Editorial: Don’t waste money on ‘good news’

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2001 | 8:23 a.m.

In early October Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny kicked off the opening of the county's first indoor pool by holding a ribbon-cutting party at Desert Breeze Park. The cost for the festivities: almost $40,000. As the Sun's Adrienne Packer reported Monday, from September through November the county has spent, or plans to spend, about $100,000 on park opening celebrations. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, most local governments did the right thing by tightening their belts, which makes frivolous expenditures even more unseemly.

Kenny says that the celebrations still are needed, especially since residents are beset with negative news. And, Kenny says, the commissioners are forced to spend money to promote these events since the media doesn't cover them. Despite Kenny's assertions, the media do let people know when these parks and new recreation centers open. It's just that they don't shower as much attention on the elected officials as these politicians want. The grand opening extravagances are to promote the commissioners and their political futures -- at taxpayer expense.

Luxurious grand openings aren't necessary at any time, but they are especially bad moves now that thousands of workers have lost their jobs. Ironically, the County Commission actually has done a better job than other local governments in Southern Nevada of providing money for workers laid off following the terrorist attacks, and the county has led the way among local governments in providing more funds for the homeless. But that good work still can't hide the fact that the $100,000 spent on grand openings could have kept 60 families from being evicted from their homes last month.

It also doesn't help the county commissioners' credibility that during the 2001 legislative session they pleaded poverty when state lawmakers considered making changes to tax policy that would divert money from the counties to the state. After the Nevada Legislature adjourned, suddenly the county "discovered" money to pay for a number of programs. If the county commissioners wanted to generate some positive news for themselves, they would abandon the big grand openings and instead set aside more funds for out-of-work employees and other genuinely good causes.