Chris Giunchigliani

Christina R. Giunchigliani (/dʒʊŋˌkɪliˈɑːnɪ/;[1][2] born November 27, 1954), commonly known as Chris G., is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a Clark County Commissioner from 2007 until 2019.[3] Giunchigliani has been active in Nevada politics since 1991, previously serving in the Nevada Assembly, 1991–2006.[4]

Chris Giunchigliani
Member of the Clark County Commission
from District E
In office
January 1, 2007 – January 1, 2019
Preceded byMyrna Williams
Succeeded byTick Segerblom
Member of the Nevada Assembly
from the 9th district
In office
1991 – November 8, 2006
Preceded byEileen Brookman
Succeeded byTick Segerblom
Personal details
Born (1954-11-27) November 27, 1954
Lucca, Italy
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Gary Gray
​
​
(m. 1987; died 2015)​
EducationAvila University (BA)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (MEd)

Biography

Giunchigliani was born to American parents in Lucca, Italy. The oldest of six children (three girls and three boys), Giunchigliani grew up in Chicago.[5]

Giunchigliani attended Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri. She worked in retail, bartended and waitressed to pay her way through college, graduating in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in special education.[3]

After teaching special education in Shawnee Mission, Kansas for two years, she moved to Las Vegas, and worked her way to another degree, this time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, earning a master's degree in education with special emphasis on the emotionally disturbed.[5]

Giunchigliani married Gary Gray in 1987. They had no children. Gray died of complications from injuries sustained after a car accident caused by drifting across the center line and crashing his red Ford pickup truck head-on at a white Jeep on State Route 157 eastbound, just northwest of Las Vegas on April 9, 2015, at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMCSN) in Las Vegas, aged 69. Gray was a longtime political operative in Nevada, called "one of the great political minds in Nevada history" by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.[6]

Political career

She served as president of the Clark County Education Association from 1983 through 1987 and as president of the Nevada State Education Association from 1987 through 1991.[5]

From 1991 to 2006 she served in the Nevada Assembly, serving eight regular and six special sessions.[4] While serving in the assembly, Giunchigliani authored and passed legislation implementing mandatory kindergarten in public schools and requiring insurance companies to cover oral contraceptives.[7][8] Giunchigliani was succeeded by Tick Segerblom in the Nevada Assembly.

In 2006, she was elected to the Clark County Commission.[9] In 2017, Giunchigliani was the only Commissioner to vote "no" on the use of public funds to build a stadium for the Oakland Raiders.[10]

In 2011, she ran for Mayor of Las Vegas and was defeated by Independent candidate Carolyn Goodman, the wife of former Mayor Oscar Goodman.[11]

Runs for higher office

2018
See also: 2018 Nevada gubernatorial election

Giunchigliani was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Nevada in 2018, but lost the primary to Steve Sisolak.[12]

References
  1. juung-KIL-ee-AHN-ee
  2. Chris Giunchigliani profile Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani". Co.clark.nv.us. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  4. Valley, Jackie; Rindels, Michelle. "Democrat Chris Giunchigliani launches gubernatorial campaign against her commission colleague". The Nevada Independent. Nevada News Bureau. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  5. Chris Giunchigliani Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Botkin, Ben; Juhl, Wesley. "Husband of county commissioner killed in car crash". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  7. Durbin, Dee-Ann. "Committee votes for mandatory kindergarten, ads on buses". Las Vegas Sun. Greenspun Media Group. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  8. "Debate over contraceptive insurance begins". Las Vegas Sun. Greenspun Media Group. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  9. "Assemblywoman Christina R. Giunchigliani". Leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  10. Hobson, Will. "To lure Raiders, Nevada officials willing to bet big — with public money". Chicago Tribune. Tronc, Inc. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  11. 2011 Las Vegas Mayoral Race Coverage. Fox5Vegas.com. retrieved 8 July 2017.
  12. https://knpr.org/dc-blog/we-will-come-back
Political offices
Preceded by
Eileen Brookman		 Member of the Nevada Assembly
9th district
1991–2006		 Succeeded by
Tick Segerblom
Preceded by
Myrna Williams		 Clark County Commission
District E
January 1, 2007 – present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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