Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 | 8:40 a.m.
Bob Broadbent, who died Saturday, was a politician who knew how to get things done -- and the Southern Nevada we know today is indebted to his leadership and foresight. In the mid-1970s Broadbent, then a Clark County commissioner, led the way in speaking out against the mob's hold over some local casinos. Local and state gaming regulators subsequently cracked down on organized crime here, ending the mob's influence in the casinos. In turn, Wall Street showed its confidence by becoming more willing to invest in the gaming industry after the cleanup, helping usher in the phenomenal growth that continues today. And from 1987 to 1997 Broadbent, as head of McCarran International Airport, launched a continuing expansion and modernization of the airport. He helped turn McCarran, which is vital to the success of our tourism-dominated economy, into one of the fines t airports in the nation.
Broadbent, a Republican, understood that government played an essential role in building a better community. He also was a man who knew how important it was to prepare for the future. His death reminds us just how much these leadership traits are missing from too many of today's elected and appointed officials.
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