Herrera emphasizes commitment to county

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001 | 11:36 a.m.

He wore a red tie television viewers came to know during the presidential debates, and he spoke into a tele-prompter never before used during the state of Clark County address.

Commissioner Dario Herrera was in true politician form Tuesday.

But Herrera has a message for critics who might leap to the wrong conclusion: His politically savvy speech reflected his enthusiasm for his new role as chairman, not his intention to fill the next congressional seat.

"My primary responsibility as chairman of the county commission entails working diligently on behalf of issues that matter to Clark County residents," Herrera emphasized after Tuesday's address.

"Given my record of public service the last four years, I don't think anyone can legitimately question if I'm doing this for the sake of considering the third congressional seat."

Herrera addressed a spectrum of obstacles -- most related to growth -- that face the county during the next two years.

He also spoke to state and federal issues the county has little control over, such as deregulation of the power industry and the storage of low-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

Herrera captured the audience's attention with an address in which he committed himself to improving residents' quality of life.

Herrera said the county plans to tackle public safety problems by adding four new police substations and bolstering the police force by 200 officers, building a new fire station every year for the next decade and implementing a truancy tracking program.

Commissioners also will share the task of raising the valley's literacy rate with school administrators. Herrera said Clark County students have access to an average of six books in schools; the national average is 18.

The new Clark County Reads program, which involves the school district, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Public Education Foundation will work to collect more than 1 million books and recruit 1,000 volunteers.

"We need the private sector to step up in a big way," Herrera said. "We must give our children a solid foundation in reading to ensure them a bright tomorrow."

The county will continue chipping away at transportation problems by finishing the Las Vegas Beltway and beginning construction on a new airport in Ivanpah. Herrera committed to bringing the county into compliance with Environmental Protection Agency regulations that regulate dust control.

Herrera said he brought up national issues because they are problems in which certain commissioners are involved.

While Herrera didn't threaten to sue the Department of Energy over storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, he said the county will do all it can to fight the proposal. And he said the county will battle rising utility rates related to deregulation.

"We will look toward the Legislature to see what leadership it provides on an issue that, potentially, could be disastrous for our community," Herrera said. "We will work hard to ensure that changes in the power industry are not done on the backs of our hard-working citizens."

The fact the county rented $900 in tele-prompter equipment for Herrera, that he spoke at a podium in front of a bank of flags rather than from behind the dais and touched upon national issues reportedly upset at least one colleague.

County sources said Commissioner Erin Kenny complained about the speech to county officials including manager Dale Askew, and she was the only board member not to congratulate Herrera as he made his way back to his seat.

Herrera said the new, more formal set-up allowed him to be closer to the audience and gave the county a more professional image.

"It helps us with part of message that county representatives need to be closer to the people they're elected to serve," Herrera said. "It's more important for me to be near the audience instead of behind the dais."

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, who has served on the board for nearly two decades, commended Herrera on his speech.