Nor'Town: Politics in North Las Vegas, Nevada

Just Ramblin...

Say, this guy's not one of those "firefighters for Buck" we heard so much about in the last election, is he?

Well, I suppose you can't blame a guy for trying to get some job security in these tough times. Setting fire to cars is one way to keep those firefighters for Buck employed.

A judge is looking at a video of some Nor'Town cops--since fired--allegedly bringing some of that Cheney-justice to some bad boys. (AP) What with those guys, the (alleged) pyro, and the ex-peace officer (allegedly) showing the family jewels to traffic violators, and other questionable activities, the new Mayor's got some work to do keeping promises about making public safety a number one priority. Or is she too closely tied to that old boy network to promote any serious changes that would rid us of some of these bad apples?

North Las Vegas is still one of the fastest growing cities--at least between July 2007 and July 2008 which was before we became the foreclosure capital of the world. (Sun) Next year's numbers probably will be quite a different story.

Undaunted, the city's commitment to to the 19th century doctrine of manifest destiny is undiminished:

“Although we’re disappointed we are not among the top 10 fastest growing cities in the country, we are proud that during these difficult economic times citizens continue to find North Las Vegas an attractive community to call home,” City Manager Gregory E. Rose said. (Nor'Town)

Errr, say what? How is it that a city manager thinks that being a fastest growing city is an unmitigated good? Hasn't the recent housing bust proven that basing a city economy on a crazy boom and bust cycle is the nadir of community planning? Does he really want to live in a city where developers and newspaper magnates are full of promises during the boom times--until they go bust and run away in the bad?

Coronation Tomorrow and Other News

• On July 1st at 4pm, the new mayor and the new councilperson for ward 3 get sworn in, along with an old judge and an old councilperson. (NLV)
• Woah. Look at all the Ward 4 Wannabes! They all wanna be appointed councilfolk for Buck's vacated ward 4 spot cuz by election time in two years, they'll have that incumbent advantage of big bucks from special interests: "Nicholas H. Anderson, Barbara Jean Buttell, P. Jo Cato, Richard Cherchio, Danielle N. Custodio, Dean P. Dennis, Jacqueline Edwards, Regina N. Ford, Sarah Humphreys, Ruth L. Johnson, Delbert E. Leavitt, L. Dean Leavitt, Phyllis Levy, William R. O’Melia, Mark D. Pallans, Laura E. Perkins, Richard Sadler, Suhair Susan Sayegh, Thomas A. Stocks and Jason E. Torres." (Sun) Cato and Leavitt are on planning council. Cherchio is the HOA, etc, guy, and Sarah Humphreys ran that fight against Pardee Apartments. Somebody let me know if that "businessman" who leaked the FBI story against Robinson is in that list, M'kay?
• Huh. They say they love Nor'Town but they wouldn't want to retire here or raise children. Maybe only bachelor drug runners answered that survey. (Sun)
• Oooo. Nellis Air Force Base is getting a cool new fitness center! Say, where'd they get the money for that? "Construction of the new fitness center is made possible due to money received from the lease agreement between the City of North Las Vegas and the Air Force. In this agreement, Nellis leased a 41-acre parcel of land for a new water reclamation plant. In turn, the city paid the Air Force $25 Million which will be used to construct a new state-of-the art fitness center." (Aerotechnews). Oh.
• Only mad dogs and ex-mayors go out in the midday sun. (RJ)
• He'd better run if'n his gonna make fun of Nor'Town's main cultural attraction--now on TV. Playboy TV, anyways. (RJ)
• Ugh. Budget's out. (NLV)
  

NLVAOHOAACC

You are officially notified of the next meeting of the NLV Alliance of HOA's, etc.:

DATE:  THURSDAY JUNE 25, 2009

PLACE:  ALIANTE LIBRARY--- 2400 DEER SPRINGS WAY .   TEL. 839-2980 (For directions if needed) or call RICHARD CHERCHIO AT 325-6708

TIME:  6:00 P.M.   (Main meeting room)

NOTE:  As always we welcome any suggestions of topics to discuss or requested speakers to attend at future meetings.

POWER POINT PRESENTATION

NEVADA STATE CONTRACTORS BOARD

Ms. Ranya Botros, Public Information Assistant will put on an informational presentation for all our HOA Boards, Residents and Management Companies regarding unlicensed contractors, how to protect ourselves as individuals, and what recourse is available to us if needed.

OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS   

Protectors of Tule Springs:   Updated information will be provided concerning their upcoming “August 15th 9:00AM” Meeting at Sun City Aliante as we approach the final stages of this long fought battle to protect this endangered area north of us. My recently sent e-mail with Jill’s letter attached will provide more detailed information.  Hopefully someone from POTS will be in attendance to brief us on this matter.

WE WILL ALSO HAVE BRIEF UDATES ON:

OUR CONTINUING FOCUS GROUP MEETINGS WITH OUR CITY CODE ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE REWRITING OF SOME POLICY.

OUR UPCOMING JULY 13TH MEETING WITH HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES, NV ENERGY, HELP OF SOUTHERN NV . AND SEVERAL COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOCAL HOME WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM.

AS ALWAYS WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR ATTENDING AND ASK THAT YOU SHARE THIS AGENDA WITH YOUR COMMUNITIES AND BRING FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORS.

THANK YOU AS ALWAYS,

RICHARD CHERCHIO

PRESIDENT,

NLV ALLIANCE OF HOA’s AND CONCERNED CITIZENS.

Opening At The Trough

Are you ambitious? Narcissistic? Enjoy the company of lawyer-lobbyists who make hundreds of thousands of dollars more than you? Would you love to receive large checks from casino operators, developers, and newspaper publishers who are wannabe casino bosses?

Well, then, you'll want to sign up for the Nor'Townie ward 4 City Council seat!

Now, you'll have to be at least 18 years old and live in ward 4 for a whole 30 days prior to June 30. So, it's too late now to grab a rental from a developer on the planning commission and set up shop!

And you can't have a felony conviction--although it's okay to have an FBI investigation or two in your past, as long as they didn't prosecute!

Oh, yeah, and you'll have to pucker up and figuratively smooch the nether regions of current members of the City Council, who will decide who gets a 2 year hitch representing the interests of casino owners and developers in Ward 4.

But, once you have that foot in the door, why you'll gain that cherished incumbent status! You'll receive campaign checks from the monied interests in Nor'Town who want to make sure you're amenable to all those zoning variances and business tax cuts incentives!

So, don't wait! Get your snout in early!

Blog Makes Blog

Nor'Town got a mention on the Sunlight Foundation's "Local Sunlight" Blog because of my posts on Nor'Town campaign finances.

I'm reeling from shock: who knew anyone actually reads this thing?

Las Vegas Sun Makes a Big Mistake

I have heard that Mike Trask, the reporter at the Las Vegas Sun whose beat was the 'burbs, and that includes Nor'Town, was laid off from that paper.

It probably has something to do with the Sun's difficulties with the online version, or so the Review Journal would gleefully have it.

That's really bad news for Nor'Town since coverage of our city's doings is always considered secondary to Sou'Town and Clark County in the local papes.

We shouldn't let the paper get away with it. Why not write a note to the publisher Brian Greenspun, and let him know he's made a big mistake.

Greenspun owes us Nor'Townies. After all, he owns a big chunk of us and our new mayor. (RJ,S&Gs)

So tell Brian he should reconsider laying off Mike Trask.

Man, this is awful. Who else am I supposed to make fun of over at the Sun?

Where Robinson Went Wrong

Oh, yawn. Somebody keep me awake during the post-mortems. Like Ms. wrong-again Morrison whining in the RJ:

I went from thinking North Las Vegas City Councilman William Robinson didn't have a snowball's chance of becoming mayor to wondering whether his campaign strategy of holding on to Democrats and beating Councilwoman Shari Buck among black voters just might work in a low turnout race.

I should have gone with my first instincts, that he couldn't overcome the post-primary revelation he had been investigated in the early 1990s on bribery allegations, although never indicted. (RJ)

Oh boo hoo. And let's all let overpaid Jim Ferrence off the hook because of a little old FBI investigation, while we're at it, right?

According to the campaign finance reports, Mr. Ferrence's firm Paladin Advertising made over $113,000 in the Robinson race--and Ferrence gets a walk because of one lousy FBI investigation??

But, but, you stammer, nobody could win a race if they were the subject of an FBI investigation for corruption, could they?

Snap out of it Grasshopper! Do you have the attention span of a Nevada voter??

Do you forget so easily: Gibbons v. Titus?

Now, now before you get all choked up with rage, Grasshopper, I will grant that most of us did not learn about the FBI investigation of the alleged bribing of the Gibbers by eTreppid folk until February 2007 after the 2006 election and the jittery in-swearing. (And if you remember that, Grasshopper, then you almost snatched away the stone in my palm--which makes it difficult to type.)

And in fact, the FBI may not have been looking into the sordid story until after all those lovely allegations of poker chips and sailing ships appeared before our eyes thanks to the paper of record itself on November 1st, 2006 just seven days before the vote. And during the last few days of early voting.

Still, shouldn't that have been a knockout blow to the Gibbers?

Of course not, Mormon Cricket! And the Gube's perverted campaign strategy should have been adopted by Robinson, if he had really wanted to win the Nor'Town mayoral race.

What should he have done? Oh, it is so, so simple Grasshopper. You, and Mr. Ferrence, will kick yourselves when you hear it.

Robinson should have got drunk and slapped a waitress.

Oh, is it so simple? you cry.

Well, no. You have to get the local police to "exonerate" you--or at least lose the evidence--and sully the victim's reputation mercilessly.

But the key to the Gibbons' strategy is what it has ever been: lower expectations as low as you can possibly get them, and then show up at a public affiar, like at a debate, in an expensive suit and don't throw up.

That's it. Indeed, we already see the master weave his tangled web of idiocy and incompetence--thousands of vetos, groping at the rodeo, divorcing the ball-and-chain and calling her a ferret, on and on and on.

And then, just when everyone says, oh! he's such an idiot! He'll make a complete ass of himself in the debate with Buckley!

Errr...no. A rather goofy man in a nice suit who occasionally knits together a grammatical English sentence will show up, say "no new taxes" and "there goes Barbara TaxMe!" and voilà: second term!

Bottom line: Robinson shoulda pulled a Gibbers. Sure, sure, it's easier for a Republican to pull off. We just naturally expect failure and incompetence from them. But hey, Democrats always come in a close second.

Mr. Ferrence, I know Sig Rogich, and you, sir, are no Sig Rogich.

Oh, okay. I don't know Sig Rogich. But Rogich could've won the Nor'Townie race by pulling a Gibbons. All it takes is setting aside the last shred of one's conscience and intellect. Is that so hard?

Casino Days At City Council

In case anyone still cares:

At 4:30 tomorrow, June 3rd, council will learn about options for Apex. Hmmm. How about housing projects on top of the dump out there for folks displaced after the Housing Authority meltdown? Just a suggestion...

In the regular 6pm meeting, council considers a bunch of ordinances necessary to move that Binion Casino to Losee and the 215. After all the Binion and Olympia cash pumped into campaign funds recently, how do you think that will go, despite Olympia being on the rocks and owing us $200,000?

Council will also be taking up the question of the City Manager's salary.  Is Mr. Rose perhaps breathing a sigh of relief after the election returns? Or will we all be astounded at Buck unleashed?

Have a gander at item 27, an analysis of the economic impact of gaming on the city. I quote:

If the City intends to develop a destination resort corridor, similar to the Las Vegas Strip but on a smaller scale, a 10-percent annual growth rate in supply [of one-armed bandits] would dictate supply increases of 2 to 3 times current levels.

Er, uh... When did the city start to consider building a "destination resort corridor"?? Who knew that was even on the table?

Say, what would you call such a thing? Maybe....Casino Alley?

One thing the report notes is that the city currently has more casino machines than the public could possibly use. So, now's a perfect time to build 4 or 5 new casinos, yes?

And the Winner Is....

Mayor:

Buck 5,364
Robinson 4,427

Council 3:

Wood 1,650
Carvalho 1,244

Judge:

Hoeffgen 5,369
Kimble-Simms 4,160

Buck wins an astounding 6% of the registered voters as off-year elections prove once again primarily to benefit the campaign consultants.

Price per vote in the mayoral: $82.

Next question: who will council pick to finish up Buck's coucil term? Cato? Carvalho? Thomas?

[UPDATE: Buck, on Robinson: ' “I’m appreciative of his service for the past 26 years,” she said. “I hope he feels he ran a good race.” ' (RJ)]

Final Admonitions from your Local Democratic Party

This showed up in my mailbox, in case you're interested.

Tuesday is Election Day for municipal races in Clark County. If you have not already voted, please make time Tuesday to get out and vote for your Democratic Candidates.

In Henderson, Democratic Councilman Andy Hafen is running for Mayor against Republican Steve Kirk.

In North Las Vegas, Democratic Councilman William Robinson is
running for Mayor against Republican Shari Buck. Additionally,
Democrat Anita Wood is running for North Las Vegas City Council
Ward 3.

All of these elections could be very close and every single vote
counts. If you live in Henderson or North Las Vegas please make
sure you get out and vote for our Democrats Tuesday.

Visit
http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/election/english/Pages/home.aspx
or call (702) 455-8683 if you need [help] find[ing] your polling location.

No, the state dems would hardly approve of the graphic. It's just my suggestion for a redesign of that sticker they hand out at the polls, complete with the Nor'Townie spelling of "sandwich."

P.S. Don't miss the debate post, or the fun comments attached.

The Debate

Here's the vid of the debate between Shari Buck and William Robinson. Click the arrow to watch, or follow this link http://bit.ly/en6Kv.

Other coverage:

• NLV mayoral candidates cordial in only debate - Las Vegas Sun
• Elephant sits in room throughout NLV debate - Las Vegas Sun

Frankly, I suspect most of us were quite content not to hear about the "elephant" in the room, by which was not meant the stealth Republican, but the 15-year-old, un-prosecuted allegations against Mr. Robinson. Nor'Townie voters will have to decide just how important the "elephant" is, but they also need to consider other issues as well.

A couple of things not noted in the published reports:

• Both candidates voiced opposition to the Sheep Mountain Parkway.
• Both candidates voiced support for converting some of the archaeological dig known a Tule Springs into some kind of park. That assumes some source of funding for the project can be discovered--before developers find a source of funding for more apartment and homes. At least the Defenders of Tule Springs have gotten the candidates' attention.

I did enjoy the lesson in Republican ideology from Ms. Buck. At one point (20:45 on the vid) we learned that the reason Nor'Town is at the bottom of good lists and top of the bad  was because of high taxes in the past, and the only way to attract businesses is to cut taxes even more.

Given that Nevadans are per capita among of the least taxed people in the U.S. and Nevada is the 3rd most business-friendly state in the nation in terms of low taxes, I suspect that the city's tax structure isn't keeping businesses away. (TaxFoundation) Businesses like good roads, schools that can deliver an educated work force, and crime-free neighborhoods, too.

Shifting the tax-burden from businesses to citizens to create her incentives is nutty, too, given that Nevada taxes already place the greatest burden on the poorest. Why would we want to make that worse? Do we really need to reduce Brian Greenspun's taxes?

You know, ideology isn't leadership.

By the way: pass this shortcut to the debate to every Nor'Townie you know:

http://bit.ly/en6Kv

...and have fun votin' on Tuesday!

Liar Flyer Bonanza Days!

Man, I'm gonna have to sandblast all that bad karma sludge left over in my mailbox from the negative mailers showing up, paid for by Olympia Group, Boyd Casinos, and a lawyer-lobbyist near you.

Today's lesson: is that ALL or just SOME?

Lots of flashy, colored cardboard is showing up in the mailbox which wants you to think ALL when only SOME is true. An example comes from a Buck mailer which has the claim:

 

Er...is that ALL or just SOME "Police Officers and Firefighters"?

The answer is, of course, SOME. Otherwise she wouldn't bring up that bogus fracas over the use of the name of OUR police department by two entities which are using it without paying copyright fees. Indeed, some of us are getting robo calls from that guy running the North Las Vegas Police Officers' PAC, who says he's a police officer who supports somebody other than Buck and says he's got about 50 officers who side with him. (Sun)

And the other misleading thing about the claim is that it isn't about Police Officers, it's about the Police Officers UNION, which means that at least the president of that organization supports Buck. Anybody else? Nobody knows--that's a union secret!

By the way, as a PAC, the NLV Police Officers' PAC should be filing campaign finance reports with the Secretary of State and the city, but I couldn't find them. What's with that?

Oh, and how convenient! The union didn't file because unions don't have to file campaign finance reports in Nevada. So, you really never know where their money comes from.

Read the flyer:

Front
Back

Here's another example:

 

Er...is that ALL or SOME grassroots Democrats? Well, I count FOUR, assuming that the mugs on the inside aren't all advertising models gleaned from an Dan Hart image library. Well, at least we know one of 'em ain't.

The mailer:

First
Second
Third
Last

Talk about mixed-messages. The "grassroots" toadies do not, we are told, belong to the Democratic "political machine." Yet, the stealth Republican candidate has herself posing with Harry Reid again, who presumably runs the "political machine" the toadies supposedly don't belong to.

Naturally, I asked a Reid spokesman again if the Senator had endorsed Buck, and the answer was "no." In fact, the Senator is supporting Robinson, and that's part of the reason my mailbox is getting mailers from the state Democratic party, like this one:

Front
Back

Still, a flyer linking Buck to unsavory Republicans like Bush should always have a pic of the Governor. Very disappointing. Gibbons makes Bush look like Einstein.

Robinson also put out a mailer with Buck on a TV with the word "LIAR" scrawled across her stare, which you can enjoy up top.The TV seems to be a response to a similar mugshot of Robinson on a Buck mailer. The flyer suggests it was a good thing that so much of those FBI docs that the guy with ties to the mob got from the government were redacted. Good for who? You pick.

The piece claims that Robinson was exonerated and that his integrity was never questioned. Sort of the way Jim Gibbons was exonerated from that waitress-slapping thing: by avoiding prosecution.

See for yourself:

Front
Back

Man, if you attended that debate Wednesday, you'd have to scratch your head as to what the candidates mean by "respecting" one another.

Hey, lots more where they came from. I suppose it's my misfortune for being on the active voter list as a registered Democrat. Robinson's folks got to figure ways to get my butt to the polls, and Buck's people got to figure a way to keep me away.

Lest I make you barf, I'll only consider one more. This one, from Buck, shows an unshaven, red-eyed Robinson in a leather jacket and suggests he ain't a leader. Presumably because he sometimes doesn't shave and wears a leather jacket.

It then goes on to show heroic pics of George Knapp, who broke the story about the 15-year-old FBI investigation, and even has a lovely photo-shopped version of fake "official reports" on the matter.

Remarkably ham-handed  and sleezy even for the crack Dan Hart media team. Perhaps Dan should get some sleep. He's beginning to smell a tad desperate.

First
Second
Third
Fourth

More to view at your own risk:

Watchdog:
Front
Back

Trusty:
Front
Back

More Advertising Models from the Hart portfolio:
First
Second
Third
Fourth

Who Owns the Candidates: Campaign Finance Reports

The second round of Campaign finance reports are in. Highlights:

• Park Highlands principal Gerry Goett is still pumping money into both candidates' coffers despite Park Highlands being in bankruptcy.
• Casinos still have lots of cash to throw around.
• Buck has spent about $70,000 more than Robinson
• The owner of the Las Vegas Sun and co-owner of Aliante Station is giving money to Buck behind a bunch of Limited Liability Corporations.

Shari Buck:

Total spent on mayoral race so far: $440,580

Real Estate/Developers:
South Valley Investors (Goett):  $10,000. Wow, another $10,000 from the Olympia group guy? Guess he's still chewing through that $200,000 the city gave to the project. You wouldn't know they're in bankruptcy.
Advocates for Quality of Life PAC:   $5,000  (Bunch of Realtors fighting for "free markets")
CREPAC (front for NAIOP):   $3,000
Diamond Property Co.:   $1,000
Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors: $10,000
LV Chamber of Commerce: $1,500
Nevada Contractors Association PAC: $1,000
Shilincoln PAC (run by this guy, a lawyer-lobbyist at the firm Kummer, Kaempfer, etc.): $2,500

The publisher of the Las Vegas Sun and part owner in local Station Casinos is giving to Buck clandestinely through several LLC's. Guess we know who the Sun will be endorsing:
Green Valley Commercial, LLC (Brian Greenspun):  $1,000
NVE Commercial (Brian Greenspun):  $1,000
Parcel 52N (Brian Greenspun): $1,000
I guess Brian got jealous of all his real estate pals having a ton of LLC's and decided to get in the game himself. Always a class act.

[UPDATE: Sun, no surprise, endorses Buck. Except the money trail tells us Greenspun endorsed her over a month ago in mid-April, two weeks before "the" story broke about Robinson. So, Mr. Greenspun is hardly being truthful about his real reason for opposing Robinson. Hmm. I wonder how well Mr. Greenspun knew that businessman with such interesting connections with organized crime?? Also, three grand in well below the legal limit on campaign contributions. Why did Mr. Greenspun have to hide them behind front companies??]

Casino:
Boyd Gaming:  $5,000
Gold Coast:     $5,000
Runvee (Alhambra Casino):  $2,000
Station Casino: $5,000

Garbage:
Republic Disposal Urban: $5,000
Republic Environmental Technologies:  $5,000

Others:
Broadacres Open Marketplace: $2500
Pete Ernaut, Republican consultant (Prez gov. relations, R&R Partners)  $5,000

William Robinson:

Total Spent for the race so far: $374,157.80

Real Estate/Developers:

South Valley Investors (Goett) $10,000 (Money enough for everybody!)
Sletten Construction:  $2,000
National Construction Providers:  $1,800
CREPAC: $3,000
Sheet Metal Workers: $5,000
District Council of Iron Workers: $1,000
Las Vegas Paving Corp.:  $2,000

Casino:
Palms: $500
Gold Coast: $5,000
Station Casinos: $2,500
Silver Nugget: $1,000
PJ & CB LLC (Horseshoe Gaming): $10,000
LV Sabres LLC (Horseshoe Gaming) $10,000 (tho it has $0 assets.)
Cannery Casino $1,000

Garbage:
Republic Disposal Urban Maintenance:  $5,000
Republic Environmental Technologies: $5,000

Other:
Committee to Elect Tom Collins: $5,000 Hey, did you know Uncle Popsicle likes it wrapped in a slice of American cheese? (Sun)

Previous Reports: Round One

Mayoral Candidate Forum Wednesday

The North Las Vegas Alliance of HOA's and Concerned Citizens is sponsoring a forum with the mayoral candidates this Wednesday at the Silver Mesa Community Center.

It will be hosted by Andrew Martin, who should be sitting where bigot-supportin' Chad Christensen is. Maybe he could ask Ms. Buck, who's family sends money to bigots, if she agrees with the Governor's veto of the domestic partner bill. He can certainly ask Robinson the same question.

Oh, yeah, there's a bunch of other issues they could discuss too:

• Kiel Ranch. Do we follow the city's plan or not? Do we have the money?
• Gun violence. We've had weekly--almost daily--shootings in Nor'Town. Like the one last week. Or in the trailer park. Or the guy who was shot while sitting at a traffic light. What's the answer? What solutions do the candidates have for that? If candidates really want to get away from the "North Town" image, then stopping the gun play and the killings is a minimal first step.
• NLVPD. Molestations of 14 year olds? Filing false reports? Sex or a speeding ticket? What plans do the candidates have for keeping the bad apples off the force?
• Sheep Mountain Parkway. Are the candidates for or against building a huge, multi-lane freeway just a bit north of the other unfinished, multi-lane freeway?
• Tule Springs. So, do we pave over the mammoth bones and bear-poppy fields, and then throw up a few thousand more empty houses with a casino in the middle next to the Sheep Mountain Parkway? Is that the plan? Do we ever get to hear a North Las Vegas politician have the guts to take a position on these issues? Anybody? Helllloooo?
• Casino Alley.So, do we turn the east side of the 215 into a row of gambling houses? Nor'Townies have protested the proliferation of casinos in NLV before. Is that over? Do we even have a debate about it or not? Does it matter that the council members and mayoral candidates are getting substantial funding from the very casinos wishing to move in?
• Housing Authority. So, now that the mess is ours, what do we do with it?

Voter Outreach Devices will not be provided, so bring your own.

 
 

View Larger Map

"Ethics" Complaint Against Robinson Dismissed

The group that was mad about the other group that was using the name "North Las Vegas Police" without paying copyright fees to the city had its "ethics" complaint against the other group dismissed. (Sun) Apparently they sent the complaint to the Secretary of State's office, which says it has no legal authority to act. The brainiacs at the union seem never to have heard about the State Ethics Commission, the logical folks to take up the issue. Indeed, they should have asked the current mayor about it. He knows them well.

Either that, or they were simply engaged in cynical political gamesmanship and didn't really think the complaint had merit, thus further besmirching the name they don't pay royalties for.

You pick.

In other election news, we learn today that councilmember wannabe Mr. Angelo Carvalho doesn't really believe in zoning, and wouldn't mind seeing combo drivethrough payday loan-nudie bars on a street corner near you. Just the fellow to be chair of the planning commission! (RJ)

The political tin-ear of the year goes to Ms. Kimble-Simms, tho, who accuses her opponent in gang shooting-scarred Nor'Town of being too tough on criminals. (RJ)

In an article on the Nor'Town mayor race, the RJ reminds us that no substantive issues will ever be addressed, and it's all a question of which turd sandwich you're willing to bite into. By the way, since the budget seems to be the closest thing to an issue to be addressed--note that both Buck and Robinson voted to keep building the new City Hall, despite cutting everybody's salaries and freezing hiring, and, sob!, killing Balloonapalooza! (RJ)

North Valley Dems Meeting Thursday: Candidate Walk Saturday

The North Valley Democrats will have their monthly meeting tomorrow. Topic: How to hold your nose while voting for Nor'Townie mayor. Okay, I made that part up.

That nose-holding is a problem for that stealth-Republican candidate, too, of course.

WHAT: North Valley Democrats Meeting
WHERE: Aliante Library, 2400 Deer Springs Way, North Las Vegas, NV.
WHEN:  Thursday, May 21st, 6pm.

Oh, this Saturday you can get some skin cancer walking for local candidates with the Nevada Dems, too. From the State folks:

In North Las Vegas, walk to support Democrats William Robinson for Mayor and Anita Wood for City Council Ward 3
WHEN: Saturday, May 23 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: William Robinson for North Las Vegas Mayor Campaign Headquarters, 2115 Civic Center Dr., North Las Vegas, NV 89030

Voter outreach device is optional for all events.

Kincaid-Chauncy For Buck

Huh. I was looking over some accounts of the Clark County Commission race in 2004 when Shari Buck and Tom Collins went at it in the general, with Collins eventually winning. My interest was peaked by Buck's denial that her side of the commission race wasn't particularly "negative" or "repulsive."

Oh, the drunk driving accusations were certainly amusing. Buck dragged out an advocate for tougher DUI laws, laws which Collins apparently fought against while in the assembly. That seemed merely the occasion for the Buck team to bring up Uncle Popsicle's DUI arrest. (Sun)

All good fun, and all making Buck's denial that she ran a negative campaign all the more amusing.

For a BYU grad, she seems exceptionally well equipped for a barfight.

Collins ran a counter-ad with a truly off-note message:

Collins slammed back, accusing Buck of supporting all-nude sex clubs and casinos in residential areas and favoring big water users over homeowners in the contentious issue of new conservation measures.

"Stop Shari Buck from raising your rates and outlawing your lawn," Collins' recent mailer said. (Sun)

Oh, I don't mean the nudie club remark, or the casinos in residential areas thing. Buck doesn't mind casinos in residential neighborhoods like Aliante or Park Highlands, or over in the sea of apartments growing up at the intersection of I-15 and the 215, future site of Casino Alley.

But lawns? What the heck are they? We only got rocks in my Nor'Townie 'hood.

The crystal ball belonging to Dan Hart, Buck's campaign guru then and now, was apparently broken, too, during that race.

Dan Hart, an advisor to Buck's campaign, says the Democratic voter registration advantage that Collins enjoys is negated by Buck's terms on the North Las Vegas city council and the nature of the commission office.

"If you look at the history of county commission races, they are far less partisan than other races," Hart says. "People treat these offices as they probably should, like municipal offices. Their primary concern is the day-to-day operation of county offices." (Sun)

Now that the county commission is pretty much all Democratic, and Obama turned the state blue, I suppose those remarks seem a tad ill advised. Still, he can probably rely on the innate apathy of Nor'Towners, especially in off-year races, to dampen any Democratic advantage.

But the most fun thing to read from that old-timey pieces was this:

Kincaid-Chauncey all but publicly endorsed Buck, a position that the Buck campaign said indicated Democratic crossover support and that generated a comment from the Collins campaign suggesting that the two politicians had more in common than their gender and district. (Sun)

Er, like what, Uncle Popsicle? A bribery conviction maybe?

True, Uncle Popsicle's remark was over the top. Buck , like him, only enjoys the legal form of bribery we jokingly call campaign finance in this state, not the illegal form practiced by "lapdance" K-C. Still, I'm sure Dan didn't really have K-C in mind when he was talking about Democratic "crossover."

Why Does Park Highlands Owe Us Over $200,000??

I was speaking with someone who actually knows a little bit about the housing field today, unlike moi, and to them at least it didn't make sense for the developer of Park Highlands, Olympia Group, to owe Nor'Town over $200K.

The morning pape tells us

Last week the developer [Olympia Group] filed for bankruptcy protection. It owes from 50 to 99 creditors between $100 million and $500 million, according to the bankruptcy court filing. Included is more than $220,000 owed to the city for development services. (Sun)

But city fees and licenses are all supposed to be "pay as you go." The city doesn't normally extend credit in such cases.

So, it would be interesting to know if the city's new role as payday-loan to fat-cat developers is really on the up-and-up. Or were council members in fact doing what Ralston suggested in his Nor'Town Pate to Pate: recklessly adding fuel to the fire of irresponsble, unsustainable growth?

Budget Days At Nor'Townie Council

There are a couple of special council meetings on top of the regular one this week.

Tomorrow, Tues. the 19th at 4:30 pm, the council will decide if'n it supports next year's tentative budget.

Weds, May 20, at 4:30 pm, council takes up the kick-out-old-farts proposal, wherein city employees who have been around longer than Robinson may get offered buyouts. (Sun)

At the regular meeting at 6pm, among other items, council will decide whether to revise that sweet little contract the city manager currently has. His contract was extended through 2011 to protect him from being a punching bag during the mayoral contest. Council can't fire him before then without paying large penalties. In fact, within 90 days before or after an election, he can't be fired in any case.

More Liar Flyers!

Boy, Saturday was fun day around the 'Monger household, cuz it seems to be the day that we get political flyers!

You bet they make you feel all muddy and dirty, but so what? That's half the fun!

Shari Buck's still the dirty girl, sending out flyers with big NO's on them. Not surprisingly she reminds us of the FBI bribery investigation of Robinson in the mid-nineties, but doesn't bother us with those details about no prosecution or no conviction in the case.

But there's a fun twist. She insinuates that there's a brand new "federal" investigation of Robinson going on. But, like a National Inquirer headlines, the real story is a disappointment. She refers to the HUD investigation into the Nor'Town Housing Authority from Hell, which tormented tenants in apartments that made Abu Gahraib seem like the Bellagio wedding suite. Granted Robinson was chair of the Nor"Town HAfH, but so were the majority of the City Council, including the mayor who would be gube. The Feds, by the way, aren't investigating Robinson, they're investigating the Housing Authority as a whole.

Here's the dirty girl's hit flyer:

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You know, "B+" for stuff like "FBI probe Catches Councilman Robinson" which, if it really did, he'd probably just be getting out of a federal pen just about now. Never tell the truth when a lie sounds better, kids! That's the campaign consultants motto!

Extra credit for giving up on that annoying practice of actually citing sources for claims, especially all those articles telling us how the case was never prosecuted and that Robinson is legally innocent of any crimes.

Dan Hart, Buck's campaign guru, seems to know the Buck's at her best when she's on attack. Quite an accomplishment for a BYU English major. It turns our her "positive" piece that came out today was so treacly I almost went into insulin shock reading it.

What was really unconvincing about the piece was that a Nor'Townie would say something like "Shari Buck is the right prescription for health care..."

Nor'Towners don't sound like advertising execs, Danny boy. They say stuff like "if you mess wit' my Doberman again, man, I'll have him bite of your....", well, that's enough of that.

And who knew we were such an attractive bunch? According to that flyer, Nor'Townies all look like advertising models or something. I wonder how many of those pics came off a stock photo site?

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And that slogan! "Thumbs up for Shari Buck?" THAT'S what a highly paid guru comes up with? Geez Danny! It don't even rhyme!

Come on. We can do better than that.

Now, let's see, what rhymes with Buck.....? Hmmm.

Vote Buck! She's a Lame Duck!

Well, maybe that emphasizes the fact that she's only got two years left on council too much. Let's see.

We Love Her Cluck! Vote Buck!

Well, is that so bad? Montandon knew how to cluck at a cowering citizen in council. Isn't clucking a useful mayoral attribute?

How about something suggesting empathy with Nor'Towners facing tough economic times?

We're Outta Luck! Vote Buck!

Oh, I guess not. Nobody in the Vegas Valley ever wants to be told their out of luck.

What we need is a slogan that reflects the difficulty of the decision we face, and also the paucity of choices. It should also throw in a dash of that devil-may-care apathy that marks the true essence of the Nor'Town voter. How about...

Vote Buck! What the .......!

Well, enough of that. I don't get paid to do Hart's job for him.

That last flyer is an "F" if there ever was one.

Robinson rolled out another defensive flyer, one with all the oozing mud depicted up top. It also provides a number from the Buck campaign to call with that "prince albert in a can" joke if you're so inclined. Or maybe call them up and point out that "thumbs up" doesn't rhyme with "Shari Buck". Hey, it's your dime.

The flyer also sports the mayor of Sou'town shaking hands with Robinson, as if that's supposed to dispel the cloud of scandal enveloping the candidate. Rumors are circulating that Oscar Goodman has in fact endorsed Robinson, but apparently these have yet to be confirmed by the Mayor himself.

And if you're like me, you weren't rich enough or famous enough to be invited to a fund raising shindig Friday night for Robimson. The invite list is available over at the Sun.

Oh yeah, feast your eyes on that flyer, if you don't mind getting your eyeballs all muddy:

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Eh, D- for dragging Sou'Townies into Nor'Town campaigns.