SUN EDITORIAL:

Gov. Embarrassment

Gibbons is outraged that a state commission won’t agree to an illegal appointment

Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

Thwarted in his attempt to illegally appoint a new executive director for the Nevada Tourism Commission, Gov. Jim Gibbons has immaturely lashed out at the commission and the office of Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, the commission’s chairman.

The commission last week voted unanimously to reject the governor’s pick, Kirk Montero, because Gibbons violated state law in naming him. The law says the governor must appoint someone from three names submitted by the commission. The commission has yet to submit its list.

Stung that the commission did not break the law and bow to his request, Gibbons issued a bizarre news release on New Year’s Eve making a series of baseless charges against the commission and Krolicki’s office, including:

• accusing the commission of wasting money by sending delegates to Asia on a tourism mission. He also criticized the commission’s efforts to market Nevada to Asia and other parts of the world. He apparently doesn’t know that Nevada has a tourism office in China, a country of 1.3 billion potential tourists, or that roughly 12 percent of the visitors to Las Vegas are foreigners.

• saying the commission is taking too long to give him a list of candidates and he wants someone in the job now. Yet he is considering eliminating the position as part of his budget-cutting plan. So why the rush?

• essentially accusing Krolicki’s office of lying when it said Montero’s application was late. Gibbons said it was delivered to Krolicki’s office. The job announcement told people to send their applications to the commission’s office, not Krolicki’s, as 67 other people did.

In the end, Montero, a US Airways station manger in Reno, is far from being “uniquely qualified” for the job, as Gibbons claims. Commissioner Ryan Sheltra, a member of Gibbons’ tourism transition team in 2007, said Montero “would not have made it into my top 10” list of candidates.

If Gibbons had any sense, he would be embarrassed. His outrageous news release is only an attempt to cover up his disgraceful actions. He should watch the commission instead of bashing it. He could learn a lot. The commission is following the law and doing its job. Imagine that.

Discussion: 8 comments so far…

By geezelouise

1/4/09 at 8 a.m.

Suggest removal

The luv guv doesn't have enough brains to be embarrassed.

Who voted for this clown? I hope all of you that voted him into office are taking note. Never vote for someone that can't answer a question.
By johnevegas

1/4/09 at 9:01 a.m.

Suggest removal

Who voted for Gibbons? Good question. He seems mostly incompetent. Either that or he is blissfully unaware that he is governed by the law, just like the little people. Me thinks some of both.

It also seems sometimes that he is unaware of Las Vegas or what happens here. Same with his office.

Too bad Dina didn't win. I imagine she would have if Nevada knew Gibbons would be such a monkey.

Ha! Monkey, Gibbons, too funny.
By darkhorse

1/4/09 at 11:36 a.m.

Suggest removal

The GOP is in a world of hurt right now. The Dem's must be licking their chops, the question is who will go down in flames before 2010. Krolicki could also be branded in a better light if the Dem's look like they were on a Witch Hunt during this summers trial. Pinkey and Cortez-Masto could be looking for work. I wonder if Pinkey and Jimbo could be joining Dario?
By Teaser

1/4/09 at 3:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Southern Nevada needs to make some serious efforts to become its own state. Current circumstances will only ever allow the much smaller northern part of the state to dominate.
By Our_Linn

1/4/09 at 4:07 p.m.

Suggest removal

Gee, the Sun bashing Gov. Gibbons. Imagine that!

I wonder if the Sun will be as hard on President B. Hussein Obama as it has been on Gov. Gibbons.
By johnevegas

1/4/09 at 6:22 p.m.

Suggest removal

"I wonder if the Sun will be as hard on President B. Hussein Obama..."

With your intentional emphasis on "Hussein" it's clear you are prejudiced against him already. Hence your reaction to the Sun.

Gibbons actually deserves the criticism. Barack is doing an excellent job so far, even before taking office. Your prejudice is impotent.

It must really irk you that a half black, half Arab democrat is going to be your president. And that he has the makings of a great one at that.

I will enjoy seeing your unbiased comments about him as we move forward. Since you've seen fit to call the Sun on it, no doubt you'll be ready to show us all how it should be done. Doubt it!
By getalife

1/4/09 at 9:47 p.m.

Suggest removal

I am embarassed to say I voted for Gibbons, this guy is a train wreck and he's taking Nevada, the state I love, with him.

By the way Pres. Obama is not half black, half Arab, he's half nigerian and half white or if you want to look at it another way, half black and half white.

Either way he's got a lot to do and a short time to get it done.

I personally think he would be better off with a republican congress, that way he could put the repubs in a box, the way it is now the dems are going to be exposed as do nothing ego-maniacs who couldn't poor piss out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel.

I wish him the best, but I gotta tell you that with Boss Reid and Nancy Pilosi at the helm him first one hundred days are going to be the most freaky-tiki and contentious ones in history.

We will see that the fake emperors have no clothes.

Again I really wish him the best, but his hands are tied.
By tom2000

2/13/09 at 12:11 a.m.

Comment removed by staff.