Editorial: Cities, heal thyselves

Thursday, April 5, 2007 | 7:11 a.m.

America's cities face many challenges, but none is more chronic than urban blight. Often the result of poor planning, high unemployment and neglect, many neighborhoods deteriorate over time to the point where elected officials simply give up and turn their backs on the problem. Maybe they're just too busy attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies or campaign fundraisers in other parts of the city.

Once in a while a brave politician steps forward and comes up with a creative way to tackle the problems facing poor neighborhoods. Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, fits the bill. He has proposed legislation that would require North Las Vegas to form a plan by the end of next year to improve roads, public safety services, business development and community services in the city's older and poorer neighborhoods.

As reported by the Sun's Mike Trask, Horsford's suggestion is to have the city seek approval of the plan from a newly created North Las Vegas Infrastructure Improvement Commission, whose nine members would be appointed by the governor and by legislative leaders. Not all creative ideas are sound, though. And North Las Vegas City Council members were quick to criticize the proposal.

We think that Horsford's heart is in the right place. But the task of approving plans to address declining neighborhoods should remain in the hands of elected city and county representatives.

North Las Vegas is not the only Nevada community with blight. Drive through Las Vegas, Henderson and parts of unincorporated Clark County, and plenty of neglected neighborhoods can be found. Ditto for Northern Nevada. The problems blighted communities face are too urgent - gang violence, rampant drug abuse, code enforcement - to be constantly swept under the rug by politicians who somehow think they have better things to do. Give Horsford credit for raising the issue. But it should be left up to our elected city and county leaders to make the plight of downtrodden neighborhoods a higher priority.