Growth steers power to south

Friday, Nov. 10, 2000 | 11:14 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Mike McGinness must drive 1,019 miles to circle his state Senate district in central Nevada that includes six counties and parts of two others.

The 54,500-square-mile district is almost half the size of Nevada, which covers 110,000 square miles. And eight smaller eastern states -- Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland -- would fit in the district, with room to spare.

This is one reason McGinness will argue that the size of the Legislature must be increased when reapportionment is accomplished next year.

Every 10 years, the Legislature is revamped to reflect the population. Since 1973, Clark County has held a majority in both houses.

With its growth in the last decade, Clark County will gain more seats, with enough votes alone to override any veto of the governor.

"That's not an ideal situation for a balance of power," says political scientist Erik Herzik. "But that's the way it is, so live with it," he said, referring to the enormous power that will accrue to Southern Nevada.

Instead of shifting present seats to Clark County, rural Nevadans want to enlarge the Legislature so Clark gets the new seats and the "cow counties" still have their representatives.

Clark County presently has 13 of the 21 seats in the Senate. Washoe County has four, and the rurals have four. Double those numbers for the makeup of the Assembly.

In the last reapportionment in 1991, the average Senate district had 57,000 people and Assembly districts had 28,500. Bob Erickson, director of research for the Legislative Counsel Bureau, estimates that if the Legislature is not enlarged this time, the average Senate District will have 97,000 people and the Assembly 48,500.

Some Clark County lawmakers favor keeping the same number of legislators -- 63 with 42 in the Assembly and 21 in the Senate. They argue every added seat will cost the taxpayers more money. But those in rural Nevada and Washoe County say a legislator will be spread too thin if the districts are not expanded.

Estimates presented to a legislative committee studying reapportionment said it would cost $315,000 over two years to add one member to the Senate or Assembly. That could cover the salary and expenses of the lawmaker, plus the additional staff.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, opposes any expansion, citing the cost.

If the present number of seats were maintained, Erickson estimates that Clark County would gain three more Assembly seats that would be shifted from the north. Clark County now has 26 of the 42 seats. And there would be a transfer of 1 1/2 Senate seats to Clark County.

Under that scenario, Clark County would have to share one of the Senate seats with another county. Many of the northern counties have shared Senate and Assembly seats. But Clark lawmakers always run from their own county.

Keeping the present number would not increase cost.

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Minden, said this presents a dilemma -- good representation versus cost. He also thinks the $315,000 per legislator is inflated. That includes two and one-half staffers, and the Legislature has never added that in the past.

The Legislature is going to have to add employees anyway, as there are more interim studies and more complicated issues, he argues. So this extra cost, he said should not be assigned to reapportionment.

While legislators are intent on drawing the lines for the districts to keep their own seats and to give advantage to their political party, the issue isn't of general interest. Herzik says "Special interest groups are very interested, but the general public is less interested."

In rural Nevada, he said, "It's very important because they will be losing legislators. In Clark County there will be less interest because they are picking up seats.

"It's harder to get mad if you are getting a gift than it you are losing someone," Herzik said.

There's one plan being put forth by Northern Nevadans that would add four Assembly seats and two in the Senate. It would help the rurals maintain the present number of lawmakers.

But Titus says a simple solution would be to combine the Carson City and Douglas County District in the Senate. She noted that Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen, R-Minden, intends to retire when his term expires in two years. So there would be an open seat, so no one would lose a job.

Erickson says, "There will be lots of tough decisions on how rural Nevada will look."

Nevada's Constitution limits the number of legislators to 75. Erickson said there has been the full number on two occasions in the 1880s and in the early 1900s, during periods of economic booms. And the Legislature has been as small as 45 members during lean economic times.

There's also the question whether the legislators can complete reapportionment during the 120-day regular session. Most say they don't want a special session to follow, only for reapportionment.

But this upcoming session will be filled with hot-ticket items such as taxes, educational spending, government reorganization and growth in Clark County.

Erickson doesn't expect the breakdown on the census figures to be delivered until March, when the session will be nearly halfway over. And it will take time to put them into the state computers to start drawing the lines.

Hettrick suggests some lawmakers might use reapportionment as a "bargaining chip" to push through or stop legislation. And that could delay a final decision and force a special session.

McGinness says this is a "Citizen Legislature" and it would be unreasonable to expect rural senators and assembly members to have expanded districts. "To be honest, I should be out there more, but the area is too big now."

His district includes both the "Loneliest Road in America" and the Alien Highway near Rachel. And making that 1,019 mile trip doesn't get you into the smaller communities.

He's got to meet with six county commissions, six school boards, six hospital boards and other local governments. "Everybody wants you to know their issues," he says.