Governor is acting alone

Friday, March 13, 2009 | 2 a.m.

One would think that in tough economic times a wise Nevada governor would want to gather input from a wide range of industry leaders, city and county government representatives and others who have a stake in the state budget.

He would seek that exchange of ideas to help gauge the effect of budget-making decisions. He would want to know what would happen if he combined programs, cut staff or came up with a new way of conducting business. He could then present a solid budget proposal to the Nevada Legislature.

Gov. Jim Gibbons did none of that.

As reported last week by David McGrath Schwartz in the Las Vegas Sun, a sister publication of In Business Las Vegas, Gibbons and his administration acted largely in isolation as they developed his proposed budget for the next two years. This is not really a shocker because the governor has never embraced an open-door policy.

But acting in isolation leads to bad decisions that cause needless grief for those who are affected.

As Schwartz wrote, the Nevada Resort Association was completely left in the dark when Gibbons proposed that casinos pay taxes on credit issued to gamblers at the point when those markers are extended. The gaming industry, preferring the current practice of paying the taxes when the loans are paid off, objected once they learned of the proposal, and Gibbons scuttled the idea. Had Gibbons done his homework, this dust-up would have been avoided.

Sheriffs and police chiefs aren’t too happy with Gibbons either. They were never consulted about his idea to consolidate police training under the Nevada Public Safety Department by eliminating the Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission. When they found out, they showed up in Carson City last month to raise their objections.

Tonopah community leaders were never informed of the governor’s plan to close a prison work camp. Detect a pattern here?

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, told the Sun: “Even unpopular decisions are received better if people believe that their voice has been heard.”

It’s too bad Gibbons didn’t take that advice into account when he set out on his budget odyssey. He should realize that being a respected leader means listening to all sides before making an important decision.