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Governor-elect Brian Sandoval speaks during a press conference at Jones Vargas law firm in Las Vegas Wednesday, December 29, 2010.
By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
Sun coverage
Sun archives
- Sandoval increasingly isolated in his anti-tax stance (12-29-2010)
- State has upper hand in budget turf war (12-27-2010)
- Sandoval to build own budget (12-22-2010)
- Panels propose ideas to squeeze state budget (12-4-2010)
- Sandoval budget assumes 10 percent cut to state, higher ed and furloughs (12-2-2010)
- Polished knife still cuts deep into state’s budget (11-28-2010)
- Expect Sandoval to flex his newfound political capital on his anti-tax pledge (11-10-2010)
- Let Sandoval take heat for budget, Democrats say (11-5-2010)
- Brian Sandoval defeats Rory Reid in governor’s race, now must govern (11-2-2010)
- University system snubs governor, won’t submit budget with cuts (10-28-2010)
- State’s budget woes could end programs targeting seniors (10-27-2010)
- Reid, Sandoval clash over state budget in lively governor’s debate (10-26-2010)
- Home assistance for disabled among services on budget chopping block (10-21-10)
- Museums hit under proposed cuts to state budget (10-19-10)
- Governor’s race tightens as budget debate avoided (10-5-2010)
- $2.5 billion state budget deficit: ‘Best-case scenario’ (4-23-2010)
- Gibbons: School districts should brace for 10 percent cuts (2-2-10)
- Brian Sandoval, Rory Reid spar over budget solutions (1-27-2010)
Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval showed some of the political skills that helped him get elected during a wide-ranging news conference Wednesday in Las Vegas. Suit and hair, as always, fantastic. His manner warm and approachable. He talked much, but revealed almost nothing.
Nevadans will probably come to appreciate the differences between Sandoval and his outgoing predecessor, Gov. Jim Gibbons, who at times has seemed to resent the job and even the citizens he was charged with governing.
Sandoval played the part, instead, of chief cheerleader and salesman.
“The most important message to send,” Sandoval said, “is that Nevada is open for business,” a slogan, if adopted, we would share with the Missoula, Mont., airport.
Sandoval, who, like Gibbons, is a Republican, said he has a list of companies in his briefcase. He’s calling executives to woo them here from the high taxes and onerous regulations of California and Oregon.
Again, Nevadans will probably find this a welcome change from Gibbons, whose idea of getting business here was to propose a coal gasification plant even though Nevada has no coal.
The problem for Sandoval, however, is that it’s not clear he has much to sell. He may look like the tough-guy Alec Baldwin character in the classic tale of salesmen and sadness, “Glengarry Glen Ross,” but the reality is that he may be stuck in the pathetic Jack Lemmon character in that film: “The leads are weak.”
With wages cut all across the valley and unemployment above 14 percent — closer to 20 percent if you add part-time workers or those who have quit looking — businesses here don’t have much of a customer base.
Nevada has plenty of unskilled labor, but companies that require some college of their workers might hesitate. The Silver State has never been a bastion of education. Sandoval’s refusal to raise taxes — he’ll even veto the tax increases that passed in 2009 but are set to sunset unless the Legislature tries to revive them — will mean more cuts.
The state is 46th nationwide in higher education funding per capita; 45th in residents with a bachelor’s degree; and 41st in the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who enroll in state universities.
Nonsense, Sandoval said Wednesday.
“I think this is a great state to come to,” he said. “I think if I’m a CEO from a company, I see a governor and a state that recognizes that we must do better, that there’s a lot of momentum to systemically improve the way we deliver education in this state, that the universities understand they have to do better.”
Sandoval said he plans to expand school choice, charter schools and merit pay. There’s no relationship between money spent and education delivered, he said.
Furthermore, he said, our unemployment rate means we have lots of willing workers, and our high foreclosure rate translates into cheap housing.
“I think these CEOs will want to come here. There will be a favorable business atmosphere,” he said.
(The venue for the news conference, the law firm Jones Vargas, illustrated the pro-business attitude. The firm, where Sandoval has been an attorney since leaving the federal bench in 2009, represents the state’s most powerful business interests in gaming, utilities, banking, health care and insurance. See related story.)
Sandoval’s optimism raises the questions: If Nevada is so great for business, why is our economy so moribund? What went wrong?
Complex questions, he averred, and laid the blame on the depression in the construction industry, which is employing half as many Las Vegans as it was at the peak.
Unemployed construction workers must be retrained for the new businesses that will be coming here, he said.
Who will do the retraining? And who will pay for it? He did not say.
The important message relayed is that Sandoval is bullish on Nevada: “If Nevada is a stock, I’d buy now, because we’re going up.”
Nevadans surely hope he’s right, that we’re Apple with the return of Steve Jobs, and not Enron on the way down.
Guess no one ask him about Nevada suing the Obama Administration over health-care at the same time asking for subsidies under the bill. Not to mention that Sandoval gets taxpayer provided medical insurance as he attempts to take away health-care insurance from children with preexisting conditions.
How has the "low tax" strategy worked for Nevada? In fact, countries and states that have higher taxes tend to be more prosperous than those with lower taxes.
There is a higher percentage of liquid asset millionaires in moderate to high tax states (like Connecticut, Maryland, etc.) than "low tax" states.
Schwarzenegger tried to use style and star power over substance and flopped, and he was not afraid to get government involved with initiatives like "green energy." Plus Arnold had more style and star power than Sandoval. I don't think Sandoval will be a guest on Leno, for example.
The guy is an empty suit. The only jobs he'll create are for those who clean the carpet in the Governor's Mansion after his 4 dogs do their business.
It's a great idea to attract new business to the State and it always should have been. However that isn't going to solve today's state of Nevada financial problems. The solution is as follows:
Accounting 101 will tell the Governor elect that the State doesn't have enough income! Spending has been cut substantially and that has not been sufficient to cover the loss of income as a result of the recession. WAKE UP and stop being a politician and act like a leader and do what is necessary to correct the deficit. Raise the Sales Tax and increase the taxes on the "hands off" mining/casino industries in order to generate the cash flow necessary to fund the States expenses. It will not hurt business it will help keep the States economy alive.
Would a 2 to 3% temporary sales tax increase stop big ticket retail sales? NO! A bankrupt State will however.
look at this greasy slippery big toothed clown...
selling the same old tired failed snake oil...
my fellow proud liberal democrats...
this is a call to arms...
this maggot is out to harm our children...
we must not let this happen...
time to squish the maggot!!!
"The most important message to send," Sandoval said, "is that Nevada is open for business."
No, the important message is that "open for business" is the most overused, cliched slogan of all time, not that we expected anything more from the suave empty suit.
Enron was destroyed from within by no income and fancy accounting. Sounds familiar. How about a car metaphor: Nevada used to be a suped up high performance car that has had a negligent owner for the past 8 years. He put regular fuel in a high octane engine and the tires are flat and running on the rims. Cheap just gets you higher bills in the end.
The guy is a lawyer. Lawyers have a tendency to substitute argument for proof. Right now, he is just getting into the case, so give the guy some time to see what the facts are.
He is only the Governor elect this morning and not the governor. The yardstick described in the article above, while appropriate for a governor, may not be appropriate for a governor elect.
Wait until Tuesday before deciding what is what.
Like other astute politicians, Mr. Sandoval has learned that it is prudent to reveal very little to the liberal government media. GOOD FOR HIM! We know how the government media twists everything around on conservatives. Look at what they did to conservative candidates in the elections. It was despicable! This partisan bias by the govt. media is what has made them irrelevant today. And it's why FOX NEWS leads the nation in viewership.
Were we not told by (Rory), that the guy has no plan. This is the Gibber's second term "I will not raise taxes". Then the followup question should be "What WILL you do then? Silence is the response.
mred: There's nothing wrong with Nevada (and most of the other states) opposing Obamacare and trying to stop it while, at the same time, positioning themselves appropriately for benefits if the opposition fails. And what's wrong with any governor getting health care insurance from his employer (the People) like laymen get from their employers? Your second paragraph is just BS. Look at Michigan, California, New York, etc. Your liberal mindset is a bit unbalanced. And your last paragraph illustrates your liberal idiocy.
If I was Sandoval, I would not reveal my hand to the LV Sun either. Afterall, what did the Sun ever do for Sandoval during the elections? Remember Coolican, he is not in office yet.
this greasy slippery big toothed clown is the damn governor...
not a frickin poker player...
he can NOT hide his cards...
every single time in the history of man...
when a politician hide his cards...
the people got screwed...
bend over folks...
it's coming...
Mr Sandoval was all talk and no facts when he ran for office and the voters of this state elected him.
Now we must give him a chance to fix things. I am hoping we receive more from him after Monday then we did when he ran for office.
Lower government should get prepared. I stated before and will stand behind my statement that he will make cities/counties provide services that have been provided by the state in the past while he raids the bank accounts of those same cities/counties.
No new taxes means you stop providing services.
Nevada, like other states, is filled with deadbeat dads (and moms) who won't financially take care of their own children. Guv-elect Brian and his fellow travellers are the deadbeat dad of all of us. A state cannot operate on only hot air.
How about a story on Steven Horsford and his ideas and facts?
BTW: "temporary sales tax increase" ... that's funny.
But, dear highly informed and educated Nevada voters, you all KNEW this before voting for him ... right? He's clearly a classic big-business Republican in charge of a state with the worst social, economic, and educational status in the nation. He was in office there to keep those deep seated problems right where they are, and to keep taxes low for the multinationals like Wal-Mart and Barrick Gold that dominate our third world economy. What about the general public? Not really issue for the Governor.
Ernaut's sock puppet bloviates much.
Coolican...put this tripe on the opinion page...Mr. Sun, you truly have no shame...
The Sun never ceases to be an ideological mouth-piece for the left.
Was it ever a newspaper that reported?
We have a new govener, he has new ideas (which I believe will work) we are broke but we continue to throw money at the same ol problems and expect different results. See if everyone can grasp this thought.....MONEY IN, MONEY OUT. At home you spend what you make no more, no less. If you spend more yep... you too have a problem. That's one bit of information you can take to the bank.
I am so glad to finally read that FOX NEWS is unbiased. Also I didn't know there was a government media and that it apparently had a major impact on conservatives in the election.
The task at hand is to fix the budget deficit and so far the Governor elect does not have a plan with the exception of absolutely not increasing the dollars necessary to fund the States government. The budget will NEVER be balanced by only cutting more services, education and most importantly by shifting more of the financial burden upon the cities and counties. Thats not liberal statement that's a fact!
So let me get this straight. The new governor proposes slashing state tax funds to cities and counties. That means he'll lower taxes....right?
If cities and counties have to raise taxes to make up the difference and the governor doesn't lower state taxes.....it's a tax increase, plain and simple. A basic education would tell us that moving tax money around does not make for a smaller government nor does it lower taxes.
I see nothing but hogwash dressed up like tax cuts and smaller government. One side of the voting isle always tends to fall for these gimmicks, no changes, just gimmicks. Old worn out gimmicks.
All these "budget cuts" and I have not detected one inch of reduction of services provided to me.
I have not heard one person complain about a change in service either.
In fact, some services like the DMV has improved.
I was there the other month and it took less then 45 minutes to do my business. It normally was a 2 or 3 hour ordeal.
Coolican. Really?! You're going to have this obviously slanted diatribe as an article. The guy isn't even governor yet for God's sake. I can't believe how the Sun is just a mouthpiece for the left. Greenspun must have put you up to this right? Otherwise this would be in the opinion section and not presented as an article. You're a hack Coolican.
mikeT....I don't think he is thinking of slashing rev to the counties/cities.
He wants to dump the services on them so that will have to fund them locally.
There is take of allowing the cities and counties to have more power to raise taxes.
The state might raid some funds like school construction that is just sitting there because there is less of a need to build new schools because there is not a great increase in population like there use to be.
Gov can't do anything. He can only proposal and also veto.
The Democrats hold the key to do anything because they control both houses.
So he has to convince them to do these things.
So if they agree then you will need to whine about them even more then they are the real decision makers.
Nevada's suit by a Law Firm (donated to Sandoval?) is like a person suing a restaurant for food poisoning eating at that restaurant for lunch during the trial. If the law is unconstitutional, then Nevada is engaging in an unconstitutional activity. Typical Republican hypocrisy.
The media is letting us down, I never heard the details of Gibbon's accident (who, what, where about the ranch and the horse) now we are getting fluff about the 4 dogs and 2 cats, and not questions about the health care lawsuit.
Your hero was the AG that overturned the State Constitution to raise taxes. That brings up another point, what make Sandoval think that school funding, or funding for other programs won't end up in the courts again anyway? (like funding for prison health care) or taking funds from local governments.
It's clear Sandoval will suffer the same fate as Gibbons.
Gibbons submitted budgets which were roundly laughed at and thrown into the recycle bin. The Legislature will determine what will be done.
Sandoval's a figurehead, not a leader.
Gov.-elect Sandavol may not be the most greatest governor that Nevada has been led by in this century, neither was his predecessor, who was probably the worst governor of Nevada, but Gov. Sandavol is young, handsome, soft spoken, has a family and a lovely wife who will grace the Carson City mansion with all of her many charms. Gov. Sandavol is 100% more aware of the needs of Nevadans and will work with Sen. Reid to sustain the rapid growth of the third class citizens of Nevada along with the growth of the middle class.
From what I see the Republican U.S. House will attempt to allow states to declare bankruptcy. This will allow them to walk away from their Pensions. Retired and Current - Problem solved.
No money for Education, Infastructure, Health Care, Pensions, Social Security, Medicare, etc.... Just as long as their Wall Street, Oil Company and Bank constituancies do well.
The horse's name was Fred.
Make you happy.
"From what I see the Republican U.S. House will attempt to allow states to declare bankruptcy. "
Do you have any shread of proof or is this something that just popped into your head when in deep sleep or a drug induced coma?
Yup, no one's talking about letting states declare bankruptcy.
Except right-wing magazines like the Weekly Standard.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/g...
Oh, and Grover Norquist.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?u...
And Reuters.
http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokouk...
And the National Review.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/2...
I guess you don't read too much, huh James?
The end is near. What will the aryan brotherhood do now that sandoval is not working for jones vargas anymore?
Good luck dude.
He's not even officially the governor. How can you criticize him until he actually starts doing something! You people are morons.
"How can you criticize him until he actually starts doing something!"
He's making staffing decisions, GIVING NEWS CONFERENCES (in case you didn't bother to read the article), and preparing a state budget.
Reading dave's invective, one might be left with the false impression that Brian Sandoval's been lounging around in his pajamas since the election.
The Sun is one big baby.
They are crying....We want the details...now, now NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!
Chill out......he has not hired all his staff or taking one breath beyond his future governor desk.
Silly Sun........I don't think there is a person in Vegas that doesn't know that you use your front page for editorials.
Please........chill out.
I can hardly stand this LV Sun...the country voted center right and this sun is stuck far extreme left...such garbage
More lies from left wing Las Vegas, mofia and Union runs town. When is one of those Newspapers going out of business? Who wants to receieve two lying newspapers in the morning? Just report on your buddy Harry that you had elected and shut the hell up.
My 1st and only advise to Governer Sandoval.
Balance the josh darned budget with the funds that are available this January and let the chips fall as they will!
Don't rob peter to pay Paul!
If you do this by the time 4 yrs have passed nobody [except the usual whinners] will remember anything except that you did what needed to be done and I'll bet that Nevada will be just fine!
P.S.
Make this advise the last thing you ever read in the comments section in the Las Vegas Sun!
I just hope this guy does not bring his immigration policies.
By the way, I just visited the Strip last Christmas and the gaming tables in Bellagio, Caesars, Venetian, and Wynn were mostly full. It makes me want to ask, where are the economic concerns?
In fact KB Home just increased the number of neighborhood plans from 12 months ago, I hope more of these signs are ahead.
To mred: The law suit against Obamacare doesn't claim that the whole law is unconstitutional. It's about the mandate which requires everyone to by insurance under penalty of law. Furthermore, it is prudent for states to position themselves appropriately in case Obamacare is NOT OVERTURNED. This is easy to understand.