Columnist Jeff German: Reid having easy time in Senate whip race

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 11:35 a.m.

Uncontested is a word Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., hasn't heard in a while.

But uncontested is how his race for Democratic whip in the Senate is being described by Washington insiders.

Reid has obtained the support of 42 of his 44 Democratic colleagues in his bid for the No. 2 Senate post. He will become the highest-ranking Nevadan ever in the Senate.

The election is scheduled to take place Dec. 1 on Capitol Hill, even though Reid's defeated Senate opponent, Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., still is thinking about asking for a recount. Reid edged out Ensign by only 401 votes this month.

Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii will nominate Reid next month, and Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota will second the nomination.

Once elected to the whip's post, Reid will join Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., as the two most powerful Democrats in the Senate. Reid will have a seat at the bargaining table on every major issue in Washington, including those that directly affect Nevada, such as the debate over storing high-level nuclear waste.

Reid's longtime friend and chief of staff, Reynaldo Martinez, will head the senator's transition into the whip's office before retiring and moving back to Nevada.

As Reid looks forward to taking on new responsibilities in the Senate, Ensign continues to keep us in the dark about whether he'll challenge the election.

National Republican Party bigwigs are putting a lot of pressure on Ensign and the state GOP to seek a recount. At the same time, the political top guns from Washington have been looking to embarrass the election process here in their endeavor to take away the Senate seat from Reid and the Democrats.

But the fact remains, recounts rarely end up changing election results. They only make the voters angry.

Ensign, who remains a viable political force because of his strong showing in the Senate race, has to take that into consideration as he ponders a decision that could affect his future in public office.

Reid's future in the Senate, meanwhile, looks very good right now. Nevada's does too.

Hundreds of friends of Robert Panaro have signed petitions seeking his release from jail while he awaits his March trial in the murder of reputed Chicago mob figure Herbie Blitzstein.

Panaro, identified by the FBI as a "made member" of the Buffalo mob, and five other underworld associates have been charged in the 1997 plot to kill Blitzstein.

On Wednesday, Panaro's lawyer, Steve Stein, filed papers in U.S. District Court asking for a new hearing to grant Panaro the ability to free himself on bail. He's been locked up since his February indictment.

Stein charged that Panaro has been receiving inadequate medical attention from the North Las Vegas Detention Center as a result of an alleged beating at the hands of corrections officers last month. Panaro, who contends he's not a member of the mob, has filed a civil rights suit over the altercation.

Stein also accused the government of trying to persuade an inmate to coax Panaro into incriminating himself. The inmate, Ronald Marrazzo, told Stein he refused to cooperate with the government.

Panaro has denied having anything to do with Blitzstein's murder. Blitzstein was killed in a scheme by Los Angeles and Buffalo mobsters to muscle in on Las Vegas street rackets.

In the catch-up department, Tom Pitaro demonstrated last month why he's one of the best criminal defense lawyers in Nevada.

Pitaro, you may recall, persuaded a Las Vegas jury to acquit former District Judge Gerard Bongiovanni on corruption charges.

Bongiovanni will be indebted to Pitaro for a long time for helping him get his life back.

Few attorneys can match Pitaro's fearlessness and passion for the law.

Las Vegans have long recognized the fine job FBI chief Bobby Siller has been doing here.

Now, Siller has received a prestigious national award as one of the brightest government executives in the country.

Siller and eight other FBI officials were honored for their distinguished service to the government at a ceremony in Washington earlier this month. Congratulations.