Columnist Jon Ralston: Political maneuvers intensify as endgame nears

Wednesday, April 25, 2001 | 9:11 a.m.

Jon Ralston hosts the public affairs program "Face to Face" on Las Vegas ONE and also publishes the Ralston Report. His column for the Sun appears on Sundays and Wednesdays. Ralston can be reached at 870-7997 or through e-mail at ralston@ vegas.com

CARSON CITY -- Scenes from a Legislature:

* The sensitive caucus: About a fortnight ago, during one of those bacchanalian evenings at the After Hours Legislative Building (aka Adele's), a veteran GOP operative offered some helpful advice to Gov. Kenny Guinn and Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Maupin: "Don't kill retards."

A little blunt and politically incorrect. But on point.

The Assembly Republican Caucus, though, begs to differ. On Tuesday only 12 Assembly folks voted against Democrat Sheila Leslie's bill to prohibit the death penalty for those deemed to be mentally retarded.

Yes, the dirty dozen were all Republicans. Only Sandra Tiffany and John Carpenter voted for the bill, with Merle Berman absent.

So this is the way this minority defines itself -- they think the mentally retarded should be put to death. Against the backdrop of the Michael Nevius case, where Guinn has expressed reservations about executing a man who appears to be retarded, and with a resonating debate on capital punishment now in the lower house, the GOP Assembly folks have staked out their turf.

The issue became so heated that after Reno Republican Greg Brower gave a speech against the bill -- you know, the tough-on-crime, we can't chip away at capital punishment stuff -- Speaker Richard Perkins left his customary spot on the dais to give a screed in favor of the measure. Pointing out that he is a death penalty supporter -- in fact, he has vowed to defeat a moratorium bill in his house -- Perkins expressed strong support for Leslie's bill.

I wonder if this could be a campaign issue.

* Now the battle begins: That tax formula bill sought by Henderson and pushed by Perkins made it out of the lower house Tuesday by an overwhelming vote of 28-11. This was the same bill that the Republican Assembly troops claimed the speaker could not get out of his own house last week and had to put it on the desk.

Now, there were questions about whether local government employees could vote, an issue that should have been resolved earlier -- eventually the Legislative Counsel Bureau said they could vote. But the Republicans and some local government lobbyists so aggravated Perkins, by whispering that his gavel had gone limp, that he surely will exact revenge later.

Of the 11 no votes, three were cast by northern and rural Republicans who will not be affected by the bill, two by southern Republicans and six by southern Democrats who have districts in the city of Las Vegas, including two employees from the Stewart Avenue complex -- Wendell Williams and Morse Arberry.

The question is what happens now that the bill goes to the Senate. Can the city and county work together to force a compromise with Henderson? Will Perkins stand by and let those negotiations occur or push Senate Czar Bill Raggio to hold the measure hostage until the end? And what other measures -- those sought by Assembly Republicans and some local governments -- might disappear as punishment for trying to embarrass the speaker in his own house?

I'll let you know June 4.

* The beauty of true friendship: As reapportionment comes more to the fore in the closing 40 days of the session, look for the courtship of Hispanics to increase. The Republicans and the Democrats both say they have the best deal for the state's fastest-growing demographic group, hoping they can swing as many voters to their side as possible. The irony here is that leaders of both parties still whisper that Hispanics may be growing in numbers, but too many don't register and/or don't vote.

This also illustrates how the issue of expanding the Legislature is no longer a North-South issue but almost purely a partisan issue. For instance, southern Assembly folks, including the speaker, who have said they are not sold on expansion, are not joined by GOP southerners, including Sen. Mark James, who this week announced he is for expansion.

More lawmakers is the only way for northern and rural legislators to ensure they keep their seats, some of which would be lost to the south if the status quo is maintained.

This is a card that methinks Perkins will wait to play until the very end.