Editorial: Mayor will leave on an upbeat note

Monday, Feb. 15, 1999 | 10:19 a.m.

Instant analysis is fraught with peril, but even so it probably is safe to say that in the future state historians will look favorably on the tenure of Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, who last week announced she wouldn't run for re-election. For eight years, Jones has been mayor during a time of dynamic expansion and prosperity for Las Vegas -- indeed, all of Southern Nevada -- spurred by the gaming industry's explosive growth.

Jones has shown genuine leadership, unflinching in tackling difficult problems that some other politicians would just as soon see go away. She was an ardent advocate for downtown redevelopment, pushing through the $70 million Fremont Street Experience and Neonopolis, a new downtown shopping and entertainment center. In addition, she was tireless in her efforts to open a shelter that provides centralized services for the homeless.

While sometimes it could be argued that she spread herself too thin and didn't have enough focus, Jones had a larger vision for the valley's future that regrettably is not all that common among elected officials. Rather than constraining her ideas to just the boundaries of the Las Vegas city limits, Jones has been a champion of government consolidation, which would provide a more efficient delivery of services. After all, with the existing patchwork of municipalities and unincorporated Clark County, it takes regional solutions to solve vexing problems such as traffic gridlock, insufficient schools and pollution.

Jones tried to take her message statewide, but her two bids for governor were rejected by the voters. Still, her hammering away at issues most politicians have tried to avoid for years has served the public well. Probably her most lasting achievement will be in getting the public and elected officials to take seriously quality-of-life issues, including sensible growth strategies.

The mayor says she now would like to spend more time with her family, and after eight years of public service who can blame her. Although she now will be Citizen Jones, hopefully her exit from the public arena will be a short-lived one since her energy and ideas have propelled a vital debate on this valley's future.