Editorial: Utility tries to play us for fools

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 5:48 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: Nov. 3, 2002

Citizens Against 14, the group seeking to defeat the advisory ballot question on public power, touts itself as a broad-based coalition of utilities and other businesses. But last week's campaign finance reports demonstrated just what a deceitful misnomer Citizens Against 14 is -- which shouldn't be too shocking in light of the group's intentional campaign to mislead the public on the ramifications of the ballot question. The reports showed that Citizens Against 14 is a shell organization financed almost solely by Nevada Power, the monopoly that provides electricity for Southern Nevadans. As of Oct. 24, Nevada Power had funneled $1.6 million to Citizens Against 14 -- the utility's donations are more than 99 percent of the total raised to finance a paid-media blitz. Just $16,162 came from sources other than Nevada Power Co. The Southern Nevada Water Author ity hasn't spent any money on the ballot question because law prohibits government agencies from campaigning on ballot ques! tions.

The amount of money Nevada Power has spent on Question 14 is obscene, especially when its campaign is full of distortions that overstate how much a takeover would cost and unfairly dismisses the potential savings to consumers if the government ran the power company. The latest high-profile spokesman to be a part of Nevada Power's campaign of deceit is former Gov. Bob Miller, who is making the company's case against Question 14 in television ads. Miller's current employer is Jones Vargas, a law firm that represents the electric company, but it's shameful that he would allow himself to further Nevada Power's campaign.

It truly is eye-opening that a company that pleaded poverty, and sought a nearly $1 billion rate increase this year, is willing to spend so much money to defeat a ballot question that is only advisory. Southern Nevadans shouldn't be misled by the campaign run by Citizens Against 14, including the ads featuring Nevada Power's hired guns. Voters should vote yes on Question 14 and keep our options open to a government takeover of the mismanaged electric company.