Concerning Guinn: Quotes from Nevada

Thursday, Dec. 16, 1999 | 10:13 a.m.

-"I think he gets an A-plus. I like his approach. He's a hands-on type of governor. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work, getting a handle on state government," said Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington. "He was a little slow at the start, but it was a transition period, he was trying to line up his own troops."

-"From our perspective, the jury is still out. But since the end of the legislative session, I've had more meetings in the governor's office than I had in the preceding nine years. At least we're talking," said Bob Gagnier of the State of Nevada Employees Association. "Another big issue is this fundamental review study. Most state employees that have been around for a while can't get real excited about it because almost every governor in recent years has had a study. I look at them in two ways. One, they're an opportunity. Two, you have to be careful about what's going on."

-"He hasn't done anything that we can judge yet. I'm still hopeful that he might support increases in welfare grants, but he hasn't said either way," said Jan Gilbert of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a citizen-based group. "One positive thing is that he certainly helped the Welfare Division with its NOMADS computer project. Everyone feels it's getting back on track."

-"We're very pleased with his interaction with local government. During the legislative session he consulted us for our perspective before signing bills. That's a nice change of pace," said Michelle Gamble of the Nevada Association of Counties. "It's the first time we've had this level of communication between the governor's office and the association."

-"The efforts to improve the Ethics Commission are certainly commendable, but the jury is still out. There's no reason to criticize or to commend the governor's approach to things at the moment," said Jim Hulse of Common Cause-Nevada. "My big worry is that so much special-interest money dictates what candidate runs and who gets elected ... and the jury is still out on his ties to the casino industry. He seems to be doing a good job on finances, but there are basic social needs to be met too."

-"From our perspective, we're very pleased with his job performance," said Carole Vilardo of the Nevada Taxpayers Association, whose membership includes many businesses. "On his government agency review and on taxes, it's still too early to tell what road this leads us down. But at this point it's very encouraging. Plus, the access to the governor is great."

-"The governor clearly gets an A-plus. He came into a difficult financial situation and resolved it without increasing any state taxes and fees and successfully steered a utility deregulation bill through the Legislature and established the Millennium Scholarships plan," said Bill Bible of the Nevada Resort Association, representing major hotel-casinos. "He's clearly a nuts-and-bolts governor. We can't make a judgment yet on his fundamental review of government. He has said to give him time and he'll come back with his findings."