Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Some Silver State views

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 12:15 p.m.

IT'S TIME FOR the regents and legislators to give Community College of Southern Nevada President Richard Moore an award instead of criticism. The audacity of people representing an area with very low college attendance complaining about "too many new students" is outrageous.

The people of Clark County have been pleased to see a community college leader do something besides talk about educating our residents. Moore's close working relationship with the Clark County School District and smooth transition for its high school graduates to attend college has to be most rewarding and refreshing.

Bringing Moore and university system Chancellor Richard Jarvis aboard has breathed new life into higher education opportunities for Southern Nevadans. When our readers pick up a newspaper telling them of the latest gaming win increases and then hearing about a lack of money for new college students, they must be confused. That confusion won't last for very long. Working families now see greater opportunities for themselves and their children to increase skills and education achievements.

When all of this talk about there being a big money shortage is no longer around in May, the increase in college students will be funded. If this doesn't happen you can bet there will be a call for action to make it happen.

The flame of higher education is beginning to light up our community and Southern Nevadans don't want it extinguished.

If ever there was an argument for Nevada not having a one-house legislature like Nebraska, it's the Assembly questioning of Senate Bill 120, which continues an assault on the privacy of individuals. The bill is the latest attempt to broaden the wiretap powers of law enforcement agencies. Every recent session has included fresh attempts to broaden these questionable powers and some have been added by unthinking legislators.

Assemblyman John Carpenter, R-Elko, and Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto, D-Las Vegas, have both expressed concerns about this bill that whizzed out of the Senate without much thought. The longer other members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee think about SB120, the fewer votes it will have.

Sunday, this column will take a more in-depth look at privacy invasions that some self-serving groups and individuals are pushing for passage. It will even take a look at past and present views of this issue in a country that prides itself in the protection of individual rights. Among the premier rights we love is our privacy as individuals where we should be able to act freely as long as we don't intrude upon the rights of others.

Because of our willingness to oppose the invasion of our privacy, only little pieces are taken away one at a time. A strong-arm grab to take away our rights would meet a storm of resistance. So with each meeting of our Legislature in Carson City and our Congress in Washington, the small, and some not too small, beachheads already made into our privacy are added to or broadened.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, deserves support in passing Senate Bill 274, which calls for Las Vegas to have six council members. Because of rapid growth, the present four councilmen are no longer adequate to meet the needs of their constituents.

Joe originally wanted the voters to make the decision to increase the number of councilmen. Then he was told it couldn't go on the ballot this year. This made it clear to Joe that the old council-stalling game is in place and nothing would happen unless the Legislature forced the issue.

Joe has written SB274 so the boundaries for Wards 5 and 6 must be in place no later than Jan. 1, 2000.

Suddenly, the Las Vegas City Council believes a binding vote can be cast on this important issue in June. We shall see how sincere this latest move is and how it's treated by the present members of the council.

"It's a significant contribution to the field of gaming law," are the words of pre-eminent gaming legal authority Robert Faiss. Faiss was referring to the work of Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rodefer and his "Nevada Gaming Law Index." This is a high compliment coming from a lawyer with the knowledge and skill of Faiss.

Rodefer long ago gained recognition for his skill in the courtroom, and his services to Nevada in both taxation and gaming have been invaluable. Now his extensive research productivity is available for gaming lawyers and licenses in a clearly documented 231-page notebook. It's so clear that even I was able to read it and learn where to find some answers.

As Faiss noted, "Rodefer did a tremendous amount of work" and this product reflects his initiative and talent.