Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Government smell test

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 1999 | 9:17 a.m.

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

LAS VEGANS should be happy that at least one member of the city's Ethics Review Board is able to distinguish the line that separates what is legal from what is ethical in government. Former Assemblywoman Eileen Brookman says the appointment of city employees to the City Council doesn't "pass the smell test." What is described as legal is the very least we can demand from our elected officials. The standards they set above that floor determines the level of ethics and quality of government they practice. Nobody has ever had to question the ethics in government Eileen practiced during her 18 years in public office. In the near future the city voters will learn if the majority of the City Council members have improved their ability to smell since they gave their pet garbage collectors a 15-year contract. ... While discussing different smells in government the re's good reason for Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa to check the odors being generated in the Nevada Real Estate Commission. It

's all about a case where the commissioners have decided to ignore the rulings of three District Court judges, and the odor left behind by the conflicts of a deputy attorney general continue to linger. A special press notice and the over-eager prosecution of an individual case brought it to my attention and it should develop into a very interesting story during the coming weeks. ... Before leaving the world of smells we must congratulate pig farmer Bob Combs in his latest court victory. He and his hard-working family have long been targets for developers who don't appreciate the presence of his livestock and pigs in their area. The problem is that Combs and his animals have been in Clark County much longer than the developers and the people they want to sell houses. ... We realize that Nevada Rep. Jim Gibbons represents all of Nevada's ranchers but he shou ld check the history of wild horses before pushing his bill to put them under the management of state and county governments. State Sen. Dina Titus fr! om Clark County reminded the people in Washington that, The 1971 Act was passed because Congress recognized the need to protect America's wild horses. To turn their management back over to the states, as Gibbons proposes, would be turning back the clock 40 years. It would allow those whose interests are in direct conflict with the horses to control their destiny. I believe Gibbons when he says he doesn't want the states to have control of the horses so they can be butchered, but this is exactly what was happening before Reno's Velma "Wild Horse Annie" Johnston brought these problems to the public's attention in 1959. It was her insistence that first brought state action and then federal action to protect wild horses. "America's Last Wild Horses" by Hope Ryder was published prior to the 1971 federal act but it gives a clear picture of the need for the stron ger national protection desired for the horses. What's needed now is proper funding and management provided to protect the horses. This includes the vigoro

us prosecution of people who adopt the horses and then slaughter them. ... So a television reporter was able to ask Gov. George W. Bush some questions about specific foreign leaders he couldn't answer. This rather childish bit of game-playing brings more attention to the reporter than the subject of his questioning. It also reminds us that any fool can ask more questions than a wise person can answer. By the way, what was the name of that reporter? ... This fall my son, Mike, and I have been attending a high school football game on a different campus every weekend. Last week we went to watch The Meadows Mustangs play the Faith Lutheran Crusaders We thought it would be a change from the games at the large schools. It was a delightful change of atmosphere and small school spirit. It was also an evening of good prep football that reflected the healthy attitud e of the students, coaches and teachers of both schools. I'm not sure, but it looked like almost every player saw action that night. ... Nevada Rep. S! helley Berkley is a co-sponsor of the Notch Fairness Act of 1999. House Resolution 148 is "A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to allow workers who attain age 65 after 1981 and before 1992 to choose either lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000 or an improved benefit computation formula under a new 10-year rule governing the transition to the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977, and for other purposes." ... Congratulations to Cincinnati Reds manager Jack McKeon on being named 1999 Manager of the Year. Jack was one of the moving forces, along with Ballard Smith and Tom Mulcahy, in helping both Reno and Las Vegas get San Diego Padres farm teams.