Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Status quo’ seen for Legislature

WEEKEND EDITION: Nov. 3, 2002

Fifteen months ago political observers thought this would be an election of change based on serious issues facing the state, including a $350 million deficit, education funding concerns and rising utility costs.

The control of the state Legislature hung in the balance and all six of the statewide offices including governor were up for election.

But now with two days left until Election Day, the same observers say that while control of power, including legislative leadership, will be determined Tuesday, Nevada politics won't be altered much after the Nov. 5 election.

Most elected officials and political observers believe 2002 is a "status quo" election without a real governor's race or significant change expected in leadership in the Legislature.

Democrats failed to field viable candidates for governor, secretary of state and treasurer and only got into the lieutenant governor, controller and attorney general races late in the cycle.

The state's biggest issue was taken out of election-year politics with the appointment of the Governor's Task Force on Tax Policy, which is set to make recommendations on new taxes after the election.

"It's unfortunate that none of those (issues) have been discussed in this campaign," Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said. "There's no governor's race to lead the way, and what we're seeing, without significant turnout in early voting, is that voters aren't flocking to take part."

Michael Bowers, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said a weak Democratic ballot, coupled with redistricting, suggest to him that leadership in the state's executive and legislative branches won't change hands.

"The incumbents protected their seats during the 2001 reapportionment, and I don't think we'll see significant changes over the next decade," Bowers said.

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, said that voters seem inclined to "accept the status quo" in a post-Sept. 11 era where the country is struggling with how to proceed against Iraq and how to jump start the economy.

"People right now are in a pretty conservative mood," Hettrick said. "I don't mean that in the sense that they're turning to Republicans, but just that they're pulling in their horns and putting the election on the back burner."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, thinks his party will retain control of the Senate because voters are "generally satisfied with the make-up of the Legislature."

But, Raggio warned, that does not mean that the Republicans elected this week will stick to their traditional no-new-taxes approach.

"There's nobody arguing that we have sufficient funding of the state's programs," Raggio said. "The state is $350 million short and whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, you have to be responsible."

Raggio said candidates who say government fat should be cut to make up the deficit haven't looked at the state's budget.

"I can tell you that it's very difficult to find any fat," said Raggio, who has served on the Senate Finance Committee for 30 years. "We have cut the fat out of state government and we're down to muscle."

Hettrick agreed with the analogy but said that Republicans will be more likely to cut out some of the "unneeded muscle and bone."

He referred to the closing of a children's home in Boulder City a number of years ago -- under significant protest -- as a way the state saved $2 million.

"Nobody wanted us to shut that down, but it was bleeding money and it only served 18 people," Hettrick said. "There are some things I have in mind, without going into specific program names because it would result in job cuts, that we can do without."

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said Tuesday's election is about stability, even though a minimum of 14 new people will be seated in his house.

"I don't think people are looking for wild and crazy change, especially because we have a number of challenges," Perkins added.

Harvey Whittemore, a Reno-based lobbyist whose clients include the casino industry, agreed that individual changes won't change the overall structure of the Legislature.

"Everybody realizes that this session is going to be about taxes, taxes and taxes and the rest is just minutia," Whittemore said. "By July 1, 2003 I think you're going to have a new tax structure."

Even if voters did put Democrats into power in the Senate or give Democrats a veto-proof majority at 28 members in the Assembly, bipartisan support would be needed on any tax proposal.

"It doesn't matter if Democrats have 27 or 28 in the Assembly, if we're going to enact new laws about taxation we're going to have to have a two-thirds majority," Buckley said. "If we do make changes on taxes we're going to have to have virtually a complete consensus."

Both Buckley and Titus said they thought that if Democrats won control of the Senate more priority would be placed on education funding.

"I think this election will mean something if we take the majority," Titus said. "The Senate would be more pro-education, pro-social services and there would be an easier chance to push through a broad-based business tax as opposed to a sales tax on services."

Republicans held the Senate by a 12-9 margin in the 2001 session and Democrats need to pick up two seats to retake the majority. Democrats are focusing on Senate District 9 in Clark County and Senate District 2 in Washoe County as seats they think they can take from the Republicans.

Whittemore said it's unlikely for both seats to fall from Republican hands, but he said he doesn't think that will impact the agenda in Carson City.

"Richard Perkins is a conservative Democrat and Bill Raggio understands the revenue needs this state is facing," Whittemore said. "You also have a governor who wants his legacy to be as the education governor, so he's going to work to get more funding for schools.

"People expecting that nothing's going to be done don't understand Richard Perkins, Kenny Guinn and Bill Raggio," Whittemore added. "This may be a status quo election but that doesn't mean nothing's going to be done in Carson City."

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