Activist files papers in effort to recall Guinn

Erin Neff

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2003 | 11 a.m.

Beginning today, the Committee to Recall Gov. Kenny C. Guinn has 90 days to collect 128,109 registered voters' signatures.

Tony Dane strode into the Secretary of State's office at 2:59 p.m. Wednesday with two sheets of paper and a simple-sounding message: "This is a notice of intent to recall the governor."

The clerk, Jeff Fuell, accepted the papers, stamped them and made a copy Dane could keep.

"We've had people calling our office all day asking when you were going to be here," Fuell said.

But Dane wasn't joined by any of them on Wednesday. And he admitted to reporters that filing the papers that trigger the drive to recall Kenny Guinn was "the only easy part of the process."

"I'm hoping people in Nevada look at California and see the possibilities," Dane said.

Guinn issued a statement saying he was "proud of his accomplishments as governor," accomplishments he said included privatizing workers' compensation, freezing 1,600 state government positions, cutting $250 million from the budget and reducing the number of state workers per residents.

"Nevadans expect their elected officials to make difficult decisions that are not always popular with everyone," Guinn's said in the statement. "I am honored the voters of this state have twice elected me to serve as their governor.

"With respect to the recall effort, I have great faith in the wisdom of the people of Nevada," he added.

Dane was joined Wednesday by Chris Hansen of the Independent American Party and by Chuck Patti, a retired Pahrump businessman. Each member of the trio said he was angered by Guinn's proposed $1.1 billion in taxes and his decision to sue the Legislature when lawmakers remained at an impasse over taxes and an education budget at the end of the fiscal year.

Nevada's recall law is different than California's in the sense that anyone seeking to replace Guinn as governor would also be required to collect 128,109 registered voters' signatures to get onto a ballot for the subsequent election to choose a new governor.

Dane said his group is not supporting any gubernatorial candidate and has no candidate in mind to offer to voters.

If the committee is successful in forcing a recall election, and if Guinn is recalled by voters, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt would take over when the vote is certified.

Dane said he had 300 volunteers ready to collect the signatures and had 300 more volunteers associated with conservative groups ready to assist. He also said one man, whom he would not identify, pledged $25,000 for the campaign if the recall was initiated.

"We'll see if that materializes," Dane said.

Dane said he was seeking to recall Guinn because the governor did not discuss the need to raise taxes during his 2002 re-election bid. He also alleged that Guinn "circumvented the constitution."

Guinn sued the Legislature on July 1, saying lawmakers were derelict in their duties to pass a balanced education budget.

On July 10, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the constitution's two-thirds majority requirement for tax increases could be set aside during the second special session of the Legislature in order to pass the schools budget -- something the court said was a superior right.

Despite the court's ruling, lawmakers on July 22 passed the schools budget and $836 million in taxes by a two-thirds majority.

On Wednesday, the Nevada State Education Association issued a statement supporting Guinn and opposing the recall.

NSEA President Terry Hickman said he was informing teachers in the union not to sign any recall petition.

Dane said opposition to the recall from unions, the Republican Party and a broad spectrum of business and community leaders did not sway him.

"I'm on the fringe," Dane admitted. "My definition of being on the fringe is not going along with the masses."

Dane also said that despite opposition from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, he expects financial support for the recall effort from the business community.