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Published Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 | 10:04 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 | 10:06 a.m.
Governor-elect Brian Sandoval will retain budget director Andrew Clinger, rounding out his team with former Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert as chief of staff and former school district employee, state veteran and R&R Partners worker Dale Erquiaga as senior advisor.
Clinger has earned praise from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, despite their contentious relationship with his boss, Gov. Jim Gibbons, and completes Sandoval’s core team as they put together a budget.
Clinger was originally named budget director by Gov. Kenny Guinn.
Erquiaga, who grew up in Fallon, said today that Sandoval will be meeting with potential cabinet members over the next few weeks and announcing appointments. He promised to have weekly briefings for members of the press.
Naming Clinger as his first department head reflects that the administration’s first, toughest job will be to put together a budget. Sandoval on Tuesday reaffirmed his promise not to raise taxes.
Sandoval had promised to release a budget during the campaign, but failed to do so, other than to say there would be shared sacrifices.
Erquiaga said they would not provide specific budget details or numbers until the Economic Forum meets in December, to estimate the amount of revenue the state will have to spend over the next two years.
Erquiaga said Sandoval did not want to scare state workers about potential cuts before they are final. He said all option except taxes are on the table, including taking money from capital project funds for school districts. “The Legislature has the power to move money around,” he said. Sandoval had no plans to raise fees, Erquiaga said.
Erquiaga, Gansert and Sandoval, all 47, have a deep history together in Northern Nevada. Erquiaga said he went to 2nd grade with Sandoval in Fallon. Sandoval and Gansert were president and vice-president of the student body at Bishop Manogue Catholic High School in Reno.
Erquiaga lived in Las Vegas for roughly a decade, and was most recently the director of government affairs for the Clark County School District. He said Sandoval will name a transition team of about 30 people, none of whom are lobbyists.
Appears to be a good decision to me, but I am sure our Liberal friends will find fault with it...
Because Sandoval is a Republican!!!
Wrong, Larry. This isn't about Sandogibbons, its about Clinger. If you had bothered to read anything about Clinger in the last 4 years instead of wanting to just bash liberals for no reason, you would note that he's been a straight shooter, not afraid to signal when elected officials of either party were wrong. He's a cautious man. Easy call to keep him.
Regarding scaring state workers, state workers have had to suffer a disproportionate amount of the cuts to help balance the budget already. Cuts in pay, cuts in benefits, higher fees (taxes) for everything. Teachers and other educators were already spending their salaries for supplies and, in some cases, meals for students, that the public schools should have been providing. Its time the Governor of this state look elsewhere to raise revenue than raising it on the backs of Nevada families who serve the state and have given much more than most others.
Making higher education worse, DMV less responsive, eliminating services for the elderly and infirm, and driving teachers away is not the way to balance the budget. You cannot cut your way to a better state.
Show some initiative. Nine months ago, George Flynt of the Nevada Brothels Owners Association OFFERED 2.5 million a year to the state if the legislature would only choose to tax brothels at $5.00 an encounter. That's right-the brothel owners OFFERED to pay taxes to the state and nothing was done. Flynt told Senators Townsend, Coffin, and Care that if the 400,000 population law that kept brothels out of Clark and Washoe were repealed he could turn over AT LEAST 250 million YEARLY to the state. Plus, it would reduce the illegal prostitution problem in Clark and Washoe just like its done in the rest of the state.
Remember the City of Las Vegas program to turn in people who do not register their cars by dialing 455-FAIR? Why not make that a state-wide effort instead of keeping it just in the Las Vegas City Limits? Everyone should pay their fair share and everyone should have their cars registered. The DMV estimates that millions of dollars could be recouped from people who should be registering their cars anyway.
Show initiative, Governor. Don't just cut. Are you diffferent, or are you just another version of Gibbons-Sandogibbons?
Some of our Liberal friends need to take a course in reading comprehension.
One reason government salaries have gone up is because there are more computer oriented employees in government. Government has to compete with the likes of Google and Facebook, etc.
Gibbons was working as a compensated ranch hand when he was injured. The ranch should pay for his medical care, not taxpayers or taxpayer paid for insurance.
Sandoval is a buck passer, who is pushing spending and programs to the city, county and other government sectors. He is not a leader but a coward.
I still haven't seen his birth certificate. Is he really an American born citizen? At least Obama posted his on the web.
Also, like Mitt Romney, Sandoval is in a dead end political career. The teaparty crowd won't vote for a Hispanic who comes from a state that has gambling and prostitution, especially in states like South Carolina. Sorry Charlie, you are boxed in by your bigot friends in the Republican Party.
Be strong enough to admit when you're wrong, Larry.
And be smart enough to know when you are not wrong...
Amen and I agree with William Hill.
One revenue resource NO ONE in Nevada wants to talk about, publish, or have on the news, is the sustainable potential tax revenue that the Nevada BROTHEL INDUSTRY offered (to the amazing tune of at least $1 billion dollars a year) last February's Nevada's State Legislature Meeting!!!! What???
All these budget cuts could have been avoided! What?
One BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR sustainable tax revenue would pull Nevada out of the budgetary hole and keep it out!!!!!
Does it really matter to you WHERE lawmakers get the money??? Money is green! Be honest!
All of the sudden, several lawmakers zipped their pants, a few more got religion, some more grew morals, and well, the rest just couldn't bear to tell anyone that it was even offered for their consideration, because, well, it is about S-E-X. The one thing no one talks about.
Why are millions of people and families suffering today in Nevada?
Because lawmakers just could not bring themselves to the point of OPENLY doing any kind of negoitating with the legal/legitimate brothel/sexual industry.
Have YOU suffered enough? Was it worth it? Do you want our lawmakers/representatives to revisit this offer and address giving Nevada a sustainable, legal revenue? Then contact them and tell them.
You may not condone, practice, or have anything to do with such an industry, but, you as a taxpayer and citizen of Nevada have a right to be heard and expect your representative to listen and act on your and others like you behalves. Money is green.
Is this a joke?