Letter: Suggestions for political reform

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.

In response to Jon Ralston's splendid Sunday columns in the Sun detailing corruption in Nevada, and voicing outrage, here are some suggestions for reform:

Establish funds to pay for campaigns for state, county and city offices.

Raise the pay of state legislators significantly and increase sessions to at least six months every year.

Encourage development of a competitive two-party system, ending the current "Don't put up a viable candidate against me and I'll do the same for you" system that leads to bogus races for governor and U.S. senator and other offices.

Give the mayor of Las Vegas much more power and separate the office from the City Council. By making the mayor a true executive, the office holder will be more aware of conflicts of interest and will be forced to deal in depth with the everyday conduct of city government (now in the hands of the city manager). By separating the mayor from the council, each would act as a check and balance on the other.

Create the post of elected county executive for Clark County, thereby creating natural checks and balances between that office and the county commission.

Pass state laws detailing exactly how a public official, and his or her family, must conduct public and private business while in office.

THOMAS F. HIRSCH