Readers come to the rescue

Tiffany Brown

Carlos Ramirez, 56, at a County Commission meeting June 2, hoped to negotiate a deal with the county to settle debt for back taxes owed on his home. After reading about his plight, some Las Vegans sought ways to help him pay the debt.

By Joe Schoenmann (contact)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Goodwill and generosity aren’t typically the first attributes that come to mind regarding Las Vegas for many outsiders and even for some locals.

Las Vegas’ foundation, after all, is the premise that some people win — and most people lose. The general attitude tends to be: Tough luck, fella. Maybe you’ll have better luck next time.

Research studies bear this out: In 2008 Las Vegas ranked in the bottom three among major metropolitan cities in the United States for volunteerism. In 2004, during a period when Vegas was the ultimate boomtown and money was being made here hand over fist, the Council on Foundations ranked Nevada 25th nationally in terms of total giving.

All of which makes the altruism of a few people in the case of Carlos Ramirez all the more remarkable.

The Sun published a story about Ramirez’s predicament on June 5.

A Las Vegas resident since 1962, Ramirez suffered multiple strokes and heart attacks in the 1990s. For a year after his stroke, Ramirez neither walked nor talked. Through water therapy, he rebounded. Then he took up running. He now finishes marathons, trying to inspire other stroke victims as he hobbles to finish lines.

The strokes deadened his left arm, preventing him from continuing to work as a mechanic. For a while he was able to keep up payments on his home by using his savings and getting help from his elderly mother.

The past three years, however, the bills became overwhelming. The county began sending out late tax notices two years ago.

Now at 56, he could lose the house he has owned since 1987 because he owes $8,500 in back taxes and penalties.

Ramirez approached the Clark County Commission in early June seeking to eliminate his penalty fees, saying his mom might get a second lien on her home to pay his taxes.

His plea touched local attorney Jay Brown so much that he agreed to pay off the penalties, totaling about $1,400, if Ramirez found a way to pay off the taxes.

The story touched others, too, who called the Sun to ask how they could help.

Retiree Dennis C. Kessler Sr. said Ramirez’s story brought him and his wife to tears.

“I don’t have a lot of money, but I can give him a hundred bucks or something,” Kessler said, his voice choking up again. “Let’s give the guy a break. He needs a break.”

Another reader, Ken, who lives in an RV park downtown, said he was sending $100 to the Clark County Treasurer because he “hated to see people reach a point like he has, when he seems in despair.” The 89-year-old is a retired water treatment plant employee who moved here 21 years ago from Ypsilanti, Mich.

Told of the phone calls and offers of help, Ramirez was so overwhelmed he could barely speak.

“My mom asked, ‘Did you ask people for this?’ No, I didn’t,” he said. “I was embarrassed. I didn’t expect this kind of response. I was hoping to work out something with the county. I’m very grateful, very appreciative.”

His own relatives, too, are going to try to help. Many of them, including his mother, had no idea how desperate Ramirez’s financial plight had become.

Now thousands of people know. And some of them are trying to help.

Las Vegas Valley residents aren’t as coldhearted as some people say, especially when they see someone who has tried so hard to cope with the bad hand he has been dealt and who, despite his own bad luck, has even helped others along the way.