyon County Republican Central Committee and a member of the State Republican Central Committee; and in addition to her work at the Smith Valley Clinic and the Lyon Health Center, also owned and operated a small farm.
“I understand farming and water rights issues as well as medically-related concerns and I have a passion for politics,” she states. “I understand all of that process.”
“File Down Government”
“One of my goals will be to ‘File Down Government’ because I think government has become over-burdensome. We ought to be able to streamline some things,” says the rural Nevada physician. “Everyone says they want to create jobs, but it is difficult in the private sector because of over-bearing permit processes and delays.”
“Government should do only the stuff we cannot do for ourselves,” Dr. Titus says.
She points to the political holdup involving the City of Yerington-Nevada Copper operation just east of Mason Valley. “That should have been done a long time ago,” says the candidate.
While running as a conservative Republican, Dr. Titus explains, “I recognize that I will be representing everyone. I will listen to everybody because I represent everybody. I will have to make decision based on what it best for the whole.”
2nd Amendment supporter
She describes herself as a strong Second Amendment supporter and points to the mental health issue involving gun control efforts as “incredibly important”. “It’s not a gun problem, it’s a mental health problem. There are plenty of laws on the books now; we just don’t enforce them.”
Dr. Titus quotes her husband, Lyon County Sheriff Allen Veil, and says: “The citizens need to be at least as armed as the bad guys.”
What about her practice?
Dr. Titus recognizes that patients may be concerned about her medical practice and clarifies that situation by saying: “I have been told I can work on weekends, overtime, etc. During the session, it will probably be unlikely that I can work at al,l but we’ll have a nurse practitioner in the office and it will stay open. Then after the session, I can go back to work just like any other citizen legislator.”
“Other doctors have been able to do it, and I don’t plan on ever quitting being a doctor, although at some point my goal is to work three days a week,” she adds.
“I am not running away from being a doctor, I just think I can take all I have learned and my passion for Nevada and my passion for the hard-working rural Americans and somehow help. I love the independence of rural Nevadans. We get together and help ourselves. We don’t sit back and wait for the government to do something for us. We do it! And because the community is involved, we take pride in it, says Dr. Titus.
She continues, “Nevada needs to do better with that. They get so bogged down and Clark County fails to see all our natural resources we have in rural Nevada.”
“I am not anti-Clark County; it has its value too. But they just don’t see all the stuff in between Clark and Washoe counties. They just fly over us all the time,” concludes the candidate.
Background info
Dr. Titus is a Smith Valley High School graduate of the 12-member class of 1972. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno on scholarships while also working several jobs.
She began college as a chemical engineering major but changed to the field of medicine so she could return to the community she loved; and her medical school education was financed through a plan she recommended to Lyon County Commissioners whoa greed to pay for her schooling in return for her promise to practice medicine in Lyon County.
She received a Doctorate of Medicine from the University School of Medicine in May of 1981 and took over the practice of venerable physician Dr. Mary Fulstone in 1984. And, now, she has practiced for more than 30 years.
Dr. Titus is one of the few physicians who maintains obligations to make house calls as “the right thing to do”; and she also covers the emergency room at the local hospital while continuing to serve as the county’s Health officer.
An avid outdoor-person who has climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest and remains an active runner and bicycle rider, she has served on several state committees, specialty boards, licensure boards, and appointed positions, while remaining an active Rural Preceptor for residents and medical students at Nevada’s School of Medicine.