Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: North vs. South nonsense

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 4:44 a.m.

TWELVE YEARS AGO, after returning from Reno, this column read in part: "Later that evening upon going to my room near the airport I received my first shock when turning on the television. No it didn't short circuit, but the political ad coming on the screen sure caught my attention. 'Northern Nevada needs to keep the Republican Senate majority to protect your interest' booms out a voice, and then appeared the pictures of five GOP Senate candidates, including Carson City's Charlie Joerg, Douglas County's Lawrence Jacobsen and Washoe's Randolph Townsend, Erik Beyer and Bill Farr.

"This caught my attention but it wasn't until a short time later that I saw the entire ad, which opens with Raggio telling northern voters that Clark County Democrats want to take tax dollars from Washoe County and it will mean higher taxes for them.

"Then another political ad followed with money all over the screen and a voice saying that Las Vegas Democrats want 16 million more tax dollars from them. This probably refers to the multimillion-dollar accounting mistake made by Washoe County that didn't reach the state coffers in recent years. Again it was geared to keep the state Senate Republican and safe from the south."

That column was published Sunday, Oct. 28, 1990. It was a fun column to write because of my many friends in the north laughing about Washoe County Sen. Bill Raggio's latest gimmick to win an election for his buddies. Raggio is an excellent politician and serves his constituents well because he leads the GOP-dominated Senate down his political path. Clark County GOP Sen. Ray Rawson told the Sun editorial board in 2000 that he would never challenge Raggio because the last time he did, he was "handed his head."

Because Nevada usually has leaders who view the importance of the Silver State as a whole, this has never become a serious issue. Nevertheless, removing the name of Las Vegas' Sen. Howard W. Cannon from the airport in Reno, in the minds of some old-timers, again raised the distasteful specter of north-south distrust and dislike. Of course, southerners didn't even consider removing the name of Reno's Sen. Patrick McCarran from their local airport. Rapid growth and the attitude of people in a metropolitan area has left no room for such petty actions.

Just about the time most Nevadans have matured and realized the importance of every part of their state, another jolt arrives from the north. Believe it or not, it came in the form of an editorial in the Reno Gazette-Journal three weeks ago. The Reno newspaper provides me with daily enjoyable reading and has excellent editorial and sports pages. Somehow or other its editorial supporting state Sen. Maurice Washington slipped a cog.

"Politics prevail in Washington race" was the editorial headline. After pointing out several personal and political problems that Washington carries as baggage, the readers were told, "However, in this race, there is more than a candidate's positions or behaviors to consider. Republicans control the Senate by a slim 12-9 majority. Because of that, four Senate committees are chaired by northern and rural senators; a switch in party leadership, and all of that power goes south -- for good."

The editorial concluded, "It isn't without reservation that Washington gets the nod; many of the issues mentioned here are pending before the Nevada Ethics Commission. But the bottom line is northern Nevada stands to lose quite a bit if he is not re-elected."

The old north-south rivalry evidently still affects some northern voters. This is a real shame because Clark County isn't going to go away, no matter how much a few northerners may wish. Bill Raggio will go away and so will I, but Clark County will continue to grow and the entire state will prosper.

I've had the opportunity to live at both ends of Nevada, and find it a great place to live and raise a family. When all is said and done, our fellow Nevadans are good neighbors and solid citizens.