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Published Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 | 2:21 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 | 2:27 p.m.
Rory Reid
Brian Sandoval
Sun Coverage
In the first direct salvo between the two respective frontrunners for governor, Republican Brian Sandoval attacked Democrat Rory Reid today for refusing to offer solutions to the state’s immediate budget crisis.
Sandoval said Reid “either doesn't have the courage to make tough decisions, doesn't want to admit his real plan is to raise taxes -- or both."
In a press release, Sandoval said, "At a time when Nevada needs a leader most, Rory Reid has abandoned the citizens of this state.” He called Reid’s actions “disturbing.”
Reid, in an editorial board meeting with the Reno Gazette-Journal, said he wanted to focus on a vision for the future: “I want to focus on that, rather than guess at ways to solve the budget shortfall as my opponents have done."
Reid has released two plans during the campaign, one on economic development and another on ethics and accountability in government.
Reid pushed back against Sandoval today, saying he would eventually weigh in on the state's immediate budget shortfall.
"I think it's unfortunate that Brian Sandoval is injecting politics into a serious fiscal crisis," Reid said in an interview.
Reid said he is following a deliberative approach, where he waits for the facts to come in and consults with legislative leaders before coming to a conclusion.
"I will have something to say once the process is complete," Reid said. "I'm not going to say something that's not based on a full consideration of facts. Will it be today, tomorrow, or in three weeks? I don't know. But it will be soon, soon enough."
He attempted to compare Sandoval with Gibbons. "They have apparently gone to the same school of budget management," he said. "They shoot from hip, fail to consult anyone and do not provide the public an opportunity to be heard."
He also said Sandoval's implication that Reid might support raising taxes was a sign of how he was playing politics.
"I've said dozens of times, I will not support tax increases," Reid said. "He knows it, you know it."
Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons said Tuesday he was likely to present a plan sometime before a Feb. 8 State of the State speech he plans to give. He also promised to work with legislators.
Sandoval this month issued a plan to cut more than $500 million from the state’s budget, which includes a 4 percent salary reduction to state workers and teachers and taking $100 million from a Clark County School District fund for school construction.
Sandoval's plan says that additional shortfalls beyond $500 million would mean pay cuts above the 4 percent. Using Sandoval’s expected savings, that would equal an additional 7.5 percent budget cut.
In today's press release, he said he would meet with economic advisors next week to come up with additional cuts.
This week, Gibbons said the shortfall for the current cycle will be about $900 million, a figure that officials expect to lead to deep cuts in state services, employee salaries and other areas.
Gibbons staff has criticized Sandoval’s plan, saying the ideas have already been considered and much of Sandoval’s math doesn’t pencil out. Reid also criticized Sandoval’s plan to the Reno Gazette-Journal, saying that the plan doesn’t pencil out.
Someone needs look at Sandoval's financial management while he was the Attorney General. Big spender.
What is this? Gried Jr. practicing a new comedy routine or what?
Why don't we just put it on the November ballot how many voters support increasing the mining taxes? (I know - somebody is already working on that)
Why don't we put a lottery on the ballot?
With all thepoliticos on the take from Big Gambling and Big Mining, it's time the voters get to make some decisions and take it out of the hands of those getting kickbacks.
I for one and I hope that everyone will support me will not vote for anyone who reduces teacher pay. Take more from the top our teachers are already the least paid in the state. Sorry if it is not fair but it is also not fair that top officals make 6 figures. There are plenty of others to cut before teachers just check out www.transparentnevada.com.
tullyroost: unfortunately, I think they're all going to cut teacher pay. If you find a candidate that won't, please let us know.
Our teachers actually received a pay increase last year of over 4% while the rest of the state employees received furlough days and pay cuts. Class size reduction has been an expensive waste of money as evidenced by the fact that test scores have not increased in the years we've been funding it. Full day kindergarten is in the same category, expensive and wasteful. With stagnant test scores and reports that demonstrate that over half of our students don't graduate the teachers and their union had the audacity to introduce, advocate for and get a law passed that made it illegal to connect performance to results? That is the mentality we are dealing with.
Nevada's budget and economy have contracted by almost a third but those who consume our tax dollars think they should be exempt from the pain. Why isn't the guy or gal who went to UNLV's hotel school and earned a degree there exempt from the pain of being laid off when the hotels and gaming properties had to make cuts? The fact that teachers went to school and earned a degree should not be a reason to exempt them form what everyone is having to experience, that is to cut funding. Teaching salries consume 85% of all the money spent in schools. That means 15% is left for the buildings, books and all the other things required to facilitate a students learning. That is not acceptable.
Every time Nevada passes a tax increase businesses pay attention and expand somewhere else or relocate somewhere else which further shrinks our tax base. This is what I'd like teaches to understand, that if you increase taxes your tax base will contract and tax revenues shrink. Don't believe me? Look over our Western border and see what kind of mess California is in. Is that what our teachers want here in Nevada? If that is the structure you want go to California and contribute to the hastening of their demise and leave those of us who seek opportunity and success through hard work alone!
First of all know your facts. I am a teacher and I definately did not get a 4 percent raise. In fact I am getting 5 thousand dollars less then i should be a year. A way to cut money, the district pushed everyone back two steps on the pay scale. So now as a third year teacher, i get paid the same as a first year. I actually am making 10 percent less then I should be. 4 Percent raise? I dont think so...........
Everyone hates Jimbo for his morality, but he is the only one showing leadership, the rest are just catching up to him.
You have to cut, no way around it. I love it too!
It is getting scary seeing teachers horrible grammar on these posts. Since when do teachers not know the difference between their and there and then and than? I know it's just blogging, but come on.
Man, (Was that grammatically correct the coma after Man?) someone has a lot of time to bash spelling errors on a blog. Must be a politician. Im a teacher and I spell right. Does that make up for it?
I don't remember Rory fighting to slow down the spending in his current position. I don't remember either of these two backing the Governor last year when he told everyone the truth about the fiscal mess the state was facing. Adopting the cuts proposed by the Governor last year would have us near even this year.
You may not like his home life but the Governor has been on the spot on projecting the fiscal needs of the state and he is still the only telling the whole truth.
improvelv I will run write me in
27 January 2010
James Dean Leavitt
Chairman of the Board of Regents
Nevada System of Higher Education
200 Hoover Avenue
Suite 150
Las Vegas, NV 89101
RE: CSN Town Hall
Nice meeting you briefly after the discussion.
I made a few notes/suggestions which I share below:
1. Freeze on new hires. (Already in place)
2. Convert to a 4 day work week. 32hrs. No paid OT.
3. Reduce student population by 5%.
4. Counter Governor's request to a 10% budget reduction.
5. Redirect stalled Federal dollars towards the Nevada System.
6. Rework taxes on mining from current % of net to % of Gross.
7. Larger still is a need for Nevada in general to develop a 4th economic engine,
to take the load off the stalled gaming and tourism engines.
8. Such 4th engine needs to be independent of tourism.
9. As a quick fix to some budget issues, perhaps a one time tax of 2 or 3 dollars per resident of Nevada.
10. The tax structure in Nevada in general needs work.
Just some quick thoughts.
Again, nice meeting you.
David Curtis
Governor Candidate
Green Party NV
www.curtis4governor.com
Is Rory Reid a complete moron/imbecile/fool?
Here he goes again with the commissions!
He does that because he has no vision of his own for the state of Nevada and like he has done to Clark County, he wants to bankrupt Nevada!
Take for instance his proposal of making UMC a "teaching hospital".
Have you never noticed that since it was a county hospital Clark County has to pay for the deficits of treating illegals aliens.
Now since imbecile Rory Reid is trying to run for governor, he wants to saddle the debt of UMC to the state of Nevada as if it becomes a teaching hospital under UNLV it therefore becomes a state of Nevada owned facility and Nevada will be forced to pay for illegal immigrants getting medical treatment here!
Rory Reid has no concept of what he is doing. He has allowed corruption with Susan Brager(D) his vice chair to go unabridged!
Brager(D) is a licensed and practicing real estate agent. Brager(D) has profited off of her votes on permits being granted to builders of new homes and other builders constructing other facilities.
She has enriched herself fiscally on these votes by her hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions, her kickbacks from builders, her bonuses from her employer, Prudential America, and from Real Estate association of Southern Nevada!
Additionally this Brager(D) appraises Clark County real estate and undervalues it. Then she either buys property before it goes to public auction or has relatives, friends and peers in real estate industry buy it, and share massive profits.
This explains why she was given a fine by state ethics commission and she refused to pay it and asked for a waiver of payment because as documented on Nevada State website, she said she did not have monies to pay it! She got the waiver.
But recently Brager(D) gave Rory Reid $10K for his soon to be ill fated attempt to run for governor!
So how do you go from not being able to pay your just debts via a fine levied by state board of ethics to giving Rory Reid $10K without having taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks illegally?
Clark County government needs to be cleaned up immediately. We will have opportunity in November to eject corrupt Brager(D) and put an Independent American Party of Nevada candidate in District F seat for Clark County!
We have an ethical, career military individual with a background in immigration, contract law, an ex-Federal Inspector General and a person who is above being bribed due to his personal integrity!
Corruption needs to end, and we must send a message to all corrupt politicians that we have your number and your license to steal from us is revoked permanently this November 2nd!
Vote Independents only!