Coffin criticized over land charges

Friday, July 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN STAFF REPORTS

If you're going to call a press conference in the heat of a political campaign, it's wise to have your ducks in order. Otherwise a gaggle of reporters will bite your head off.

That's what happened to state Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, Thursday after he alleged without proof that a wealthy Utah developer will benefit from a bill sponsored by Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Coffin is among four Democrats vying to unseat Ensign in Nevada's 1st Congressional District, which includes urban parts of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.

Ensign, who says taxpayers are losing millions in public-private land exchanges, has introduced legislation to change the way the federal government swaps land with private developers.

U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., has introduced similar legislation. Both measures have been attached to an omnibus parks bill.

That bill could be amended to include a provision requiring 10 percent of the proceeds of federal land sales in Clark County go to Utah to purchase tortoise habitat and other environmentally sensitive acreage.

The amendment is being proposed by Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah.

Without providing details, Coffin said a Utah developer named James Doyle would benefit because he owns property the federal Bureau of Land Management might want to buy to protect desert tortoises.

Promising he'd have more information later, Coffin implied that Hansen was trying to help land owners such as Doyle.

"Could it be that he (Hansen) is trying to benefit some wealthy contributors in Utah?" Coffin asked.

Hansen's spokeswoman, Nancy Blockinger, said she'd never heard of Doyle.

"We wouldn't pass a bill for that reason," she said.

GOP hits unions

The Nevada Republican Party has cranked up its fax machine in defense of Ensign.

Republicans are upset with ads paid for by the national AFL-CIO, taking Ensign to task for supporting smaller increases in Medicare, a health care program that benefits senior citizens and others.

The ads link Ensign with House Speaker Newt Gingich, R-Ga., whom many seniors blame for leading an attack against Medicare.

News outlets have been receiving faxes that claim the ads take remarks Gingrich made about Medicare out of context.

Republicans say the ads make it appear that Gingrich thinks Medicare will wither away.

The GOP argues that Gingrich was referring in a speech to the Health Care Financing Administration, a federal agency, and not to Medicare itself.

McCue leaving

Another top aide to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is taking a hiatus to work on campaigns for other Democrats.

Press Secretary Susan McCue is being assigned to the re-election campaign of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

McCue will leave July 26 and return to her duties with Reid after the Nov. 5 election.

In the interim, Deputy Press Secretary Jenny Backus will replace McCue.

Earlier this month, Reid's legislative liaison, Larry Werner, took a leave to run Spike Wilson's campaign in Nevada's 2nd Congressional District.

Reid isn't up for re-election until 1998.