And Now, A Word on Those Who Didn't Even Show Up

Last night, the main attraction... Wait, scratch that. The NV-03 debate was the only debate at Ner Tamid Synagogue in Henderson. For some reason, the other candidates backed out of the candidates' debate.

Hmmmm, we wonder why...

Yep, this happened. pic.twitter.com/PatJmWufEh

— Andrew Davey (@atdleft) October 21, 2014

So Ralston was left having a live "Face to Face" chat with Lt. Governor candidate Lucy Flores (D). During their chat in stage, Flores had the opportunity to speak directly to voters on why she's running for this office and what's the truth to all the TV ads they've been seeing lately. And yes, she actually took it.

Flores explained to Ralston and the audience how she can use the Lt. Governor's Office as a platform to pursue progress on a host of issues. She promised to work for better support for public education if elected. And she promised to ensure that efforts to bring more business to Nevada actually employ Nevada businesses.

Let's try this again. @LucyFlores w/ supporters after her opponent was no show. #DebateTime #Vegas #NVGov #lf4lg pic.twitter.com/jnGeC181eL

— Andrew Davey (@atdleft) October 21, 2014

Ralston was probably hoping for at least some of the fireworks that exploded at Vegas PBS studios last week, but that didn't happen here. Nope, Mark Hutchison (R) was nowhere to be found.

And the same could be said about Clark County Sheriff candidate Joe Lombardo. He also backed out of the Ner Tamid debate. But why? Especially why would the "frontrunner" who likes to boast of his "superior qualifications" back out of a chance to directly show voters his "superior qualifications"?

So Ralston was left to interview Larry Burns solo. He answered a couple questions, somewhat evaded Ralston's final question, then stayed after Ralston left to speak directly with voters.

@BurnsForSheriff @ Ner Tamid, but no debate b/c opponent didn't show up. #Vegas #LVSheriff pic.twitter.com/mLkp00HH4G

— Andrew Davey (@atdleft) October 21, 2014

Can anyone guess the pet peeve that's irritating us today? At least Rep. Joe Heck (R) and Erin Bilbray (D) showed up to debate each other. Why couldn't Mark Hutchison and Joe Lombardo extend the same courtesy to Mr. Ralston, Ner Tamid, and local voters?

And don't get us started on the certain State Senator who was more than happy to saunter across the Ner Tamid stage in 2010, only to go into hiding now. We know exactly what he's up to. He can't stay in hiding forever.

The (#MLS2LV) Show Will Go On

Last month, we were treated to "visions of stadium splendor". All of a sudden, a Downtown soccer stadium became the magic elixir that could somehow catapult Las Vegas into nirvana...

Until reality set in. And then, all of a sudden, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman's (I) MLS dreams came crashing down. Once independent experts started poking through the Cordish-Findlay stadium proposal, they found some nasty red alarms. So Mayor Goodman, Cordish, and Findlay announced a new plan.



But is the new plan enough to assuage Las Vegas City Council Members and Las Vegas residents who have been worried about the city being left with the short end of the stick while Cordish & Findlay laugh all the way to the bank (with all those taxpayer provided subsidies)?



Just might it... If it includes $250 million worth of "Downtown investment"?

Maybe. The Las Vegas City Council just voted 6-1 to grant another 2 month extension to Cordish & Findlay. Apparently, the promise to "enhance Symphony Park" is worth both $250 million and a 2 month extension.

However, this just takes us back to the fundamental question at hand. If Cordish can afford $250 million to "enhance Symphony Park", why are Cordish executives and Justin Findlay still demanding public subsidies? Oh, yes. That's right. Their "profit margins are too thin" without public funding.

Last we checked, Cordish & Findlay are still demanding a $3 million per year annual subsidy from the City of Las Vegas. And last we checked, Council Member Lois Tarkanian (D) has promised to vote against any stadium proposal involving any public subsidies.

So what's it going to be? Will Cordish & Findlay finally drop their demands for the City of Las Vegas to essentially pay them to build a soccer stadium on city land? Or will they try yet another scheme to try to flip Council Member Tarkanian's vote? All we know now is that this show will go on to December.

Goal?

Last night, the City of Las Vegas held its first of a series of six community town hall meetings at Centennial Hills Community Center. Why? Well... Goal!

Or at least, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (I) and some City Council Members are hoping they're about to hit a big goal with a proposed Downtown soccer stadium. However, not everyone seems to be sold on this. Las Vegas city officials looked ready to give a "pep talk", but a number of residents were ready to grill officials over the numbers behind this grandiose proposal.



Las Vegas city taxpayers are being asked to chip in nearly $130 million towards the estimated $410 million price tag for the new stadium. A number of financial experts are now stepping forward to explain the many risks the city will take if it decides to partially subsidize The Cordish Companies' and Findlay Sports & Entertainment's desired Downtown stadium. After all, the city will ultimately be on the hook for at least $82 million even if the stadium succeeds in attracting a well performing Major League Soccer (MLS) team and selling out plenty of games... And that's still a major if.

Over the years, Dr. Judith Grant Long has been crunching the numbers on the public costs of "public-private partnership" sports stadiums. She's revealed the hidden costs of these stadium deals, such as "free land", lease discounts, and tax exemptions. Yet so far, the City of Las Vegas isn't noting any of these costs in its "financial analysis" of the stadium plan.

In 2012, Bloomberg News revealed that Americans had spent $4 billion subsidizing sports stadiums since 1986. And what have we received in turn? Oh, about $10 billion in additional costs while sports team owners laugh all the way to the bank.

There are plenty of good reasons for Las Vegas city residents to be skeptical about this latest stadium proposal. Remember when the City of Henderson ran into trouble over a stadium plan that Chris Milam was never going to get off the ground? While the Cordish-Findlay Las Vegas soccer stadium plan doesn't approach that level of fraud (or at least, not yet), there are already a number of warning signs on the high costs the City of Las Vegas will have to incur for it. And so far, there's little evidence suggesting this stadium will actually "pay for itself". After all, no publically subsidized stadium ever truly has.

Perhaps now that Tesla scored the sweetheart deal of a lifetime from the State of Nevada, Cordish & Findlay now want in on the corporate welfare gravy train. What exactly is the goal of Mayor Goodman and the stadium cheerleaders? That's the key question that City Council Members and Las Vegas city residents must ask at the upcoming town halls.

Worth the Wait?

Just over a year ago, Governor Brian Sandoval (R) signed SB 374 into law. This finally provided patients with a legal way to obtain medical marijuana.

Yet while we'll need to wait a little longer before any actual medical marijuana dispensaries open here in Nevada, "The Great Green Rush" is already underway. Entrepreneurs are rushing in to cash in on the new green sensation.

Yet already, some controversy has emerged... But not over the actual medicine. No, we're seeing growing controversy at Clark County Government Center because of how the county has been selecting finalists for medical marijuana licenses.

We'll admit we had some harsh words for the City of Henderson when the City Council decided to enact a year long moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries. Why deny residents the medicine they need? And why deny businesses the opportunity to capitalize on this while also providing a necessary service?



But now, we're wondering if there was perhaps a method to the madness at Henderson City Hall. In trying to avoid the drama that's come to define the Clark County licensing process, the Henderson City Council just gave their first green light to a tentative set of regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries. So was the wait worth it?

Perhaps. Back in May, we stated that "state & municipal authorities need to adopt wise regulations to ensure a fair market place". Now, we're wondering if perhaps Henderson's draft dispensary regulations are worth the wait.

We can understand why we've seen some awkward situations lately. Nevada has entered previously uncharted territory. So of course, there will be some missteps as we climb up the ladder to some sort of sensible marijuana policy.

But now, several weeks after Clark County and the City of Las Vegas jumped head first into the medical marijuana business, Henderson is taking a dip. And now, Henderson seems to be offering regulations that might actually be fair and sensible. Maybe, just maybe, this was worth the wait.

The Great Green Rush

Last year, the Nevada Legislature passed SB 374. And after some initial hesitation, Governor Brian Sandoval (R) ultimately signed it into law. And with SB 374 becoming state law, medical marijuana dispensaries were finally cleared to open in the near future so patients could safely access the medicine they need.

Unfortunately for medical marijuana users, they ran into hiccups early this year when municipal governments throughout Nevada balked at the prospect of approving medical marijuana dispensaries. But in March, a major breakthrough occurred when the Clark County Commission approved a timeline to allow for new dispensaries in unincorporated Clark County communities. And later that month, the City of Las Vegas followed suit by announcing its own plans to draft regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries. And now, Las Vegas has finally approved specific locations for dispensaries.



And the City of North Las Vegas may also soon follow suit. At this point, Henderson and Boulder City are the only Las Vegas Valley municipal governments that are not moving forward on dispensaries. Boulder City has a ban in place. Henderson currently has a moratorium in effect until July... But with Henderson facing an increasingly nasty budget shortfall, the city may have to reconsider its stance on medical marijuana.

After all, medical marijuana is expected to bring more business to Southern Nevada. There's a reason why so many dispensary applications flowed into Clark County Government Center.



Hint: They want a piece of "The Great Green Rush". And as long as applicants are going into this for the right reasons and intend to serve patients in need, they have every right to go into this business. But of course, with every "rush" comes risk. So state & municipal authorities need to adopt wide regulations to ensure a fair market place.

There's a reason why all of this is happening. There's a reason why certain "entrepreneurs" are rushing to "embrace the weed". And there's a reason why the Nevada Legislature passed SB 374 in the first place.

It's because our legislators finally realized medical marijuana patients didn't deserve to be treated like criminals for daring to access the medicine they need. This is why we're now starting to experience "The Great Green Rush".

And all involved in this new "Rush" need to keep in mind who they need to serve.

Embrace the Weed

Well, isn't this interesting? Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) dropped quite the bomb during his interview with Las Vegas Sun's Karoun Demirjian. So what was this bong bomb? Go ask Mary Jane about it.

No really, Senator Reid said he's down with medical marijuana. This marks another major policy evolution for the Senator. He's never even tried pot before. And not that long ago, he was a willing "Drug Warrior". But now, he says it's time for a change.

And why not? SB 374 is now the law of the land here in Nevada. Medical studies have shown that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol, and that there are legitimate health benefits of medical marijuana. Oh, and most Americans now support full legalization of (medical & recreational) marijuana.

Even President Obama now seems to be accepting the science... And society's changing attitudes. So why are Las Vegas & Henderson dragging their feet on allowing medical marijuana dispensaries? Patients need it. The state will soon officially sanction dispensaries to provide it. Why are Nevada's two largest cities pretending that it's some sort of "evil weed"?

Apparently, they're afraid of "the feds". And to be fair, they're still a problem. Even though President Obama and reality now seem to disagree, federal law enforcement is still cracking down on any & all marijuana. And local law enforcement still seems to be following the feds' lead... Even with state law saying otherwise.

Unfortunately, medical marijuana patients and other marijuana users are still caught in the middle of all this hot legal mess. And if they happen to be caught "inhaling while dark skinned", they get quite the heavy book thrown at them.

So what are we to do about this hot legal mess? Usually, we're not into letting out gardens go. But in this case, our OCD weeding is far more detrimental than the actual weed itself. Perhaps it's time for us to finally embrace the weed (provided it's properly regulated).

Change Course

Last month, we got quite the surprise. A White Pine County district court judge ruled against the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) in the latest law suit challenging SNWA's proposed Snake Valley Pipeline, the proposal many Rural Nevadans and environmentalists know as "The Water Grab". And to make matters even more awkward at SNWA headquarters, this news came just as long-time "Water Czar" Pat Mulroy was preparing to step down from the post that she molded and fashioned herself.

But now, all eyes are turning to John Entsminger. Why? He's Mulroy's pick to succeed her. And yesterday, he scored tentative approval from the Clark County Commission to take over the Las Vegas Valley Water District, the sister organization of SNWA. (Typically, the head of the Water District also takes charge of SNWA.)

Looking ahead, John Entsminger faces plenty of challenges. Perhaps the greatest one involves the epic Western Drought that's increasingly becoming "the new normal" as
climate change continues to take hold. The Colorado River simply isn't a limitless well. And a few good days of rain just aren't enough to make all of this go away.

So what can be done? Actually, it's already been done. And even more is possible... And probably necessary as well. Of course, we're talking about water conservation.

It's likely cheaper than all the additional construction and litigation that will be necessary to develop the Snake Valley Pipeline. But so far, Entsminger has refused to back away from Mulroy's plans to build the controversial pipeline. It just remains to be seen whether the rest of Clark County will be so willing to stay the course.

Funny enough, even John Entsminger himself has admitted that some changes will be necessary. With so much aging infrastructure and more practical ways to manage water resources likely at hand, does it make sense to charge small consumers more just to build a pipeline that was originally meant to nourish Harvey Whittemore's greatest pipe dream yet? Or is it time to change course?

What a Gun Show

This weekend will be Boulder City's Spring Jamboree. Typically, it's an event tailored for the whole family with an art fair, a car show, an antique show, plenty of kid friendly games, and more. And all of that will happen next weekend. And on top of all that, the Spring Jamboree will also feature the first annual Rocky Mountain Gun Show.

Wait, what?! No really, a gun show will be part of the Spring Jamboree. And thanks to Senator Dean Heller's (R-46%) recent move to block even a vote on gun safety legislation centered around closing "The Gun Show Loophole" for background checks, who knows who will show up in Boulder City for this?

On Saturday, local Boulder City activists were joined by Organizing for Action volunteers to protest both Senator Heller's capitulation to the gun lobby and Boulder City's shocking decision to include the Rocky Mountain Gun Show in the Spring Jamboree. After walking from the recreation center (where the gun show will be) to a nearby Episcopal Church, Barbara Polk explained why local residents are concerned about this.





And then, Esther Sass arose to speak of her brother-in-law's untimely death in front of the Empire State Building (in New York). He never had a chance, and that's only because his assailant had a gun. WARNING: The video below has a graphic image. Viewer discretion is advised.





A retired teacher also spoke in Boulder City. She worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and one of her students was shot dead. That was a horrifying experience that she will never forget.





And finally, ProgressNow Nevada and OFA super-activist Teresa Crawford came ready. She listed frightening statistics of Nevada guns that end up at California crime scenes. As we discussed in February, criminal outfits often buy guns in states with lax standards (like Nevada) and send them all over the place, even to states with strict gun safety laws (like California). And since there's currently no federal baseline for gun safety, it's difficult to curb this kind of trafficking.



And sadly, this is coming to Boulder City this weekend. It doesn't have to happen, but the Boulder City Council and the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce have been digging in their heels. All residents can do now is hope things don't get out of hand this weekend... And then, demand action to ensure this doesn't happen again. Oh, and they can tell Congress to finally get their act together on expanding background checks to gun shows and other "private sales".

Another Big (Municipal) Election Reform Bill

Last week, there was plenty of angst over the low turnout in this year's Southern Nevada municipal elections (for Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite, and North Las Vegas). That's why we're now seeing renewed calls to move municipal elections to even numbered years (when they'd coincide with county, state, and federal level elections).

However, that's not all. There's another bill pending in the Nevada Legislature that promises to deliver another major change to municipal elections up north and down south if passed into law. Currently, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas essentially have district elections for City Council. However, Henderson City Council elections are citywide. When John Marz ran for a full term this year, he didn't just have to campaign in Ward 3 (where he lives, and where he's supposed to represent). Marz had to run citywide, which meant Anthem and MacDonald Ranch residents may have had at least as much say in the representation of Green Valley North and Whitney Ranch on the City Council as Green Valley North & Whitney Ranch residents.

And this isn't just happening in Henderson. Up north, Reno, Sparks, and Carson City have the same system. Even though they technically have wards (or Supervisorial Districts in Carson City), elections are all citywide. So again, there's the risk of one region and/or faction determining the fate of all city offices.

Am I the only one seeing something disturbing here? Apparently not, since Senator Pat Spearman (D-North Las Vegas) introduced SB 457. And today, it advanced in committee.

The vote was 3-2, with the two Republicans on the committee, Sens. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, and Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, opposing it.

Currently, all voters in the cities of Reno and Sparks vote for every single member of the city council regardless of geographic ward. The bill would change the elections so voters only vote for the council member that represents their ward. (Reno would also be required to get rid of its at-large council member and create a sixth ward in 2016.)

Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas, who sponsored the legislation, said that change is needed so the voters in just one or two wards are not determining the outcome of elections.

"Those more affluent wards are the ones that are really electing people," Spearman said Tuesday morning. The bill would also affect elections in Henderson and Carson City.

So now, the bill moves to the full Senate. We'll have to wait and see what happens on the Senate floor.

In the mean time, legislators should consider this. They have to run in their own districts, win support in their own districts, and earn the trust of constituents in their own districts. And City Council Members in Las Vegas & North Las Vegas essentially do the same. So why must it be so different in the other major Nevada cities?

Final Municipal Election Primary Report

So has anything changed since last night? Well, not enough to actually change the results that looked quite apparent last night. So what happened?

In Henderson, Mayor Andy Hafen slipped just under 55%, but that's still more than enough to avoid a runoff. Incumbent Ward 3 Council Member John Marz now stands just under 52%, and that's also more than enough to avoid a June runoff. The only runoff happening here will be for Municipal Judge, as incumbent Mark Stevens only scored 42% to Sandy DiGiacomo's 41%.

Again, Las Vegas will have no June runoffs at all. Ward 2's Bob Beers and Ward 4's Stavros Anthony are still above 75%. And while Ward 6 tightened up a bit, Steve Ross still finished just below 53%, which means no June runoff.

Yet while the other two major Southern Nevada cities were ho-hum, North Las Vegas was full of drama last night. We saw both a stunning rebuke (for one) and an epic comeback (for the other) as Former State Senator John Lee defeated incumbent Mayor Shari Buck 53% to 35%. Buck won't even have the chance of a June runoff, since Lee scored over 50%. However, Ward 1 will go to June runoff, as Isaac Barron scored 45% to Jared Hardy's 25%. Yet Ward 3 won't, as incumbent Anita Wood stands at just under 52%.

Unfortunately, turnout was horrific. Overall turnout was just over 11%. Henderson turnout hovered over 12%, while Las Vegas and North Las Vegas turnout only topped 10%. Yes, it was really that bad.

It's saddening to think that so few people participated in the process. As we discussed yesterday, this is the level of government we interact with most often. This was our chance to have our say in the direction of our communities and the state of our roads, parks, community centers, police & fire services, and more. Yet, only a select few of us even bothered to participate.

There's been talk of moving the municipal elections to even numbered years. I had been leery of that before, since local elections will likely be overshadowed by federal and state level elections. But at this point, is anyone even noticing municipal elections. I guess almost 45,000 people did, but that's still quite pathetic.

Otherwise, last night's results weren't really frightening. Rather, it looks like a certain "newspaper" was embarrassed badly in its effort to meddle in Henderson City Hall politics. And "tea party" efforts to defeat Steve Ross in Las Vegas backfired. At least most of those who showed up seemed to tire of the kind of zealotry that's wreaked havoc in past cycles & other elections.

So status quo reigned supreme for most of the municipal elections yesterday. That's not entirely bad... But it would have been nice to see more voter participation.

Municipal Elections UPDATE

So today was the final day of voting for the Southern Nevada municipal election primaries. Now, we have results... At least from early voting. But in this case, that may be all we need to figure out the final results for at least most of these races.

So what's happening? So far, most incumbents are cruising.

In Henderson, Mayor Andy Hafen has likely just been reelected. He has just over 57.7% with early votes, so at this point it's unlikely he'll even have to face a runoff at this point. Perhaps Hafen really lucked out with the lack of serious opponents, as did John Marz in Ward 3. Marz now sits at 52.2%, so he's closer to the edge. He must be hoping none of his opponents caught any late momentum, so that he can also avoid a June runoff. So far, the only likely runoff looks to be for Municipal Judge (Department 1), as incumbent Mark Stevens is locked in a close race with Sandy DiGiacomo with nearly 42% a piece.

Las Vegas will likely have no June runoffs. Both Bob Beers in Ward 2 and Stavros Anthony in Ward 4 romped the early vote with over 75%, so they've likely been very securely reelected. Steve Ross wasn't quite as fortunate in Ward 6, but he will likely also be reelected as he took 55.3% of the early vote.

If Henderson & Las Vegas are mostly lacking in the drama, then North Las Vegas is swimming in it tonight! For one, this city may already have a new Mayor waiting in the wings. John Lee led incumbent Shari Buck 51.7% to 37.2% in the early vote, so Buck may not even have a chance for redemption in the June runoff! However, there will be a Ward 1 runoff, as no one cleared 50% there. Isaac Barron at least came somewhat close with almost 41%, so he may have an edge over Jared Hardy (who only scored 27.7% so far). And in Ward 3, incumbent Anita Wood probably won another term tonight, as she scored 54.4% in the early vote.

So far, the status quo seems to be holding in most of the Southern Nevada cities. There just may be some interesting drama brewing in North Las Vegas. Just stay tuned here at Nevada Progressive. Tomorrow, we'll post another update on the big municipal races.

Why Vote Today? It Really Matters!

So it's finally here. Today is Election Day in Henderson, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, and Wards 2, 4, & 6 of Las Vegas. Municipal election primaries for City Council (and Mayor in Henderson & North Las Vegas) are today, and voting continues until 7:00 PM.

But come on, this is just city council. Why is it important to take time out of one's busy schedule to vote today? Let me explain.

Local government is most likely the government one interacts with every day. Local government takes care of the roads. And it runs the parks. And it runs the community centers. And it provides police & fire protection. Local government may not seem important compared to that on the state & federal levels, but it actually is.

So if you want to have your say on what will happen to the local community center, the state of your neighborhood's roads, and current police policies, you need to vote today. It's really as simple as that. You can only have your say on the state of your community if you participate. And the most basic way to participate is to vote.

Again, vote centers will be open until 7:00 PM tonight. So don't forget to vote today. Your community depends on it.

No Mo' "Vegas 911!"?

So it finally happened. After a series of threats, they finally did it. Yesterday, Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously to abolish the Las Vegas Township Constable's Office in 2015.

Barring a legal decision to the contrary, the Las Vegas Township Constable’s Office will be abolished in 2015.

The Clark County Commission, after two hours of discussion at their meeting Tuesday, voted unanimously to abolish the office, effective when the term of the current elected constable, John Bonaventura, expires in January 2015. [...]

The primary job of the office is to enforce evictions and serve civil documents such as subpoenas, property liens, court summonses and wage garnishments filed in Las Vegas Township.

Although commissioners have not determined how the duties of the office would be divided among other agencies, most of them likely will fall to the sheriff's civil process section. [...]

Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said the decision to abolish the office this time around stems from an effort to provide services more efficiently.

“The office in my mind is no longer necessary. We have a sheriff’s office that can handle it. We have private sector folks that can do it,” she said.

In recent years, the Las Vegas Constable's Office (and especially Constable John Bonaventura himself) has been making news for all the wrong reasons. Sexual harassment allegations, a DUI arrest, meddling in the Steven Brooks scandal, and even a reality TV audition video (??!!) have created some embarrassing headlines. And the Clark County Commission wants no more of it.

However, this story is far from over. Bonaventura is now suing to halt this planned abolition of his office. A hearing has been set for April 30.

And this isn't even the only effort to abolish the Las Vegas Constable's Office. On Monday, State Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson (R-Attention) dropped SB 294, which abolishes the office and shifts duties to the Sheriff's Office as soon as the bill becomes law. So there's also that.

And something's telling me this melodrama won't be going away any time soon. Bonaventura seems to like his current gig, so he doesn't want it to be pulled away so soon. Yet Clark County Commissioners are tired of the scandalicious headlines, and the recent news has made them question the very necessity of the Constable's Office. Even certain Nevada legislators want to elbow their way into this story.

In the mean time, we're just wondering when we can expect local law enforcement that our communities can trust. Let us know when that happens.

PAC's & Mudslinging in North Las Vegas

And it's election time again! Wait, didn't we already have one last November? Yes, we did... For federal, state, and county offices. This spring, however, features municipal elections for all Clark County cities.

North Las Vegas is one of these cities. And considering North Las Vegas' recent history of salacious scandals and other forms of bad press, this election may very well become a referendum on the current troubled state of the city. That's why we're seeing all sorts of political jockeying and bare-knuckle campaigning emerge.

Take, for instance, the emergence of a new PAC opposing North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck's reelection bid.

A political action committee, helpfully calling itself The Coalition for Truth in Government, has formed to fund an independent expenditure effort that will benefit Buck's main foe, ex-state Sen. John Lee.

Political consultant David Thomas formed the PAC, and he told me Monday he has his first mailer ready to go. So who's funding it?

Thomas wouldn't tell me, but he did acknowledge that at least one union is involved. (Buck has fought with NLV labor groups over budget-cutting.)

"These are people who are angry with Shari Buck," Thomas told me. "I believe she's doing a lousy job....a horrendous job. I'm not sure there's a government that has been run as badly, and the public needs to know. I don't think she's qualified to be the mayor of any city."

This is what happens when a Mayor and City Council use legally questionable tactics to violate city workers' rights. And this is what happens when a Mayor presides over one of the "10 Worst Run Cities in America". And I guess this is what happens when a Mayor "leads" one's city to the brink of insolvency. And perhaps this is what happens after a Mayor's spouse played a shadowy role in the great city council debacle in the last round of municipal elections. We really shouldn't be surprised this is happening to Shari Buck.

However, there is a strange and surprising twist to this story: John Lee is using this to attempt a political comeback! Yes, that's right. After his stunningly lopsided SD 1 Democratic Primary defeat by Pat Spearman last June, Former State Senator John Lee began crafting his return to the political stage by sending out "feelers" for a potential run for Nor'town City Hall. He must have liked the results. So now, John Lee will again be on the ballot.

As mentioned above, this race has already turned nasty. Buck has already been sending attack mailers against Lee noting his pursuit of multiple offices in the past 18 months (NV-04, SD 1, Nor'town Mayor, did I miss any?). Lee has obviously been hitting Buck over her own record as Nor'town Mayor. And now, PAC money has started to flood the city.

Early voting has already begun today in North Las Vegas, so campaigning there is already hot and heavy. And with 2 other candidates in the Mayoral Ring, there's a possibility of a June runoff. So Nor'towners need to brace themselves. This may be a long, expensive, and dirty slog all through the spring.

Unspinning (Chris Milam's Henderson) #StadiumGate

Well, that didn't take too long. The City of Henderson is now in negotiations to settle its law suit against Chris Milam over the disputed stadium project south of The M Resort.

City government spokesman Bud Cranor confirmed that settlement talks are being held.

“At this point, we do not have an agreement,” he said.

An attorney for Milam did not immediately return a call Monday seeking comment.

Milam laid out plans for an indoor arena and three stadiums in Henderson for his proposed Las Vegas National Sports Complex, though no teams have committed to the facilities. The complex was expected to cost more than $1 billion.

In late January, City Hall sued Milam and several others working with him on the project. They were accused of using a city-approved development pact to buy the 480-acre project site at a cheap price, about $10.5 million, and then sell it “piecemeal” to residential and commercial developers.

Last Wednesday at the Henderson Democratic Club's candidates' night, Mayor Andy Hafen talked about the city's desire to build a major league sports stadium on that land south of The M Resort. He ardently believes it's the right place. It's close to The 15, yet it's currently BLM managed open desert. There are no worries about eminent domain, traffic redirection, or any of the other, more urban concerns of the other stadium proposals (Caesars, UNLV, Downtown Las Vegas, etc.).

Perhaps this just hit at the wrong time. It certainly seemed to involve the wrong developer. Warning signs of Chris Milam appeared as early as 2011. That's why both the City of Las Vegas and Clark County respectively rejected Milam's stadium plans in 2011. It was only after those two municipal governments turned down Milam that he then struck a deal with Henderson to build that stadium on the open desert south of The M.

So it's not as if the City of Henderson is completely blameless in this debacle. Even Mayor Hafen himself has admitted the city went too fast in the past in pursuing development. I can understand he and others at Henderson City Hall think that open land is just ripe for stadium construction. They just need to make sure there's a viable plan and a trustworthy developer who can actually bring that plan to fruition. At least now, the city will be getting something for the many headaches created by this Milam scandal. And at least this debacle was stopped before it could truly cause mayhem.

Still, one can't let Milam off the hook for this. Chris Milam defrauded the City of Henderson by promising to build a stadium, then pulling out of the contract at the last minute to flip the land for residential development. Not only was Milam breaking his promise and using shaky legal ground to breach a contract, but he also could have caused real damage to the local real estate market by facilitating a glut of new houses just as the market has begun to absorb the over-supply of new homes from last decade.

While many media pundits have been pointing fingers at Henderson City Hall, we can't ignore the clear malfeasance on the part of Chris Milam. And we certainly shouldn't buy into his lawyers' spinning of him into some sort of "hero". It's easy for them to provide colorful quotes to the media. However, they seem to have a much harder time explaining what their client did and why he did it.

This isn't a simple, black & white kind of story. There are truly fifty shades of crazy here. Henderson has had to learn to do due diligence to ensure a deal is actually what its developer claims it to be. And Chris Milam will have to learn to take his phony baloney grandiose "ideas" elsewhere. No one may ultimately come out a winner here, but hopefully Henderson residents won't have to lose on this.

Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen @hendems

Last night at the Henderson Democratic Club, Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen took questions from the audience on the current state of the city. He first described what's going right...





Then he arrived at the Chris Milam stadium scandal. Someone was bound to ask him about it. And surely enough, several did.

Here's how Hafen handled it.







Since the case is now in court, there's only so much Hafen and other city officials can now say. Still, that didn't stop Hafen from saying he still wants some kind of stadium on that land just south of The M. He thinks that the vacant site surrounded by open desert offers limitless possibilities. After all, it can have its own exit off The 15. And it won't be encumbered by the kinds of traffic snarls and other limitations of the other stadium proposals in more densely developed urban areas (UNLV, MGM, Caesars, and Downtown Las Vegas).

However, the stadium controversy wasn't the only issue on voters' minds last night. There were also questions on development. In particular, someone from Anthem asked about traffic along Eastern Avenue. Hafen replied that the city initially made a mistake in designating only one point of entry into (and exit from) Anthem & Madeira Canyon in Eastern Avenue, but that's being fixed with the expansion of Volunteer Road to The M and the possible new 15 exit at Cactus Avenue.

Just as he said at the local house party last month, Mayor Hafen said that the last 25 years of epic development in Henderson (and Clark County overall) have been a significant learning experience. Over time, the city has figured out good practices... And not so good practices. And that has allowed Henderson city government to improve, become more efficient, and become wiser in planning future growth.

Even with the recent recession and stadium turmoil, Henderson still has the healthiest finances of all the municipal governments in Southern Nevada. And the city has been able to achieve this, and potentially return from deficit to surplus by next year, without creating the kind of strife with public servants that we've seen elsewhere in Southern Nevada. Mayor Hafen was especially proud of these two achievements. And he's hopeful his record at City Hall will secure reelection this spring.

We'll have to wait and see what voters decide.

Andy Hafen & the Big Picture of Henderson

Last night, I stopped by a neighborhood meeting. And this wasn't just any neighborhood meeting. Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen answered questions and talked about the current state of the city at this neighborhood house party.





Last night, Hafen pointed to the many achievements of the city in recent years in explaining how strong the state of the city actually is. Forbes has named Henderson one of the safest cities in America. Bloomberg Businessweek has named Henderson one of "America's 50 Best Cities". Henderson is often considered to be the best run municipal government in Southern Nevada.

So why have Ralston, Coolican, and especially the local "newspaper" been turning up the heat on City Hall lately? It has to do with the Chris Milam stadium scandal. In recent weeks, accusations of fraud (on Milam) and corruption (in the city) have been flying all around City Hall.

Last night, Hafen cleared the air and explained his side of the story. Basically, Milam promised Henderson a stadium. Henderson, in turn, signed onto an initial agreement to support Milam's bid for vacant BLM land just south of The M Resort on the condition that Milam builds a stadium on that land. But at the last minute, Milam terminated the agreement. And on top of that, he started marketing that land for residential development! And especially considering the full inventory of our local residential real estate market, that was considered the ultimate insult.

That's why Henderson filed suit against Milam. Yet despite this brouhaha, Andy Hafen said he'd still like to see a stadium built on that land. The city just has to make sure it finds a developer who will actually abide by one's word (and not try terminating a contract at the last minute).







There was also some talk about development overall last night. The entire Las Vegas Valley has been hit hard by the "real estate bubble" bursting. One can even go around Henderson and still find vacant offices & "blue taped" houses. Yet in the past year, there have been signs of recovery. And Mayor Hafen was introspective in discussing how the city can better manage future growth.

Yet with that being said, the entire group thanked Mayor Hafen and the city for its extensive and award winning parks, trails, & recreation center network. Mayor Hafen boasted of the city's many family friendly amenities. This is something that makes Henderson quite unique in Southern Nevada, since other municipalities have historically revolved more around gaming & adult entertainment. Hafen and the audience talked about how this has aided economic diversification and neighborhood stability here.

And then, there's sustainability. Henderson was the first municipal government in Southern Nevada to adopt a sustainability plan. All around town, one can find signs of it as old street lights have been replaced by energy efficient CFL lights, landscaping & xeriscaping have converged, LEED certified buildings have popped up, and recycling has continued to be expanded & innovated. Henderson has gone out of its way to become a greener place to call home.

And it didn't end there. Getting back to economic development, there was even talk about the state of public education in the city. It's helped that K-12 schools here are considered among the best in the valley. (And it probably helps there that Henderson has many of the most affluent neighborhoods in the valley.) The group also discussed the expansion of Nevada State College (NSC). NSC has aggressively pursued public-private partnerships, and it's been pursuing students who want a four-year college education in a more intimate and flexible environment. While the city doesn't have too much say over CCSD schools, it is making sure NSC continues growing and prospering.

And that finally brings us to the Nevada Legislature. Of course, Mayor Hafen was happy that the new higher education funding formula means a much larger revenue stream for NSC. In addition, Hafen hinted at the ongoing C-Tax fight in describing how the city gets money back from Carson City. All in all, Hafen seemed encouraged by what's developing in the Legislature now.

Overall, it's a complicated big picture for Henderson. The city has certainly taken some tough punches over the last five years from both "The Great Recession" and embarrassing incidents like the Kathleen Vermillion scandal, outbreaks of police brutality, & now the Chris Milam stadium controversy. Yet with all that being said, the city is still considered the best run in the state as it piles up prestigious awards, avoids the kind of ugly labor conflicts that have plagued both Clark County & the other major cities in the valley, opens new parks just as the above mentioned cities have threatened to close parks, and pursues new economic development opportunities. It hasn't always been easy for Henderson, yet the city has managed to avoid disaster.

And with this big picture behind him, Andy Hafen runs for reelection as Henderson Mayor. Believe it or not, he answered questions from residents for over two hours last night. He certainly had plenty to talk about. And he's hoping more residents see the opportunity and progress that he sees in that big picture.

Pahrump... WTF??!!

If you ever thought city/town council meetings are incredibly boring, then you've clearly never been to Pahrump.

About 30 members of the Nye County Republican Central Committee led the charge to make a citizen's arrest on three town board members after voting to repeal a town ordinance passed years ago.

Attorneys say Pahrump Town Ordinance 46 is unconstitutional because it restricts power of future town boards, and so they put the issue on the agenda to repeal it. Members of the NCRCC say that is illegal because it should have been put to a public vote. Town leaders voted anyway, and that's when meeting turned to melee.

Bill Carns led the charge, as NCRCC members tried to make a citizen's arrest on board members Harley Kulkin, Tom Waters and Vicky Parker. When Nye County Sheriff Deputies refused, the group tried to make citizen arrests on deputies themselves.

Board Chair Vicky Parker says the group has been disruptive before.

"This is just the first time they decided to arrest us," she said. "It was bullying, it was threats, intimidation, harassment."

At first, this looks like downright lunacy. And to a large extent, it really is. Last I checked, one actually needs to present evidence of criminal wrongdoing to make an arrest.

However, I can also see the real frustration behind this week's melee... And why it was finally unleashed.

Not that long ago, Pahrump was just a sparsely populated rural outpost far from any bustling metropolis. Now, it's a town of over 36,000 people that's increasingly looking like an exurb of the Las Vegas metropolitan area that's now topping 2,000,000 people. And now, Pahrump actually has a larger population than (incorporated cities) Boulder City and Mesquite combined.

Fifty years ago, Pahrump didn't even have telephone service! But especially in the last two decades, people have been flocking here seeking a "simpler", more bucolic life. And while there may still be some wide open space now, even that's been changing as more housing and commercial developments are approved. Really, this once rural outpost in the middle of nowhere is increasingly looking like an exurb.

And I can see why many folks there are becoming frustrated. They went to Pahrump looking for "the libertarian ideal". However, they found a community experiencing serious growing pains.

While the surface issue looks to be an ordinance prohibiting the pursuit of cityhood, I suspect there's more beneath the surface. And until Pahrump residents decide whether they want to save their rural way of life or continue growing into a full fledged Las Vegas suburb, there will likely be more of these problems going forward.

I just find it funny how the Nye County Republican Central Committee is butting into this dispute. They supposedly favor "limited government" and "individual rights", yet they're supporting a measure meant to limit peoples' First Amendment free speech rights. Oh, the irony!

But again, this may not be the last time we see this kind of explosion in Pahrump.

Nor'town on the Edge

Just how bad is North Las Vegas' budget crisis? Apparently, it's so bad that North Las Vegas' city manager wants the city council to officially "declare a disaster" in order to void union contracts with city workers. And apparently, it's now so bad that the entire rest of the state may suffer immensely if Nor'town collapses.



North Las Vegas indeed is facing an epic crisis, but it's just too easy for certain politicians in charge to place all the blame on unions. After all, Mayor Shari Buck had agreed to the very contracts she's now decrying. And Buck, not the police and fire unions, had the opportunity to turn the tide by scaling back the new City Hall to focus on keeping parks, libraries, and other essential service open, as well as develop a master plan to guide the city in pursuing realistic development options for all the city's empty land. Instead, Shari Buck and other city "leaders" wasted all that time chasing "magical pots of gold" (aka "casino row", unnecessary new housing, etc.) that only turned out to be mirages in the open desert.

Without a doubt, the city has made many poor decisions in the last decade and it's downright ridiculous for certain folks on North Las Vegas' city council to act "innocent" now when they supported the very policies that provided fuel when the recession caught fire and swept into the valley in full force. However, this can't entirely be laid on city "leaders", either. After all, the city can't control any tax policy. Rather, the state has been shortchanging Nor'town with lopsided C-Tax policies that provide more funding for Las Vegas and Henderson while returning far less revenue to North Las Vegas AND forcing Nor'town to run its own libraries. (The state directly funds public libraries in Las Vegas, Henderson, and unincorporated Clark County.)

And then, of course, there's that recession. Because North Las Vegas has more concentrated poverty than most of the rest of Clark County, it's always had more revenue problems. But when that's combined with fast new "boomtown" neighborhoods selling at grossly inflated prices and coupled with retail centers under construction, that makes a recipe for disaster. Really, all it took with the housing collapse and the onset of "The Great Recession" to cause North Las Vegas' house of cards to start tumbling down. And with so many deflated home values, empty retail centers, continued poverty hurting many city residents, and (again) a lack of proper planning to deal with anybody this, North Las Vegas was really doomed for disaster.

So really, it was a combination of poor planning, poor leadership, and no action to address the still poor people that led Nor'town into the mess it's now mired in. But now, it will take not just the entire city, but the entire valley and perhaps even the entire state to solve this crisis. After all, if North Las Vegas falls, then the entire Southern Nevada economy is at risk from the resulting bad media and the horrifying effects of the lack of government in a large portion of Clark County. And if our economy takes a hit, then the entire state ultimately suffers.

So really, Nor'town needs "an extreme makeover" at city hall ASAP. The people of this city need better local leadership and a real game plan to end this crisis. If they don't get this, then we're all at grave risk.

Poor North Las Vegas

So state officials are again chiding North Las Vegas for their clusterf*ck of a city budget. And even worse, they're basically putting the city on probation.

North Las Vegas Finance Director Al Zochowski told the Nevada Tax Commission this morning that the financially strapped city will experience a small cash flow deficit in June but should end the month with slightly more than $2 million in positive cash flow.

Hacker also told the commission that the city has been meeting all of its debt obligations.

The cash flow status prompted the commission to request that North Las Vegas begin furnishing the state with regular cash flow reports as the state Department of Taxation continues to assist the city with its finances.

Zochowski and City Manager Timothy Hacker also were directed to submit a letter to the taxation department that lays out all the actions the city took to back up its proposed fiscal 2013 budget. The City Council is expected to vote on the budget Tuesday for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Yep. It's really that bad now. But really, how did "Nor'town" get here? Well, it's complicated.

Certainly, there's a reason why it's been named one of "The 10 Worst Run Cities in America". Priorities do seem awfully out of whack at times. While a shiny new City Hall opens, direly needed parks and community centers close. And while the city continues to chase development that still doesn't make sense, more layoffs seem destined to happen.

However, there's another reason why Nor'town is destitute, a reason we certainly can't ignore. The state has also had a major role in putting North Las Vegas in this place. Remember that North Las Vegas gets far less C-Tax funding per capita than Las Vegas and Henderson. And remember that Nor'town has to pay out of its own pocket for services (like public libraries) that Las Vegas and Henderson don't.

Again, there's a glaring inequity in Nevada's tax structure, one that even affects our local governments and their finances. And it seems especially cruel that it's hitting many of Southern Nevada's poorest communities the hardest. After all, these are the communities that need things like libraries, after school programs, and crime prevention the most. And now, Nor'town is being asked to cut more.

While the City of North Las Vegas has made many poor decisions in the past on budgeting and setting proper priorities, the people of this city should not be punished simply because of their zip code... And because other municipalities were savvier in snatching away state funds. North Las Vegas, we really have a problem. And it's far deeper than you think.