Suddenly, Gibbons meeting with lawmakers, Democrats included

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

Gov. Jim Gibbons speaks with reporters in Las Vegas during a Sept. 10 news conference on the I-15 expansion project.

Speaker Barbara Buckley says she won't run for governor (9-11-2009)
Reid to Gibbons: Keep 1 million tons of trash out of Nevada (9-9-2009)
Gibbons makes appointments (9-8-2009)
Gibbons: Jobless fund nearly broke, Legislature to blame (9-8-2009)

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Politics: The Early Line

Carson City — 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

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.”

Discussion: 11 comments so far…

By Birdiedreamin

9/15/09 at 4:16 a.m.

Suggest removal

sorry monkey boy gibbons...
too little too late...
you showed everybody your true colors...
everybody knows you are not a leader...
everybody is completely embarrassed by you...
time to ride off into the sunset!!!
By neiman1

9/15/09 at 6:02 a.m.

Suggest removal

What a shock. Revenue is still coming in less than the legislature projected.

The budget the Governor dropped off was a realistic presentation of how dire the situation was and he was attacked from every quarter for telling the truth.

The legislature changed the projections and kept spending like life was still OK. Now reality is setting is just as many of us warned last spring.

Nevada is crumbling. It does not matter if it's Obama's fault or harry Reid's fault, the economy is in free fall here and all the headlines of hope wont change it.

Dramatic cuts to state spending are in store and when the construction workers get laid off it will multiply unbelievably.
By texexnv

9/15/09 at 7:16 a.m.

Suggest removal

Of course his state-paid limo and driver took him to the meeting... And back to his girlie when it was over.

The rest of us can just "eat cake".
By late49er

9/15/09 at 8:48 a.m.

Suggest removal

Have a friend who is an attorney in Carson City.

The gov. has a secret task force that is working on massive spending cuts that includes having state workers take two more furlough days each month.

The deal is about done and Gibbons is looking for cover when all of this becomes public.

The Gov is plannning on giving this present to state workers the first of the year.

3 furlough days a month. Should give him more money to hire friends for high paying state jobs.
By Judy

9/15/09 at 8:55 a.m.

Suggest removal

Handle the illegal worker issue Governor.

Open up those jobs to NEVADANS.
By LKM

9/15/09 at 9:31 a.m.

Suggest removal

Gibbons wanted to BE governor; he just didn't want to DO governor. Whether you agree or disagree with his politics, it is unacceptable that he ran for and took a job he had no intention of doing. Governing is hard work, and we need a hard worker in the job.
By DessertSun

9/15/09 at 10:47 a.m.

Suggest removal

So long as everyone knows their place, I'm for it. It's the trying to railroad the governor that was out of line. Our Legislators need to learn to behave or else their out!
By didactic

9/15/09 at 11:18 a.m.

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I'm pleased to see the Governor finally trying to act like more like an adult. But he needs to take the next step and start a dialog with the Democrats as well. Two-way communication with the entire Legislature to build a consensus would actually display the leadership he has failed to show throughout his term.
By LasVegas2009

9/15/09 at 12:30 p.m.

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As I recall he had a realistic budget that was thrown in the trash. Now they are scrambling to do what he told them to do in the first place. Im no fan of the governors private life but when he called for cuts they all dismissed it. Now they need to pull his budget out of the can take another look at the gift he gave them. Cut payroll of all state employees and that includes teachers, police and any state employee. Continue to cut services and payrolls until we have a balanced budget. That is the only way out of this mess. We need surplus at the end of the year however small it may be not deficit. We all do these things at home with our own budgets and the state needs to do the same and let the chips fall where they may it has to be done.
By gmag39

9/15/09 at 12:55 p.m.

Suggest removal

LKM hit the nail on the head.
Gym Gibbons just wanted to "be" Governor.
It's good to be King!
No one to answer to for your time, excepting your constituents in four years. Heck not even your wife, Gym!
People pull your strings, and you occasionally "DO" Governor.
"Hey Governor, go read this release to the press."
But not an original thought passes through the brain of Gov'ner Gym Gibbons.
The sheer AUDACITY of his running for re-election is really quite astonishing.
By peas2all

9/15/09 at 7:20 p.m.

Suggest removal

Hey Neiman, it's the Governor's fault. Letting a rotating group of (very small) business owners roll you out of the closet every few months, dust you off, put you in a new (mock) turtleneck and then pulling your string thereby releasing the same tired phrase "no new taxes" before rolling you back into the closet is NOT leadership.

BTW, why does a staff of approximately 47 need a Chief of Staff and two Deputies? Not a riddle, just curious.

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