With mid-term elections coming this fall and a legislative session in February, and with so many hot-button political issues on tap, the timing of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration's professional development conference was probably good.
Consider just a few issues: government-limiting TASC and government-empowering eminent domain initiatives; education funding concerns; marijuana legalization; changes to the controversial initiative petition process; haggling over where to direct the expected $500 million-plus surplus; local municipalities facing major decisions (closing or keeping Boulder City's money-losing Boulder Creek Golf Club, the Henderson vs. Clark County fight to govern the south Strip land, Pahrump and Mesquite's burgeoning growth problems, North Las Vegas' suburban growth vs. its inner-city decay); all the hot water elected officials are getting into; Nevada tossing its hat into the early presidential primary fray; northern counties trying to fend off Southern Nevada's attempts to grab their water; state Dems and Repubs angling for dominance in Carson City—with all of the buzzworthy goings-on in government, it promised to be a good conference.
And nearly 130 municipal employees attended last Thursday's annual meeting at Cashman Center, where they heard government leaders such as North Las Vegas City Manager Gregory Rose and outgoing County Manager Thom Reilly, among others, talk about implementing change, and Hope Unravels author Richard Hardwood discuss how inspired municipal workers can rekindle the public's faith in government.
But the conference's highlight was going to be a five-way debate between gubernatorial candidates: presumed front-runner Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, Republican Assemblyman Bob Beers, Democratic Assemblywoman Dina Titus and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson. This had the makings of something good: government employees get to listen to, meet and query the combatants.
Only Titus and Hunt showed.
Conference coordinator Irene Navis put the best spin possible on the no-shows: "Gibbons said he had to be in D.C. that week. Gibson pulled out a day or two before to attend a funeral and Beers said he had business in Carson City. Even with the two candidates, it was lively and everything went great."
Here are some things the Weekly learned from ASPA:
1. Even if there's a tangible benefit to debating, don't expect candidates to agree. ASPA presumably has the type of constituents gubernatorial candidates covet—bright, middle-to-upper-class, concerned about the community. Conventional wisdom says you break your ass to kiss up to these folks, since they're the ones who implement the laws you're going to create. There goes that theory.
2. If you're going to skip a conference, at least have someone from your electoral posse there. County lobbyist Mike Alastuey and Nevada Taxpayers Association President Carole Vilardo beat the skin off Beers' Tax and Spending Control (TASC) initiative. Said Alastuey: "No one truly knows what it does, what effect it will have, if it's beneficial, what are its drawbacks—there are too many mysteries." Said Vilardo: "I defy you to make sense of it."
3. Who says there's no place for a division of the sexes in this debate? There is. Hunt and Titus' participation, if anything, shows that they're willing to sacrifice time for a small group (30 to 50 members at its events), which may or may not be a function of women's heightened sensitivities to the events the male candidates chose to ignore. (Navis says Gibbons, Gibson and Beers pulled out as the conference drew near.)
4. It's going to take a lot more than ASPA conferences and homespun wisdom from Richard Hardwood to change public perceptions of government; and the great work many public employees are doing will always be obscured by corrupt politicians and perceptions that governments could do more to help people.
5. Gubernatorial candidates care most about the polls they conduct. A recent Zogby Interactive poll shows that this race is far from over: Presumed front-runner Gibbons had 8 percent advantages over Titus (45 to 37) and Gibson (42 to 34); Titus was two percentage points ahead of Hunt (39 to 37) and topped Beers by one point (39 to 38); Gibson and Hunt were knotted at 38 percent apiece and Gibson trailed Beers 40 percent to 37 percent.
Polls speak louder than debates.