Kathy Augustine
Kathy Augustine (
May 29,
1956 -
July 11,
2006) was a U.S.
Republican Party politician from
Nevada. She served in the
Nevada Assembly (1993-1995) and in the
Nevada Senate (1995-1999). She was Nevada's first female State Controller, serving from 1999 until her sudden death in 2006.
[Kathy Augustine Biography, Controller's Office.] [ ]Kathy Alfano Augustine was born in
Los Angeles, California, and was an
Italian-American.
[ ] Her educational background included a
bachelor's degree from
Occidental College, and a
Master of Public Administration degree from
California State University, Long Beach. She moved to
Las Vegas, Nevada in 1988. She was married to Charles Augustine for 17 years until his death from complications of a stroke in 2003. She had two daughters and three stepchildren from her marriage to Augustine. Shortly after Charles Augustine's death, she married William Charles "Chaz" Higgs, a critical care nurse who had been involved in Augustine's care
[ ]From 1993 to 1995, she served one term in the
Nevada Assembly. During the 1992 campaign, she was criticized for a campaign advertisement featuring a bad photograph of her African-American opponent and a caption reading "There is a real difference". She served in the
Nevada Senate from 1995 to
1999. In the 1994 state senate election, she defeated incumbent
Lori Lippman-Brown, and once again drew controversy for a campaign advertisement in which she accused Lippman-Brown of being against prayer and opposing the
Pledge of Allegiance. In fact, Brown, who is Jewish, declined to participate in a prayer led by a Christian minister and the accusation regarding Lippman-Brown's opposition to the pledge was false. Lippman-Brown later won a civil defamation lawsuit against Augustine, who later apologized for making the accusations. In 1998, she was elected as the state's first female State Controller, serving in that post until her death. In January 2004,
White House officials advised her that she was a finalist to become
Treasurer of the United States.
In September 2004, Augustine admitted violating state ethics laws during her 2002 re-election campaign, and was fined a record
US$15,000 by the state Ethics Commission. As a result of the investigation, she was impeached by the state assembly in November of the same year, and temporarily relinquished office. She was the first Nevada state official to be impeached. Following a week-long trial in the state senate, she was censured, but allowed to resume office.
Unable to seek a third term as State Controller, in January 2006, Augustine announced her candidacy for State Treasurer, despite opposition from state Republican Party leaders stemming from her impeachment. In May 2006, the party voted to deny her party support in the State Treasurer race. Despite her death, her name will remain on the ballot for the August 15 primary. If she wins, the state Republican Party will designate a replacement nominee.
On
July 8,
2006, Augustine suffered a massive
heart attack in her
Reno, Nevada home, and died three days later in an area hospital at the age of 50. On
July 14,
2006, her husband, Chaz Higgs, attempted suicide, by slitting his wrists, in the couple's Las Vegas home.
[ ] [ ]*
*
Campaign Website*
*
Press Releases, Controller's Office, States of Nevada. Retrieved on
2006-07-14. NB: Augustine's press releases while in office.
