WEEK IN REVIEW: CARSON CITY

Sunday, April 15, 2007 | 7:24 a.m.

CARSON CITY - The two lobbyists stood outside on a blustery day last week, a deadline week at the Legislature when bills have to get out of committee if they have any chance of passing.

The lobbyists are two of the best. They know the law, they know public policy, they know personalities, they know negotiation.

But this just isn't much fun anymore.

"It's been a frustrating day," one says to a reporter.

Why?

"Bunch of legislators who don't get it."

"They're not drilling down into public policy," the other says.

"Not understanding real world consequences of policies," the first says.

The place has changed, they lament. It's more partisan and driven by personalities who can't seem to sit down and make a deal to move the state forward.

It's become like Washington, D.C.

For one thing, it's too expensive to run a political campaign, say the two veterans, who give thousands and direct their clients to give even more. Time was, you could run an Assembly race for 15 grand.

And it's not just the money. It's the interest groups, the trade unions, the corporate lobbies, recording every vote, demanding this and that.

As the state grows, though, isn't this inevitable, and a sign of how Nevada has gone from small and poor to larger and richer?

"Death's inevitable, too, but that doesn't mean I don't get sad about it."

The two launch into a paean to Sen. Dean Rhoads, majority whip, elected to the Assembly in 1977, the state Senate in 1985.

"He doesn't want the government telling him what to feed his horse, but at the same time he doesn't want the government telling people what to do in their bedroom."

In short, they agree, he's led not by party or ideological dogma, but by conviction.

They talk with sadness and fondness about all the senators the state will lose to term limits before long: Raggio, Townsend, Rhoads.

The old dogs, the reporter says.

"The old dogs can still hunt," comes a reply. "And some of these new dogs can't even pick up a scent."

Of course, they're right. But maybe their melancholy stems from something else. Maybe they recognize a lot more people are carving up the pie than back in the day.

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