Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Raggio’s tough questions

Friday, Dec. 17, 1999 | 9:13 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

HOW DARE NEVADA Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, delay authorizing more money to hire additional lawyers for the Real Estate Division. It will be interesting to see how the division answers his questions next month during the meeting of the Legislative Interim Finance Committee.

Not long ago I sat and watched two of the division's attorneys for five hours during a disciplinary hearing. That was just half a day of a nine-day affair that, according to more than one observer, should have been settled with the same results in a day or less at the most.

Attorney Gus Flangas told Sun reporter Phil Levine, "The fact is that a number of rich people became a lot richer from these deals. You can't help but wonder why the AG's office would spend so much time and money on minor technical questions." That's right, after four years of investigation and nine days of hearings not one complainant could show anything but having made big bucks.

The members of the Nevada Real Estate Commission asked good questions and mostly separated the wheat from the chaff and found they had a whole basket of the latter. They just couldn't buy into the punishment demands requested by the state's lawyers. Again, the whole matter, fines and all, should have been settled in a day.

Members of state boards and commissioners should all be taught that they have the power to make decisions. Deputy attorneys general are there to only give legal advice and not steer policy.

Makes a fella wonder if all that time and money couldn't have been better spent on cases where Nevadans are being ripped off in real estate deals.

We have a couple of unsigned letters complaining that U.S. District Judge Johnnie Rawlinson doesn't have the experience needed to serve on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. One man, a longtime friend of mine, called to give me the same line. I thought it was strange because he didn't complain about the Nevadan she is replacing who had no previous experience as a judge. Nevertheless, that man, now retiring, has been an excellent judge. Come to think of it, large numbers of appellate judges go straight from their law offices to that high position. Rawlinson has been a lawyer for 18 years and by the time she is elevated will have two years on the federal bench. Because his complaint is specious I asked if her sex or race play any part in his complaint that she doesn't have enough experience. He denied that they do and changed the subject of discussion. T he next time we talk I'll remind him that the chief justice of the United States, William Rehnquist, didn't serve as a judge prior to going to our nation's highest court.

Former Sun reporter Mike Millard is now living and working for Bloomberg in Singapore after leaving Reuters in Tokyo. Mike's book on U.S.-Japan relations will be published in August. He writes, "Was in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago to coordinate election coverage and edit, did 19 straight hours before collapsing gratefully into bed in hotel next to Petronal Towers, where our KL office is located. Have also done East Timor coverage (from Singapore fortunately) and a lot of business stories recently, 'Asia bounces back' stuff mostly." He follows Las Vegas by reading the Sun website. ... Art Nadler, also a former Sun reporter, is coordinating the state's "Made In Nevada" program. This program is designed to promote businesses in the state and encourage them to utilize the services of other Nevada businesses. If you want to know more about the program, call (702) 486-2710. ... Marilee Joyce's "Eye On Washington" television and radio program is adding Reno radio station KSRN to its outlets. Las Vegas television stat ions Channel 8 KLAS, Las Vegas 1 (Cox Cable Channels 1 and 39) and Reno's KTVN already carry the program. Joyce produces Nevada-centered programs in D.C. Starting next month her company will also produce a Georgia-centered program for that state. ...

UNR Athletic Director Chris Ault has always been a threat to UNLV football fans except during the years he was an assistant coach for the Rebels. Few people, if any, have tasted the success of Ault as a high school and university coach. Here in the Silver State he has set benchmark records that other men can only dream of achieving. Now he has gone out and hired coach Chris Tormey to run the Wolf Pack. Tormey's winning record and recruiting success is enough to give me and other Rebel fans heartburn. Isn't it about time you retired, Chris? ... Who is going to replace Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisor Gloria Flora? She should be replaced by a guy with the build and attitude of Gov. Jesse Ventura. Then he and his headquarters should be moved to downtown Elko. You can bet there would be some attitude adjustment on the part of the Elko County politic ians.