Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill formally launched her campaign for governor Thursday, unveiling ambitious tax reform proposals — including two that would raise revenue from property taxes — to help pay for improved infrastructure, education and social services in the Silver State.

Hill, a Democrat in her second term as county commissioner, told The Nevada Independent ahead of her Las Vegas launch that she loves serving the county but is frustrated by the state’s lack of solutions to local problems in areas such as transportation, access to public services and education.

State officials have focused on giving away tax benefits to major corporations as a way to help diversify the economy, she said. But Hill noted that the growth the state is experiencing hasn’t solved the underlying financial strain on families, or issues such as highway congestion, potholes and lack of education funding. 

“I am not seeing any problem-solving as well as solutions coming from folks who are entering into this race,” Hill said. “Big business is thriving right now, but when I’m talking to families, they feel further and further behind. … I feel like I have an obligation as a public servant and as a mom and as someone who is a Nevadan through and through that we talk about these problems.”

To that end, Hill’s platform includes sweeping progressive policies that failed to become law in recent years: ending tax giveaways to billionaires, taxing corporate-owned properties at higher rates than owner-occupied properties and tying road costs to users, including companies such as Amazon and Tesla. She also wants Nevada’s property tax law to reset depreciation every time a property sells (so it is taxed at what it is valued at, rather than the current practice of taxing it at the lower value price at which it was first sold) — a similar policy proposed in the 2025 legislative session was projected to generate hundreds of millions more dollars a year for education, but died in the state Senate. 

Hill’s proposed changes also include temporary rent caps — an idea vetoed twice by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, whom she could face if she wins the primary. She noted that property tax increases are capped (which wouldn’t be changed in her plan), while rent is not. She said she’s not a proponent of rent caps as a long-term solution but believes it’d be a reasonable short-term stopgap to help families and seniors on fixed incomes survive while the state works to increase housing affordability and availability.

She said her proposals would help state and local governments pay for improved roads and infrastructure, raise school funding to at least the national average and invest in homeless programs and outreach, as well as other community services. 

Born in Sparks, Hill, 42, resides in Reno’s Old Southwest neighborhood with her husband, Matthew Tuma, and their 3-year-old daughter, Zora.

Before taking office in 2020, Hill worked in city planning and public policy for more than a decade in Sparks and Reno, and worked for a variety of nonprofits and universities.

Hill is expected to face incumbent Attorney General Aaron Ford, who announced intentions to run in December. Ford has spent six years in the statewide role and previously served in the Legislature, culminating as Senate majority leader.

Though her opponent has more experience in state government, Hill said he’s not bringing the necessary solutions.

“With the growth, we should be seeing more amenities,” Hill said. “Why are we not? And it's because of this broken system.”

‘We might as well rip off the Band-Aid’

As part of her platform, Hill also calls for removing opt-out options on union dues for employees in unionized workplaces — drawing an analogy to homeowners associations (HOAs) by saying that not paying HOA dues but getting access to benefits is wrong. The opt-out option is sometimes referred to as “right to work.” She also advocates for investing in workforce development as a way to help improve the state without relying on handouts to big corporations. 

Deviating from the Democratic Party, Hill said part of her campaign includes fighting for open primaries. The commitment comes after Republicans and Democrats opposed a recent ballot measure to implement open primaries and ranked-choice voting. Though the measure passed in 2022, it failed its required second passage in 2024.

“I have been a Democrat my whole life. This is not necessarily where my party lies, but the nonpartisan party that's not a party is the biggest voting block in Nevada,” Hill said. “We are disenfranchising them by not allowing them to engage in the primary system without forcing them to switch their party affiliation when they register.”

Though efforts to reform Nevada’s tax system have met heavy opposition from big businesses, constituents who have worried about rising costs and political operatives who say changing the tax structure is a politically unsavvy move, Hill said she’s not afraid.

Hill said that when people understand how their lives are going to improve and are given specifics on how plans will fix streets, help families and fund schools, they’ll get excited. It’s unfair, she said, that people buying older homes in desirable neighborhoods are paying lower property taxes on similarly priced new homes.

She acknowledged that her campaign is not for fans of the status quo but reflects the feelings of many community members about the kinds of changes they want to see.

She added that running for governor gives her a platform to push for dialogue around policy solutions to the problems facing Nevadans, rather than just waiting every two years for 120 days to plead her case as a local official.

“Nevadans suffer when we don't invest in ourselves one way or another,” Hill said. “So we might as well rip off the Band-Aid and try something.”