nv_gov_JONES

JAN JONES

• Born Janis Laverty in Santa Monica, California, Jones grew up in a well-off family. Her grandfather was the founder of Thriftimart, a successful supermarket chain in Southern California. After graduating from Stanford University in 1971 and following stints with other companies, Jones spent a decade helping to run her family's Thriftimart Corporation. She moved to Las Vegas while she was working for Thriftimart.

• In 1987, Jones became partner in the Fletcher Jones Management Group, her then-husband's company, which owned a dozen car dealerships in Nevada and California. She also won notoriety after starring in several campy television ads promoting the dealerships. When Jones began campaigning for mayor, she was well-known from the ads, but she also had to prove that she was a serious candidate.

• A political neophyte who campaigned as an outsider and pledged to clean up government, Jones was elected mayor of Las Vegas in May 1991 with 52%. In a field of 12 candidates, her closest challenger was City Council member Steve Miller, who received 27%. Jones is the first female mayor of Las Vegas, the nation's fastest-growing city.

• In 1994, Jones challenged sitting Governor Bob Miller, in the Democratic primary. She emphasized her support for abortion rights, which Miller opposed, but she lost by a landslide, 62% to 8%.

• Twice-divorced, Jones is now married to Richard Schuetz, a gambling industry consultant. Jones has been under investigation several times by the State Ethics Commission stemming from votes she cast on the Las Vegas City Council that allegedly helped her husband. So far she has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

• Diagnosed with breast cancer in January 1998, Jones has faced questions about whether she is healthy enough to be elected governor. She underwent surgery in February and then faced chemotherapy and radiation treatments which her doctor says have been successful.