CARSON CITY, Nev. –
Michelee “Shelly” Cruz-Crawford sought ways to give back to Nevada at the onset of the pandemic and civil unrest in 2020.
That’s when, at the age of 37, she joined the Nevada Air National Guard.
“My husband was in the Army; stepdad was in the Army; father-in-law in Marines; cousins in the Air Force,” said Cruz-Crawford, a principal at Ronnow Elementary School in Las Vegas and first lieutenant in the Nevada Air National Guard. “It was always something I was familiar with throughout my life — even it if was from the outside looking in.”
In addition to her position as a principal, she is also a traditional Guardswoman — one drill weekend of service each month — working as the Equal Opportunity Officer for the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, in Reno. About 75 percent of the 4,500 Nevada Guardsmen work as traditional or reserve Guardsmen who also work other careers in the community.
But running a school and working in the military isn’t all Cruz-Crawford does for the state of Nevada.
Last November, she was elected State Senator in District 1 (Las Vegas), now preparing to serve in her first Nevada Legislative Session, which opens Monday in Carson City. This will be the 83rd Nevada Legislative Session with 21 members in the Senate and 42 in the Assembly. Nevada lawmakers convene every other year for four months.
Military service, bipartisanship in Nevada
Cruz-Crawford, a Democrat, is not alone when it comes to Nevada legislators with military service. She fills the seat previously owned by State Sen. Pat Spearman, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who termed out this past election.
She’s also not the only current member with Nevada National Guard experience. State Assemblyman Ken Gray, Republican, of Dayton, is a retired chief master sergeant from the Nevada Air National Guard.
According to Nevada Legislative Council Bureau’s Research Division, at least 18 Nevada legislators noted service in the National Guard going back to statehood in 1864. These records don’t mention affiliation in the State Militia, the precursor to the National Guard, so that number could be higher. The State Militia across the nation started to commonly refer to itself as the National Guard in the early 20th Century.
Of the 18 noted with National Guard service in the LCB’s report, party affiliation was split 50:50 with nine Republicans and nine Democrats.
The LCB’s records dating back to statehood noted 170 legislators with military service in either the active duty, Reserves or National Guard, with war service spanning the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and wars in the Middle East. Of those, 85 were Democrat, 82 were Republican, one served different terms with both parties and three were aligned with non-major parties, according to LCB research. Three current members have noted military service experience, including Cruz-Crawford, Gray, and Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva (U.S. Marines, 2004-2008), the LCB research showed.
“In the military you must be able to get along and work with everyone,” said Gray, who enters his second legislative session after serving on the Lyon County Board of Commissioners, 2017-2022. He is a member of the Committee on Senior Citizens, Veterans and Adults with Special Needs. “In the military and in politics, you must be able to effectively work with people across all sorts of disparate backgrounds… I would like to see more Guard members get involved (with state politics).”
The Nevada National Guard along with the Nevada Department of Veterans Services will be at the Legislature on March 19 for Veterans and Military Day at the Legislature, known as VAMDAL, a chance for veterans and current members of the military to speak with their lawmakers in Carson City.
Today, Nevada leans Democratic in its bicameral legislature, but to get laws passed this session, they will have to work with a Republican Governor, Joe Lombardo, a former Nevada Army National Guard cavalry officer most well-known for his work later in his career as the sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Lieutenant Crawford goes to Carson City
Two weeks before the session, Cruz-Crawford has already moved into her new office with a residence in the state capital.
It's been a whirlwind since her election last week that swept her into office.
“I wasn’t even here in the state when I was elected,” said Cruz-Crawford, who left for Keisler Air Force Base two days before the election to attend a U.S. Air Force personnel training course. “So many people were so stressed out about the election. By that point, I had done everything I could to get elected, and I got to just focus on schoolwork and training and got to process everything in a less stressful way.
“It was perfect timing for my job training. I was happy to be gone,” said Crawford-Cruz, who was also previously elected to the Nevada Board of Regents in 2022.
While she continues a long line of Nevada Guardsmen and women to serve in the Nevada Legislature, Cruz-Crawford is the lone active member of the Nevada National Guard this Legislative Session. She says she’s ready for the four-month session and looks forward to work as chair of the Natural Resources Committee and member of both the Education Committee, and Revenue and Economic Development Committee.
“I am excited to be there as a bridge to understand the impacts on our students,” she said. “My career passion has always been education. My new background in the military makes me more well-rounded for this role in the Nevada Senate, and I can’t wait to also bring a greater understanding of our military and the Nevada National Guard to the conversation during this year’s Legislative Session in Carson City.”