Monthly archive

  The Las Vegas Metro Chamber's municipal endorsements released today snubbed a GOP mayor needing all the help she can get, embraced a union stalwart over a businesswoman backed by conservatives and ignored a Henderson mayor facing token opposition. The stunning and strange chamber endorsements include: Ex-Democratic state Sen. John Lee over Republican Mayor Shari Buck of North Las Vegas. Former Building and Construction Trades Council President Steve Ross, the Las Vegas councilman, over...
In a new mail piece that hit this week -- and I mean hit -- ex-state Sen. John Lee accused North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck of being ethically bankrupt. "Shari Buck is looking out for herself, not your family," the piece, which I have attached here, says. And in the annals of "let's choose the worst picture we can find of our opponent," this may be the winner.    
Two developments in the ongoing case of the city of Henderson and its lawsuit against Chris Milam, the would-be arena developer: 1. Dennis Porter, the city's project manager for the Milam project, has been placed an administrative leave after Mayor Andy Hafen's deposition. In the depo, Hafen is confronted with a document that indicates Porter forwarded an email from City Attorney Josh Reid to his home GMail and then sent it on to Milam's attorney. The email apparently talked about Milam dealing...
  With all this talk of a complicated margins tax and a labyrinthine process to get SJR 15 and a mining tax passed, I thought I'd simplify the tax battle in the capital at the quarter-way mark: THE DIRTY HALF-DOZEN (ROBERSON & CO.): There's gold in them thar companies. Translation: The mining protections and the margins tax are dead; long live the mining taxes. THE OTHER SENATE RS: No way, no how. Translation: No way, no how. SENATE DEMOCRATS: Can we just discuss this a little more?...
  Despite an implictly critical statement from the gaming industry lobbying arm, the Las Vegas Sands is backing the six GOP senators who want to take mining taxation out of the state Constitution and create a new levy on the industry. "We told (Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson) we support the idea," Sands lobbyist Robert Uithoven told me this morning. "Obviously no one is supportive of singling out a major industry. But we also know and understand that mining is never singled out because...
  Republicans wanting to raise taxes on a previously untouchable industry. Republicans attacking Republicans.  Republicans pretending they are not criticizing the governor, but actually…criticizing the governor. Oh, joy. If there’s one thing that the Senate GOP proposal to tax mining means, it is this: The 2013 session just got very interesting. Interesting enough, as one wag wondered, to be like 2003, which devolved into two special sessions, a governor suing the Legislature and a high court...

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