Nor'Town: Politics in North Las Vegas, Nevada

Tule Springs Movie Night

Oooo. Ned goes Neolithic.

Tule Springs Ice Age Park
Ned Thomas For Mayor

Campaign Finance Reports Are In!

This time the April Fool's joke is on us.

Here's your chance to have a gander at the folks who own your favorite candidate! Check out the first round of campaign finance reports, showing up so conveniently after two weeks of early voting are already done and gone.

Here's just a sample of the fun from a quick look through for gambling establishments. The reports contain the usual cash from the garbage company, cab companies, ambulance corporations, and developers hiding behind LLC's.

The totals in red are only for the first period. Many candidates raked in a boatload of casino cash before then.

Apparently, Station Casinos ain't too broke to buy a candidate or two:

Shari Buck: Total Spent So Far: $246,000

3/3/2009    Aliiante Station    $2,569.79
1/16/2009    Station Casinos    $10,000.00
1/16/2009    Cannery    $500.00
3/26/2009    Cannery    $1,000.00
1/16/2009    Poker Palace    $1,000.00
3/16/2009    Boyd Gaming    $5,000.00
3/9/2009    Silver Nugget    $1,000.00

Total: $21,069.79, but she gets extra points for scraping up that classy Silver Nugget dough.

William Robinson: Total Spent So Far: $256,000

Casinos:
3/20/09    South Point Hotel    $2,500.00
3/17/09    C & O Gaming (Goett)   $10,000.00
3/16/09    Station Casinos    $5,000.00
3/13/09    Green Valley Ranch    $5,000.00
2/23/09    Orleans (Boyd) Casino    $10,000.00
(Boyd Gaming gave $10,000 in '08, too)
2/10/09    Palms Casino    $500.00
2/3/09    Stations Casino PAC    $10,000.00

Total: $43,000

Stephanie Smith: Total Spent So Far: $191,000

Casinos:
2/23/09    Orleans Hotel (Boyd)   $10,000.00
(She got $10,000 last year from Boyd Gaming)

Total: $10,000

Boyd and Station sure aren't leaving those votes on their Casino Alley/Park Highland casinos to chance, are they?

Apex/Kapex was/were making friends, too.

Buck: Apex: $5,000

Robinson: Apex: $5,000, Kapex: $5,000

Smith: Apex: $5,000

Ned Thomas has spent $8,204 with over $10,000 in in-kind donations. His list of contributors contains well known ne'er-do-wells and troublemakers--who just happen to be some of the most politically active folk in town. Can a popular uprising beat out entrenched insider cash? Stay tuned!

Don't forget to vote while you're waiting to find out.

Be A Nor'Towner for Ned!

At the risk of ending his political career early, the Nor'Town blog hereby endorses Ned Thomas for North Las Vegas Mayor, and encourages the two people reading this rag to get out and vote for him during early voting.

That's right, early voting starts tomorrow, March 18th, at City Hall at 2200 Civic Center Drive.

More early voting sites are here.

There could be worse choices than the other three major mayoral wannabes, Shari Buck, Stephanie Smith, and William Robinson, however, a perusal of their campaign financial reports reveals that a vote for any of them is a vote for the same crony politics that have dominated the city since it was called Vegas Verde. All of them have accepted contributions from the casino operators who want to turn the 215 into a casino alley. All have taken contributions from the lawyer-lobbyists that represent those casinos and the major real estate developers. A vote for one is pretty much the same as a vote for any other.

Now, some folks have been wondering if voting for Ned Thomas means they'll be "throwing away their vote." It seems to me that you never throw away your vote if you vote in good conscience for the candidate who represents your views best.

But some people seem to think that they "throw away" their vote if they don't vote for the winner, or somebody that the pundits think is a "front runner."

Well, first off, there AREN'T any pundits who care about this race, because none of the "pundits" in the valley give a rat's ass about Nor'Town. So, those of us that do care about the place are on our own.

But what could be a better example of "throwing away" your vote than to support one of the Buck-Smith-Robinson triplets? All the same people give them money, and they vote almost always in lockstep. Want to throw away your vote? Pick one of the triplets and throw away!

None seem willing to even acknowledge the concerns of Nor'Towners about paving over mammoth remains in Tule Springs, or building the pointless Sheep Mountain "Parkway," or filling the city with Casinos and Payday loaners.

And just think of how much fun it would be watching the fancypants city manager take on Ned and his Harvard degree in Urban Planning.

Nor"Towners have a unique, historical opportunity to vote for something new, a real change during this primary. Although I'm usually against term limits, apparently they are what is necessary to break the cycle of wealthy contributors anointing incumbents in this town. Whoever wins this mayoral election will likely be mayor for the next decade. Better take you best chance to break the cycle.

Vote Ned Thomas for Mayor. Be a Nor'Townie for Ned!

Concert Benefiting Ned Thomas for Mayor Campaign Saturday

From the Ned Thomas for Mayor campaign:

What: “Campaign Classics” Benefit Concert
Come support “Ned for NLV Mayor” and enjoy the musical talents of David and Tara Skouson and other professional musicians.  A portion of proceeds will be donated to James Seastrand Helping Hands of NLV, a local charity that provides services to seniors.

When: Saturday, February 29th 21st, 12:30 pm.

Where: Sun City Aliante Club House. 7394 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, NV

Rumor Has It: Ned Thomas Running for Mayor

Rumors are flying through the tubes of the internets that former planning commissioner and former Nor'Town city planner and projects director. Ned Thomas is planning to run for the mayor of North Las Vegas. Thomas is perhaps the main architect of the north fifth street project, though you'll be seeing a bunch of the other folks running for mayoralness out trying to take credit for that.  And maybe somebody running for the governorship as well.

Thomas' candidacy hasn't yet been substantiated by mainstream media types yet, but, if true, Thomas will be the only non-councilperson in the race. That we know of, at least.

He's also a real darkhorse since the race for Binion Boyd Stations Greenspun campaign bucks is already going hot and heavy. The councilfolk will also have an advantage in gathering up support from all those city union folk, like the police and fire and teamsters, since in a small-turnout election like this, getting out your organized pals is the key to winning. Oh, and spending tons of money on mailers.

Still, Thomas may add an alternative voice and perspective to what would otherwise be a dull, predictable race among city insiders anxious to preserve a status quo they've been preserving for more than a decade.

Just one thing, though. Nobody's supposed to be taking this blog seriously. That could undermine its outsider, beatnicky cachet.

Ned Thomas for Mayor

Well, one of the few reasons for attending Nor'Town Planning Commission meetin's is going away. Ned Thomas, who was replacing Angelo Carvalho while Carvalho was in Iraq, had his last meeting in chambers last night, that is, until he gets elected to City Council or the Mayor's chair.

It was a longish meeting, and the most controversial item waited until the bitter end.

The issue was whether to extend the use permit for a casino/hotel called Centennial Crossing in...wait for it...Casino Alley, over near the I-15, Woodbury Beltway intersection. Both the fire department and the Nevada National Guard have problems with the site.

The fire department sounded a lot like the redshirts who have been protesting the various tenement apartment projects around Nor'Town. They were concerned that given the fast growth of North Las Vegas, the fire department would not have the resources to protect the planned casino and environs.

Keep in mind that Centennial Crossing was approved by the City Council years ago. That means the fire department was originally on board back then, but now they have concluded that circumstances have changed enough for them to withdraw their support.

Too bad that argument didn't sit so well with the council when it supported the apartments at Revere and Centennial.

The Nevada National Guard is concerned about the possibility of Islamofacists peeking out of the windows of the Centennial Crossing and learning about the training exercises which take place over at the nearby training facility. They are also concerned about safety issues and traffic. Nobody wants to see a drunken whale run over by a tank during night training, do they?

However, it looks like flying bullets or tank shells won't be a problem since live ammo is not used on the site nearest the proposed hotel.

But is was Ned Thomas who for a few brief moments raised the commission up out of its usual near-sighted contemplation of construction minutiae and posed the issue in terms of vision. Does the city of North Las Vegas really want a such a concentration of casinos in one place? Does it really want to turn that area into a Casino Alley?

He also suggested that a referendum on the issue would show Nor'Towners are against the Casino swarm. I'm not so sure since it is difficult to predict what the miniscule percentage of voters who would turn out would actually vote for. But the mind boggles: what would Nor'Towners say if there were such a referendum? Are they for or agin Casino Alley?

Anyways, the commission, after a short, uncomfortable silence, simply ignored the remarks, abandoned any thought of planning ahead, and voted for the extension, with Ned Thomas casting the only lonely vote against.

If Nor'Towners want a say in Casino Alley, they had better keep a close eye on City Council and the Planning Commission. Cuz more Casinos are a-comin' up.

Either that, or vote Ned Thomas for Mayor.

Cheyenne: Nor'Town's Boulder Highway

Item 6 of the North Las Vegas Planning Commission meetin' tonight concerned a possible "high end" auto dealership/coffee shop on Cheyenne Ave near Valley Drive. Staff was opposed mainly because the area is supposed to be part of the Cheyenne Techology Corridor, and a used parking lot would sorta distract from that. The lot would in fact be near the west entrance to the North Las Vegas portion of the corridor, thus lending its classiness to the overall ambiance of the place.

Even if the original owner, represented at the Commission meeting by apartment lovers' favorite lawyer-lobbyist Jennifer Lazovich, creates a truly "upscale" joint, he could sell, and the next owner could set up a really cheesy used car lot. You know, the kind of place that would sell the broken down heap that often adorns a Nor'Town front lawn .

Anyway, the commission decided to punt and voted to allow automobile sales at the property. They figure they can set up the special use permit to place restrictions on the number of cars, or boats, which will be on display at the site, and on the hours of operation. Currently, the owner was suggesting hours from 6am to 11pm. You know, so all those folks who like their coffee tinged with the subtle flavors of gasoline and carbon monoxide can savor their java late at night. Only Ned Thomas voted against, and you can blame him for the comparison with Boulder Highway.

The anti-casino crowd needs to be vigilant about attending upcoming commission meetings. One developer seeking a use permit for the Centennial Crossings casino over at the intersection of I-15 and I-215, that is, Casino Alley, postponed his/her hearing with the commission until May 14. On May 28, the Miller Hotel and Casino will be seeking a bunch of permits for its casino, postponed from tonight.