Editorial: Ending an unfair advantage

Friday, Jan. 25, 2002 | 4:28 a.m.

Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera recently made a public service announcement about the county's new prescription drug program, a 30-second ad that was broadcast on the county's government access channel. But Pete O'Neil, an independent candidate for the same congressional seat that Herrera is seeking, contended that it unfairly gave Herrera free publicity at taxpayer expense. In response, last week Clark County Manager Thom Reilly created a new policy that limits the government channel's coverage of commissioners running for office, a sensible policy that is long overdue.

The new guidelines prevent incumbents running for office from being in "stand-alone" interviews, narrating programs or making public service announcements once they file for office. The commissioners also won't be allowed to appear on the Channel 4 interview shows, such as "County Connection" or "Desert Diaries." Reilly, however, will allow the broadcasting of commission meetings, a reasonable recognition that residents should be able to see commissioners carry out their official responsibilities.

It also is encouraging that Reilly says he is reviewing the possibility of placing curbs on the use of newsletters by commissioners running for re-election. That first became an issue in Commissioner Erin Kenny's race in 1998. Kenny's opponent, Steve Harney, said taxpayer dollars were inappropriately used to send out the newsletter just slightly more than a month before the election, a mailing that included an insert which lauded Kenny's work as commissioner. Such a mailing so close to Election Day is tantamount to government-paid political advertising, a wrong use of taxpayer dollars. But it doesn't have to be that way. Rules that limit official mailings before elections are common. For instance, the U.S. Senate prohibits incumbents from sending mass mailings to their constituents at least 60 days before an election, while in the House the blackout period is 90 days.

It's not just local politicians running for re-election who benefit from government-paid public service announcements. For instance, State Treasurer Brian Krolicki recently was mentioned in newspaper and television commercials promoting the state's pre-paid tuition program for university education, a program that the treasurer's office administers. Incumbents inherently have advantages over their challengers -- it's easier for them to raise money and they have better name recognition due to the visibility of the offices they inhabit. But at the same time government shouldn't allow the use of taxpayer money that smacks of campaign advertising. With that in mind, the county manager should incorporate the same kind of restrictions on county government newsletters that he imposed on the county government's television station.