Suddenly, Gibbons meeting with lawmakers, Democrats included

By David McGrath Schwartz

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Gov. Jim Gibbons has reached out to lawmakers of both parties to discuss the state’s troubled economy and government finances, in a move that appears designed to thaw the icy relationship between the legislative and executive branches.

On Monday, Gibbons met in Carson City with 16 or 17 of the state’s Republican lawmakers for more than two hours, according to the governor’s senior staff. Among the topics: the possibility of a special legislative session, Nevada’s empty unemployment fund and the state’s new stimulus coordinator.

Gibbons is scheduled to meet Wednesday with all legislative leadership, including Democrats, to discuss similar topics.

A confab between the governor and legislators wouldn’t typically merit much mention. But longtime observers say Gibbons’ relationship with the Legislature is unique in recent memory.

With Democrats, it has been openly hostile. Lawmakers called him disengaged and irrelevant during the session.

His relationship with Republicans has been only slightly better. GOP lawmakers said they hardly spoke with Gibbons during the session, and most senior leadership said he never lobbied them on bills or issues.

Gibbons was a rare presence in the Legislative Building after he handed off his proposed budget in January. He vetoed a record number of bills and his vetoes were overridden a record number of times.

The few times he held news conferences and invited Republican lawmakers, senior GOP legislators never seemed able to clear their schedules to attend.

When asked in the past why he hadn’t reached out to Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Gibbons’ response more than once was that legislators hadn’t reached out to him either.

Robin Reedy, Gibbons’ chief of staff, said, “It was appropriate for the governor to take a step back when the Legislature was in session.”

Now, Gibbons wants lawmakers to know where the state stands in terms of its finances and other pressing issues.

Revenues are coming in millions of dollars short of projections set just a few months ago. And despite speculation that the Legislature will be called back to Carson City for a special session to adjust the state’s budget, Reedy stressed that no decision on a special session will be made until early December, after more revenue figures are available.

Gibbons asked Republican lawmakers for suggestions on what should be considered if a special session is called, said Lynn Hettrick, Gibbons’ deputy chief of staff and a former Republican Assembly leader.

The meetings were also seen as a more efficient way to answer legislators’ questions about the state’s finances and its unemployment fund. “Now they know as much as we do,” said Stacey Woodbury, Gibbons’ other deputy chief of staff.

Since Reedy took over in July, Gibbons’ administration has appeared to be more assertive. When legislative Democrats tried to wrest control of the federal stimulus from his office, Gibbons’ office pushed back hard and won.

Whether that is because of his new staff is unclear.

Former staff members said they had pushed for Gibbons to meet with lawmakers more often, but had no success. “During the session, we made that recommendation multiple times,” said one former senior staff member, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “ ‘Have breakfast with them, coffee with them.’ It never happened.”

Regardless, the new tack appears to serve both a practical and political purpose.

Gibbons is running for reelection and faces a crowded Republican primary. By bringing Republican lawmakers closer, he might be hoping to gain at least some of their support.

In addition, conventional wisdom holds that a special session would be a boon to Gibbons’ political chances, an opportunity to show leadership and continue hammering his opposition to tax increases.

By being transparent with legislators about the state of Nevada’s finances, he can depoliticize the decision. If a special session is needed, it will be more difficult to paint it as a political calculation.

On the practical side, Gibbons will need allies in a special session.

Hettrick said the governor would want a special session to end quickly, rather than “drag out for two weeks.”

Gibbons’ new openness drew praise from Republicans.

Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, said, “This was a concerted effort to reach out and talk to us about the state’s finances.”

Most of the information in the meeting had already been published, she said, but, “I always appreciate more information from the governor and staff.”

Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said she welcomes Wednesday’s meeting with Gibbons.

She noted that other governors have typically reached out to legislative leadership when they take office.

“A protocol had been established over the years, and it hasn’t been followed with this administration,” Buckley said. “If he’s attempting to do this now, I suppose it’s better late than never.”