Effort put on hold to recall Guinn, justices

Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A coalition is shelving its plans for a recall of Gov. Kenny Guinn and the justices of the Nevada Supreme Court and instead will focus its efforts on a referendum to repeal the taxes passed by the Legislature.

Janine Hansen, director of the Independent American Party that is part of the coalition Nevadans for Sound Government, which was formed after the dispute in the Legislature over taxes, said today it is "near impossible" to recall public officials.

The coalition would have to collect 128,000 signatures of registered voters within a 90-day period to force a recall election for the governor, she said. To be safe, she said, that would mean collecting 190,000 signatures, or 2,000 a day, she said.

George Harris, head of the coalition, agreed the recall efforts have been put on hold.

The coalition plans to meet Thursday to finalize some of its plans. Hansen said a referendum petition could be started to repeal parts of the $863 million tax package. That would require only 51,243 signatures and would go on the 2004 election ballot.

Harris said the group wants to repeal the increases in the cigarette and liquor taxes, the new real estate property transfer tax and the payroll taxes on business and financial institutions. He said that repeal would leave enough extra money for education in the tax package but it would force Guinn to start cutting government.

There will also be an initiative petition for a constitutional amendment to prohibit government workers from serving in the Legislature. That would also require 51,243 signatures with 10 percent of the registered voters in 13 of the 17 counties. That would have to be approved by the voters twice if it qualified for the election.

Harris also said there would be a petition to prohibit casinos from contributing to campaigns, the same as the law in three other states.

The coalition had intended to launch recall efforts against the Supreme Court after the justices voted 6-1 to allow the Legislature to pass by majority vote a tax package, rather than observe the two-thirds vote requirement in the Constitution.

Hansen said, however, two of the justices -- Miriam Shearing and Bob Rose -- have announced plans they won't run for re-election. Shearing's term is up at the end of next year and Rose goes off the court in 2007.