Editorial: Democrats close the gap

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006 | 7:35 a.m.

Our next governor faces a huge challenge: credibility.

Governor-elect Jim Gibbons won the office Tuesday night, narrowly beating state Sen. Dina Titus, and he carries some heavy baggage that dogged his campaign: a Metro Police investigation into his alleged assault of a woman on Oct. 13; questions about his hiring an illegal immigrant as a nanny, and charges that he used his influence to help direct federal contracts to a friend who took Gibbons, his wife and son on a lavish Caribbean cruise worth an estimated $14,000.

As if that weren't bad enough, he now has to make good on his pledges to ensure the state has enough money to fund new roads and transportation projects, improve education, and keep taxes low. Gibbons has yet to come up with anything beyond vague plans, and the state, so far, has been unable to hit that trifecta. We're anxious to see how the new governor will accomplish those tasks, especially since he'll go into the governor's mansion without any sense of a mandate.

The first step, if he hopes to accomplish anything, is to build trust with the voters and the Legislature. He'll have a strong-willed Legislature that is split - Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate, Democrats handily control the Assembly. He'll have to find a way to work with legislative leaders - including Titus, the Senate minority leader - who have some very different ideas.

Gibbons should be looking for ideas and reaching out to others, including Titus, who ran on a thoughtful and ambitious platform to improve education, diversify the economy, clean up the environment and build for the future with smart growth and renewable energy.

And it seems clear that voters want change. Nevadans approved an increase in the minimum wage and a ban on smoking in public places, which we were pleased to see.

After eight years of Republican control of the six highest state offices, Democrats won at least three of them - Ross Miller for secretary of state, Kate Marshall for treasurer and Catherine Cortez Masto for attorney general - with Kim Wallin on the verge of winning controller late Tuesday night.

Democrats gained a seat in the state Senate with Joyce Woodhouse defeating Republican incumbent Sandra Tiffany of Henderson.

That will give Republicans a one-seat advantage in the Senate, which means the Legislature has to work more cooperatively next year if it wants to get anything done, and it's fairly clear voters want to see more done.

Democrats found favor up and down the ballot.

Democrats gained a bigger majority on the Clark County Commission, as School Board member Susan Brager defeated embattled incumbent Republican Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald. Brager joins Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, who walked to a win on the commission after beating incumbent Myrna Williams in the Democratic primary. Democrats now have five of the seven seats, won with the strong backing of labor, and will have a chance to make a significant impact on policy in Clark County.

Now it's time state leaders start considering how they can put this election behind them and do what nearly everyone pledges to do during a campaign - move Nevada forward.