LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada’s longest-serving senator is remembered as one of the state’s finest leaders. Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones commented on the legacy of Sen. Harry Reid and his service in the Silver State.
"I really respected the fact that he understood politics was about helping people, and really you saw that over the course of his career,” Jones said. “There were people who didn’t particularly like his tactics, but it was always about helping people.”
Jones said approving the renaming of McCarran International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport was a monument to the work Reid accomplished in Nevada.
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Jones remembers all of Reid's accomplishments including the prevention of the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository from being built, the preservation of public lands across Nevada including the expansion of Red Rock Canyon and the impact Reid had on expanding affordable healthcare.
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"You can see from my family to immigrant families to folks who are facing difficulties with healthcare, with children who are in hospitals who can’t afford medical costs that Sen. Reid really working with colleagues was instrumental in helping so many families here in Nevada.”
Reid had a major influence in helping then-President Barack Obama pass the Affordable Care Act. Obama will deliver the eulogy at the memorial service planned.
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Jones had a personal connection to Reid. He says his wife worked with the senator for decades, and his favorite memory of the senator is when he and his wife invited him over to their house.
“What Sen. Reid wanted to do more than anything else was read a book to my daughter, who at the time was 6 years old,” Jones reminisced. “I’ll never forget that. It was just a touching memory of just how much family was to him.”
Reid is survived by his wife, five children and 19 grandchildren.
The memorial service on Saturday will be held at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts at 11 a.m. Along with Obama, President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are expected to speak.
13 Action News will have full team coverage of the memorial service. Watch on Channel 13, the KTNV app or ktnv.com/HarryReid.
