Nor'Town: Politics in North Las Vegas, Nevada

Ever Heard Anyone Promise to Keep the Sky From Falling Before?

That's sorta what Assembly District 1 candidate Linda West Meyers and Senate District 4 candidate Sharon Gobel seem to be promising in a joint mailer that showed up in my mailbox last week.

What they're calling for seems to be more government oversight of the North Las Vegas airport, which has had a bad habit of late dropping airplanes on Nor'Towner's heads. (RJ,Sun,Sun)

Woah. Republicans calling for more government oversight. My, times have changed.

Like atheists, there are no Reaganauts in foxholes, I suppose.

They also claim that Marilyn Kirkpatrick, the current occupant of AD1 and Steven Horsford the current denizen of SD4, haven't been doing much to prevent the sky from falling.

Here's the front and the back of the mailer, for your viewing enjoyment.

Although I suspect no one in the Nevada state legislature can keep the sky from falling, it's nice to see some campaign literature actually focused on a Nor'Town issue. Horsford's mailers have been slick and could have been produced inside the beltway--and indeed might have been.

Kirkpatrick's are a bit scary. Her "I'm on my way" mailers made her look like Martha Stewart on a home invasion.

To be fair, Steven Horsford, unlike others, has been showing up at some of the meetings after the crashes:

Local officials, with the exception of state Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, were not present at the meeting. Clark County Department of Aviation Director Randall Walker also did not attend.

North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon and City Council members were unable to attend because of a regularly scheduled meeting. But Montandon said the city plans to meet soon with state legislators and Clark County commissioners to discuss "accountability" issues related to airplane safety.

"I have a lot of questions about what can be done on the ground to make sure engines work in the air," Montandon said Wednesday.

Shortly after the Aug. 22 crash, which killed three people, Montandon said that he didn't "recall ever hearing a constituent complain about the safety of the airport in North Las Vegas" in his "almost 12 years as mayor." (RJ)

Course, the mayor doesn't read this blog. Or Forbes magazine, either, I guess.

Oh, and if you really want to know more about the "Not Tonight" group mentioned in the mailer, you might want to have a listen to a recent "State of Nevada" piece on KNPR. But, you've been warned--it ain't pretty.

Linda West Myers, Candidate for State Assembly District 1, On North Las Vegas Issues

Linda West Myers is a Republican candidate for State Assembly, District 1. She offered the following answers to the questionnaire I sent out the other day:

Q. Perhaps one of the greatest concerns that many North Las Vegans share is the sudden apparent increase in high density housing projects near single family homes. How would you deal with these concerns?

A. First, we need to undo as much damage done to North Las Vegans by Marilyn Kirkpatrick, both as a North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner and as a legislator. She caused North Las Vegans to subsidize high density development, through higher water/utility rates and property taxes. In just her first term in the State Assembly she totally obliterated the rights of residents to preserve their neighborhoods and their quality of life in Assembly Bill 165.

Q. North Las Vegans and others in the northern valley are worried about the noise and possible shooting mishaps which may result from the construction of the new Clark County Shooting Park. If elected, what would you do to ensure that people living near the park will remain safe and their neighborhoods reasonably quiet?

 

Arrange for a meeting with residents and the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. The quality of life and safety of residents must always be top priority. The original design of the shooting park respected the rights of those  concerned. As an original member of the Shooting Park Advisory Board, I was always a voice for those concerns.

Q. Many North Las Vegans are concerned about the proposed construction of a large road system in the northern valley called the Sheep Mountain Parkway. Do you favor or oppose the construction of this parkway and why?

 

A. Should we not finish one beltway before we start "belting out" a new tune? I realize that I am singing to the choir, but it is important to know one of the basic differences between myself and Ms. Kirkpatrick. If we, the citizens of this valley, give the privilege to developers to develop the land that would require the addition of a new road, they should pay for the requirements for infrastructure they caused. 

Q. During the last view years, there have been a number of shootings at schools and elsewhere involving children. What would you do, if elected, to reduce the number of shootings at our schools and in our neighborhoods?

 

A. Work with PTA's and other organizations to have parents monitor all school activities.

Q. What would you do to deal with the budget shortfalls at your level of government (state, county, city)? What would you do to guarantee, as Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley has promised, that they will never happen again?

 

A. No one, not even Speaker Buckley, can guarantee budget shortfalls will never again occur. What we can do is, for the first time, establish our priorities for spending. 

Q. Do you support the construction of a Tule Springs Ice Age Park (http://tulespringslv.com)? Why or why not?

 

A. We support effective use of taxpayer funds, especially for our families. The broad strokes, without significant details, appear extremely promising, not only in being a great recreation area for locals, but also a revenue generating tourist attraction.

Q. What will be your most important priority if elected? What steps would you take to attain that priority?

 

A. Continue the legislative trends established by our family.

More Info: Candidate's Website.

Note: as of this posting, Ms. Kirkpatrick, the incumbent in Assembly District 1, has not responded to the questionnaire, although she and other candidates are welcome to respond to the questionnaire available here.

If you'd like to ask more incumbents to take part, you can try these e-mail addresses:

Marilyn Kirkpatrick: marilyn@marilynkirkpatrick.com
Ruben Kihuen: http://www.rubenforassembly.com/contact.php
Steven Horsford: http://www.stevenhorsford.com/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3
John Lee: John@leefornevada.com