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Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 | 2 a.m.
DISTINCTION DRAWN
Brian Sandoval’s campaign was quick to note that Rory Reid also supports home rule, but Reid made a point of distinguishing between his position and Sandoval’s, saying he opposes shifting responsibility for state services to municipalities.
Rory Reid
Brian Sandoval
Sun coverage
Sun archives
- Brian Sandoval: Let local officials raise taxes (10-19-2010)
- Governor’s race tightens as budget debate avoided (10-5-2010)
- Rory Reid’s attack ad twists truth, Brian Sandoval’s words (9-29-2010)
- Rory Reid goes after Brian Sandoval over ties to lobbyists (9-18-2010)
- Bill Clinton stumps for Rory Reid, weighs in on economy (9-15-2010)
- Cutting through rhetoric: Did Brian Sandoval or Rory Reid win on the accuracy front? (8-31-2010)
- Beyond the debate, both gubernatorial candidates would cut education (8-30-2010)
- Rory Reid, Brian Sandoval debate on education reforms (8-29-2010)
- Rory Reid’s budget plan for Nevada: All ax, no new tax (8-27-2010)
- Rory Reid’s budget plan: Cut and consolidate but don’t raise taxes (8-26-2010)
- What will voters hear when Rory Reid, Brian Sandoval debate? (8-25-2010)
After Brian Sandoval pulled back the curtain this week on how he might balance the state budget as governor, his Democratic challenger, Rory Reid, saw an opening.
Reid criticized Sandoval on Tuesday for saying he supports giving local governments the power to raise taxes. Such a plan, Reid said, amounts to abdicating his leadership responsibilities.
“If he thinks new revenue is necessary, he needs to stand up and tell us what taxes he wants to raise,” Reid said in an interview.
Reid speculated that Sandoval wants to raise property or sales taxes — the primary sources of revenue for local government — “just to protect the clients of the people who recruited him to run.” (Sandoval has acknowledged that influential corporate lobbyists approached him to leave his lifetime appointment to the federal bench and run for governor.)
Reid, who released a budget plan in late August, has repeatedly criticized Sandoval for not doing the same to the point that he appeared frustrated by his opponent’s unwillingness to engage on the issue. Sandoval’s remarks on home rule Tuesday provided a glimpse at how he might balance the state budget — projected to be $3 billion in the hole — while also keeping his promise not to raise taxes.
Sandoval’s campaign shot back, accusing Reid of hypocrisy.
“Rory Reid is grasping at straws,” Sandoval spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner said. “Rory supports home rule and giving local governments the ability to raise revenues.”
And just because Sandoval supports giving local governments the authority to raise taxes, doesn’t mean the local governments would do so, she said.
Reid, himself employed by one of Nevada’s entrenched lobbying firms, did in fact tell the Las Vegas Sun in August that he supports giving local governments the ability to raise taxes.
Reid said Tuesday that he still favors home rule, but he opposes shifting responsibility for state services to local municipalities. His plan to balance the state budget relies on finding additional revenue from an improved economy and broad promises to cut waste and inefficiency in state government.
“I’m talking about a collaborative working relationship between county and state,” Reid said. “Cities can’t do anything without state permission.”
Sandoval told the Las Vegas Sun on Monday that he supports home rule — giving cities and counties the ability to raise taxes and make more fiscal decisions without legislative approval. He said local governments are closer to the electorate and therefore more accountable to taxpayers.
State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, expressed disbelief at Sandoval’s statements, reflecting frustration that someone who might be the next governor has said so little about the budget. “After months of not offering a plan for how he would provide a balanced budget for the state, or fund schools, the idea has been floated to allow local governments to raise taxes?”
While local governments primarily rely on property and sales tax to fund services, the Legislature could, theoretically, pass along authority to tax a variety of things.
“The Legislature could conceivably give counties the power to do everything the Legislature has a right to do themselves,” said Marvin Leavitt, an expert on Nevada local government finances and retired lobbyist. He added that counties and cities are ill-equipped to collect such taxes so it would be difficult to implement.
The simplest tax increase to administer would be property taxes because the mechanism to collect it is in place.
But Leavitt noted, “People dislike property taxes more than anything else. Long run, not sure what you accomplish politically besides sending responsibilities to local government.”
Obama Added More to the National Debt in his first 19 Months than all the Presidents from Washington Through Reagan Combined, Says Gov. Data.
The Democrats are the party of welfare dwellers, illegal aliens, taxes (never met a tax or illegal
alien they didn't like), protectors of the rights of criminals instead of their victims (soft on crime), the lazy, socialized medicine, druggies, Wall Street (Obama and the Dems recieved the most from Wall Street campaign contributions), Union thugs, ambulance chasing lawyers, etc.
I expect Brian Sandoval to write a book about good Government Management with a foreword by Jim Gibbons.
Aha finally caught on. I thought he was going to pull the "legislature did it" ploy about taxes. But, no much simpler: make another government entity do the dirty work. If Sandoval was an honorable honest person he would say: "I will balance the budget with no new taxes, solely by cutting spending and I will RESIGN if any gimmick is used [i.e legislative tax increase that he "vetoes", borrowing, pushing expense to next bi-ennium, etc. " Of course he won't because he is lying through his teeth. And he is now really scared because if Sharron wins, NADA will come from Washington and he will really be in a mess. He is just about on the level of Gibbons in this respect. Let others do the dirty work and lie, lie lie.
IF YOU LIKE OBAMA VOTE FOR REID !!!
I don't know who is being more desperate. Rory in the effort to save a long-dead campaign, or the Sun trying to give its endorsee a spark of life.
For Clark County residents, home rule should be about as controversial as legalized gambling. The fact that Rory (the leader of a Clark County municipality) and Sandoval (who hails from the north) agree on this fact is proof positive that it is a non-issue.
Perhaps the Sun has a super secret transcript of Sandoval's comments, because I don't see where Sandoval says that he supports local governments actually raising taxes, that new revenue was necessary, or that he intends to balance the state budget with locally raised revenues. To even hint (much less argue) that that is what Sandoval said is preposterous.
Both Rory and the Sun should be ashamed of their obvious obfuscation.
Don't hold your breath while waiting for the Sun to write an editorial decrying Reid's hypocrisy on this.
"...Reid accuses Brian Sandoval of..."
Where have I heard this before???
Never, ever vote Republicant.
'LAST STOP FOR BELL, CALIFORNIA'
The Los Angeles County district attorney has brought public corruption charges against Bell's former city manager and seven other city officials. California's state securities regulator also has an investigation into Bell under way.
"We are looking at everything," said Preston DuFauchard, California's corporations commissioner.
Mr. Sandoval, please tell us what is your plan B, because this is as about and ill conceived plan as electing Sharron Angle as Senator.
Bell, California is one of the poorest cities in Orange County, yet they were paying some of the highest taxes, with little or no services being provided. The mayor and the council memeber were some of the highest pay in the state...the mayor was making twice the amount of President O'bama.
So, please tell me about plan B. I am sure you do not want Nevada to have local governments like Bell, California.
What does Bell, California have to do with this discussion?
Bell, California is about citizens not paying attention to what their elected officers are doing. Kinda like the Harry Reid supporters sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring all of the shenanigans being performed by Harry Reid.
'RISK ANALYSIS & RISK MANAGEMENT'
@LarryVegas
Almost everything we do in the political arena would involve risk of some kind: citizens habits change, business climate change, factors outside of elected leaders control could require a shift in direction. But formal risk analysis and risk mamagement can help you to assess these risks and decide what actions to take to minimize failure or predict future success.
Risk=probability of event x cost of event
LarryVegas, you ask, "what does Bell California have to do with this discussion?"
My answer to you would be everthing, because Bell, California can be used as a case study as to why, Mr. Sandoval's plan would be a disaster to the State of Nevada.
OK, but you could have left Brian Sandoval out of your statement.
No need to raise taxes.
Rory Reid said that he would consider a state
lottery.
LET'S DO IT.
Teamster- it's over for Reid- Welcome Nevada's new Government Brain Sandoval- IT'S OVER FOR REID, ACTUALLY THE DEMOCRATS ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. DON'T YA THINK?
My guess is' you can't work at the las vegas sun if you are not Democrat