Columnist Jeff German: Guinn pick reeks of bad politics

Friday, April 2, 2004 | 11:36 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

All you had to do was hear Gov. Kenny Guinn's own words to see that his appointment of Lynette Boggs McDonald to the County Commission was as partisan as any appointment could get.

Governors often favor their own party when they get a chance to make political appointments. But generally they don't admit it in writing the way Guinn did in a news release Wednesday announcing the selection of Boggs McDonald to succeed Mark James in the fast-growing District F.

There was no high praise in the release for Boggs McDonald, who is abandoning her constituents in the city to take the job, no promise that she is the best person to address the needs of District F residents.

What we got from the governor was that she "gives us the best chance to retain District F as a Republican seat."

By law Guinn had to appoint a Republican because James is a Republican. But the governor could have found someone more compatible with the residents, who have concerns about the spread of neighborhood gaming in their backyards.

Until she landed the job, Boggs McDonald was on the board of Station Casinos, which has three proposed casinos sites in the district, including the controversial Red Rock Station residents battled a couple of months ago.

Guinn's candid news release only confirmed to me that this was a done deal to appease party stalwarts from the minute the city councilwoman, a GOP favorite, expressed an interest in succeeding James.

In other words the governor put his party's interests over those of the people who will be represented by Boggs McDonald.

Shortly after James announced March 23 that he was resigning, word filtered back to me that Guinn's most influential political adviser, Republican strategist Sig Rogich, was pushing Boggs McDonald.

Rogich denied that he was pulling the strings, and the governor's people assured me that this was not a done deal. There were plenty of Republicans interested in the job, Guinn's aides said, and the governor was in no hurry to make a decision.

But as Guinn was being flooded with phone calls and resumes, the residents of District F started to voice concerns about the ties between Boggs McDonald and Station Casinos.

A couple of days later, after Boggs McDonald assured the governor she would resign from Station's board, talk surfaced that Guinn was ready to name her to the commission.

Boggs McDonald then fulfilled the job's basic requirement by finding a place to live in the district. She signed a lease to rent a home in the area on Monday, a day before she had lunch with Guinn to formally discuss the position.

And sure enough, on Wednesday, while still more resumes were being sent to his office, the governor made the announcement, putting the brakes on the brewing opposition.

Greg Bortolin, the governor's press secretary, said Guinn narrowed the field from about 15 serious contenders to three in a matter of days. Also making the cut were Tim Cory, who lost a close GOP primary to James in 2002, and Sean Higgins, general counsel for Herbst Gaming.

Bortolin said Guinn doesn't want to disclose the names of the other candidates, so we'll just have to accept the governor's word that they aren't as qualified (or should I say as politically appealing to Republican bigwigs) as Boggs McDonald.

The irony here is that the candidate the governor believes will give his party the best chance to win in November may come with the most political baggage.

Democrats vying for the seat already are hitting Boggs McDonald over her Station Casino ties. And the Culinary Union, which weighed in during the Red Rock Station fight, is itching for another public forum to further its organizing drive at Station properties around town.

Boggs McDonald definitely will be under the microscope.

Eventually, District F residents will get the person they want to represent them. Too bad they're going to have to wait nine months.