Could it be magic? Or term limits?

By David McGrath Schwartz

Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Sen. Bill Raggio didn’t just blast the unsolicited advice from a hard-right sophomore assemblyman last week. He questioned the manhood of Assemblyman Ed Goedhart, R-Amargosa Valley, for putting his suggestions, allegedly ghost written, on a blog instead of talking directly to the senior senator from Reno.

Raggio’s message was clear: The adults will solve this problem. If you are not willing to work hard and cooperate, shut up.

The 2009 Legislature is the first in which a large swath of lawmakers have run their last race.

Raggio has a reputation for not suffering fools. Yet the tone of his response to Goedhart stood out to some in the Carson City Legislative Building as particularly pointed, and one indication that term-limited lawmakers no longer have to mince words or placate interest groups.

“This is a man who doesn’t have to worry about Sharron Angle anymore,” said one veteran of the Capitol Building and Legislature, referring to the anti-tax former assemblywoman who nearly unseated Raggio in the Republican primary last August.

Voters passed term limits in 1992 and 1994 to restrict lawmakers to 12 years in office. The idea was to pry entrenched politicians from their seats.

But it’s having other effects, as politicians start to contemplate their legacies and realize that, unless they decide to flip houses or seek another seat, they’ve run their last campaign.

Seventeen of the 63 lawmakers are serving their last session. Five more state senators, like Raggio, have won their last election, and 2011 will be their last legislative session.

Except for the Republican-on-Republican violence, the opening weeks of this session have been notably conciliatory.

Democrats are talking about education accountability and budget stabilization funds. Republicans are saying that Gov. Jim Gibbons’ budget cuts are too deep and new taxes might be necessary.

Some think term limits could be bringing out the statesman and stateswoman in legislators.

Lawmakers and lobbyists note that except for a minority of Republican Assembly members, there seems to be a strong desire from members of both parties to work together.

Sen. Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said that may not be just because of term limits. The state faces a historic budget crisis and Gibbons, with his 25 percent approval rating, is not exactly a rallying figure for Republicans.

“Whether it’s term limits or the pressure of the economic crisis, there’s a willingness to work together,” Horsford said.

However, Democrats shouldn’t gloat too much about their unity because term limits have raised a potentially divisive issue for them: Who will succeed Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley?

Buckley is serving her final term in the Assembly and her second term as the powerful speaker. She has earned a reputation for maintaining masterful control of her caucus, which this year enjoys a veto-proof two-thirds majority.

Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera, an assistant chief with the North Las Vegas Fire Department, has long been considered next in line to head Assembly Democrats. But only two weeks into the 120-day session, some observers are talking about a possible shake-up in those succession plans.

Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, close allies in the Legislature, are increasingly named as a potential one-two combination to succeed Buckley.

Those close to leadership say it is too early to pick winners, and much of the outcome will depend on how Oceguera fares during the session.

But with the rumblings started, Democrats might see term limits prompt their own party drama.