In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, it was unknown if Nevada could bounce back. Businesses were shuttered, Nevadans’ homes were foreclosed on, and many questioned the fate of the travel and tourism industry. There was one figure in Nevada’s history who stepped up in a way no one else could have. Behind the scenes, it was our own Sen. Harry Reid, who tirelessly engineered a comeback only a poor, hardscrabble boy from Searchlight could pull off.

Sen. Reid proudly sponsored and shepherded the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to help us weather the storm. This provided billions of dollars to the state to offset budget shortfalls, help small business owners, keep police on our streets, and avert layoffs that kept teachers in our classrooms.

He fought as hard for families as he did for the businesses that employed those same Nevadans. 

With Nevada being among the hardest hit by the housing downturn and leading the nation with the highest foreclosure rates, Sen. Reid made foreclosure prevention a priority and fought to keep this problem from growing. He worked with the Obama Administration to establish the Hardest Hit Fund, which allocated $1.5 billion to five states, including Nevada, where housing prices had fallen more than 20 percent. He supported the Housing and Economic Recovery Act which created the first federal initiative to address the negative home equity facing many Nevadans. 

But his efforts went beyond legislation. After hearing firsthand from Nevadans that requests for help from Bank of America were going unanswered, he reached out to the company asking them to partner with his offices to help struggling homeowners. As a result, Bank of America set up a 1-800 hotline exclusively for Nevada homeowners who had a mortgage with the company, opened three homeownership resource centers in Henderson, Las Vegas, and Reno, and devoted a team of Bank of America loan specialists to work alongside his staff on housing casework.

In all the years I have known Sen. Reid, he has never backed down from a righteous fight. He took on the mob with the same intestinal fortitude that he took on fighting for Nevada to come out of the Great Recession. The CityCenter project would not have seen the light of day if not for his doggedness and sheer will. While news helicopters captured images of trucks delivering rented fencing to seal off and shutter the construction site, Sen. Reid was busy making calls to banking executives imploring them to keep the lines of credit open so the project could continue. His unprecedented efforts saved the CityCenter development and ushered in the next phase of the most famous street in the world, and more importantly, created and preserved more than 22,000 jobs.

In 2010, Sen. Reid led the passage of the Travel Promotion Act, which was inspired by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s successful marketing model at no cost to taxpayers and enticed travelers from all over the world to come to the United States. One of the greatest exports America has is tourism, and Sen. Reid knew we needed to boost travel in the U.S. to sustain our economy, save jobs and spur the creation of thousands more. This was the comeback Nevada needed, and uplifted our state and our people to a better and stronger economy.

Recognizing the vital role travel and tourism play in our economy, Sen. Reid fought for federal funding to modernize Nevada’s airports and support infrastructure around the Las Vegas Strip. In 2016 alone, he secured nearly $18 million in funding for airport updates and repairs. He worked to direct funding to build the Bonneville Transportation Center which helps serve the Strip and its resorts. Sen. Reid also allocated funds to the Nevada Department of Transportation to widen the airport connector at McCarran Airport and the 215 Beltway. This project widened the beltway from six to eight lanes between Las Vegas Boulevard and Windmill Lane to reduce travel time through the airport bypass. Because of his efforts, visitors are able to more easily access the Strip’s properties and generate revenue for our state.

His leadership has proven to be a model for how to come out on top again as we face another challenging time. He has inspired our current leaders to fight like hell for Nevadans. He championed Las Vegas as the world-class travel destination we know today and fought relentlessly to save our city even when the cards were stacked against us. As we find ourselves in another economic storm, I hope to one day be able to welcome back our normal influx of over 40 million visitors each year. This time when they arrive in Las Vegas, it will be at Harry Reid International Airport.

Stephen J. Cloobeck is an entrepreneur, founder of Diamond Resorts International, and former Chairman of the Corporation for Travel Promotion also known as Brand USA. He is the largest individual donor to the state Democratic Party, and has contributed $900,000 to The Nevada Independent.