Political notebook: Veteran lawmaker Raggio to receive papal honor

Erin Neff

Friday, March 15, 2002 | 9:55 a.m.

The godfather of Nevada politics will be a bit more like Michael Corleone next month when he is honored by the Pope.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, is being cited by Pope John Paul II for his "distinguished service" to the Catholic Church.

Raggio will receive the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (for the church and the pontiff) award at a eucharistic liturgy April 7 at his parish, Our Lady of Snows Church, in Reno.

Bishop Phillip Straling of the Diocese of Reno asked the pope to grant Raggio this honor.

Raggio, an attorney who was first elected in 1972, has reigned as majority leader for seven legislative sessions, frustrating Democrats on everything from his ability to influence elections to his manipulation of legislation.

Because of that, and the fact that he takes young lawmakers into the Republican "family," Raggio is known around Carson City as the Godfather. In "Godfather -- Part III," Corleone is given an award by the pontiff.

Perkins the Outstanding Democrat

The Paradise Democratic Club ain't the Pope, but its annual awards ceremony carries the political equivalent for liberals of a pontifical honor.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, will be honored March 30 as the outstanding Democrat of the year for 2001.

"I'm not Catholic," Perkins said after learning of the award given the leader of the other house. "The Paradise Democratic Club ran out of people to honor."

Perkins stopped joking, however, when he thought about the role the club plays.

"Outside of the state party, it's the one organization that continues to have life and host Democratic events," Perkins said.

Perkins was tapped for the award based on his leadership of the Assembly Democrats and his representation of Southern Nevada during the 2001 Legislature.

Recent past winners of the award are Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, former Rep. Jim Bilbray, then-Sen. Richard Bryan, Sen. Harry Reid, District Attorney Stewart Bell, Berkley as a university regent, Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates and state Sen. Dina Titus have received the group's other awards through the years.

The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bally's Skyview Room. Tickets are $30 and are available at the door.

James leaves openings

David Griego was looking to get into state politics but didn't want to run against an incumbent.

That was before Mark James decided not to run for re-election and before Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske opted to run for James' vacated seat.

As soon as Griego read that Cegavske was leaving her Assembly seat to run for Senate, the 41-year-old energy executive announced he would run for her District 5 Assembly seat.

Griego, a Republican and vice president of California-based Sempra Energy Solutions, says simply that "I want to serve."

He said he doesn't know if anyone else is looking at the race and doesn't know how much he'll have to raise.

But Democrats note that the district only favors the GOP by 2 percent and consider it a winnable seat.

Brians abound on ticket

Gov. Kenny Guinn struggled for some humor at last week's GOP convention by calling his ticketmates the "B and B boys."

No, Brian Sandoval and Brian Krolicki don't run bed and breakfasts in Northern Nevada. But Guinn keeps them apart in his mind by coming up with words associated with their initials.

The only problem is that neither word is associated with the positive attributes of the candidates.

Krolicki, the Republican treasurer seeking re-election, is known as BK, which Guinn said reminds him of bankrupt. Sandoval, the Republican candidate for attorney general, has even worse initials.

"Brian Sandoval, BS, could mean, well, Brian Sandoval," Guinn said, laughing.

Grass-roots Yucca

Nevada's Hotel and Lodging Association has pledged a word-of-mouth campaign throughout the industry warning of the dangers of transporting nuclear waste across the country to the proposed dump at Yucca Mountain.

Van Heffner, president and chief executive officer of the association and the Nevada Restaurant Association, said he'll be networking with counterparts to discuss the transportation issue.

The associations took no formal action opposing the dump or authorizing lobbying expenses at its meeting this week. However, Heffner said he has information about the 43 states through which the waste would travel and plans to share it with industry representatives at the American Hotel and Lodging Association convention in Philadelphia next month.

For the record

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Southwest Gas Corp. building, 5241 W. Spring Mountain Road. For information call 220-3621 or 281-9001.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Culinary Training Center, 707 Fremont St. For information call 363-2456.