Editorial: Building on success

Friday, June 10, 2005 | 6:22 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

June 11-12, 2005

The 2005 Nevada Legislature wrapped up its business last week, although it was forced to meet in a special session for half a day to resolve a contentious dispute over how to keep alive the state's popular Millennium Scholarship program. The last few weeks and days of the legislative session weren't pretty, but last-minute bickering is almost guaranteed any time when legislators meet -- whether it's in Nevada or any other state.

What shouldn't get lost is that Gov. Kenny Guinn and state lawmakers, picking up where they left off in 2003, made significant strides in shoring up funding for education and essential government programs that had long been neglected. It also is significant that while many other states haven't reined in skyrocketing property tax rates, Nevada legislators put in a reasonable cap, allowing only 3 percent annual increases for residential homeowners. What is particularly telling about the past two legislative sessions is the commitment by Guinn and the legislators to making this state a better place to live. Nevada perennially has been at the bottom of national rankings when it comes to spending on public schools, higher education and social services, but there has been a growing recognition that we can do better -- and that we owe it to future generations to do so.

It is the governor who sets the state's agenda, and Guinn's time in office ends in little more than a year from now because of term limits. And while November 2006 may seem like an eternity from now, potential gubernatorial candidates have been jockeying for position for months already. Among Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson -- who traded barbs and elbows during the legislative session -- are viewed as having the best shots at winning their party's nomination for governor. On the Republican side, the leading candidates are U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt and, if he decides to get in the race, university system chancellor Jim Rogers, who is worried about Gibbons' commitment to education.

Among the leading candidates for governor, Gibbons is the most polarizing. He is just the reverse of Guinn, who has been a moderating force in Nevada politics. Indeed, while Gibbons has made a name for himself as an anti-tax crusader and has been critical of state spending, he hasn't exactly been specific as to just where he would cut government in order to balance the budget or reduce taxes.

We look forward to the debate ahead among those running for governor and those running for seats in the Legislature, as they spell out how they plan to build on the success we've witnessed over the past several years.