Stay the course? That's a campaign slogan? (RJ)
I thought it was the epitaph of a failed policy in Iraq muttered by a clown. (TP)
What next? Mission Accomplished?
Staying the course is not an option for Nor'Town. It is especially odd for candidates to think they can keep up the sham of "oh, we planned for the downturn" given reports of daily council meetings–about the very budget that was so well planned. (Sun)
Hiring freezes? Budget cuts? Is that "staying the course"?
North Las Vegas has a $15.6 million budget shortfall this year. The
city continued its hiring freeze to save $9 million and cut all
department budgets by 3 percent, totaling $6.6 million this year, said
Phil Stoeckinger, finance director. (Sun)
And the budget is the only issue for the campaign? Need some issues? How about these?
- Kiel Ranch. The project to preserve the site of Nor'Town's first euro-trash invasion seems as dead as it ever was. Do we fix it or not? If we fix it, how do we fix it? Where do the candidates stand on that?
- Gun violence. We've had weekly–almost daily–shootings in Nor'Town. Like the one last night. Or a couple of days ago in the trailer park. Or the one last week. Or the guy who was shot while sitting at a traffic light. What's the answer? What solutions do the candidates have for that? If candidates really want to get away from the "North Town" image, then stopping the gun play and the killings is a minimal first step.
- NLVPD. Molestations of 14 year olds? Filing false reports? Sex or a speeding ticket? What plans do the candidates have for keeping the bad apples off the force?
- Sheep Mountain Parkway. Are the candidates for or against building a huge, multi-lane freeway just a bit north of the other unfinished, multi-lane freeway?
- Tule Springs. So, do we pave over the mammoth bones and bear-poppy fields, and then throw up a few thousand more empty houses with a casino in the middle next to the Sheep Mountain Parkway? Is that the plan? Do we ever get to hear a North Las Vegas politician have the guts to take a position on these issues? Anybody? Helllloooo?
- Casino Alley.So, do we turn the east side of the 215 into a row of gambling houses? Nor'Townies have protested the proliferation of casinos in NLV before. Is that over? Do we even have a debate about it or not? Does it matter that the council members and mayoral candidates are getting substantial funding from the very casinos wishing to move in?
- Housing Authority. So, now that the mess is ours, what do we do with it?
Oh, and did anybody else wonder why a piece in the kitty-litter box liner of record ran a report about candidates for Nor'Town mayor, and didn't confirm, deny, or even notice that Ned Thomas might be running? What, is the fix in already?
All three of them drive me nuts. If Ned Thomas isn’t running, then Stephanie is the least dangerous of the bunch. Shari Buck is the anti-Christ and Will Robinson is, well, Will Robinson.
Will Robinson is a hypocrite. He says he doesn’t like “paying for consultants and other services that the City should perform,” but he doesn’t have any problem with hiring teams of high-priced consultants to run his campaign. He also states in the R-J article that “you have to understand the plight” of those who are losing their jobs and their homes. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on slick campaign ads doesn’t seem very understanding to me. Maybe he should spend a little less time raising campaign funds and a little more time taking care of the City’s business – remember the Housing Authority mess.
Shari Buck’s statement about working “in partnership with our team of employees” to determine cost-cutting measures is equally absurd. She is just pandering to City employees who are not likely to be part of any discussion about the management of the City. City Manager Rose will exercise his imperial will in complete secrecy, and then the employees will be told to take it or leave it.
Stephanie Smith’s statement that “wise decision-making” has left the City in a better position than other municipalities is flat wrong. Every municipality in Nevada is suffering because of the steep drop in consolidated tax revenue. The other cities have higher deficits because their piece of the pie is bigger, and you can bet that the City of Henderson is working effectively to address their financial crisis with long-term strategic thinking rather than the typical NLV duck-and-cover approach.
The R-J article revealed the true identities of the current mayoral candidates: they are the Three Stooges. Please, if you know Ned Thomas, please draft him to run for Mayor. Better yet, contribute to his campaign!
Ned Thomas is the only one that anyone should consider for mayor. He is intelligent. He is HONEST. He is a real person. He will represent the people of North Las Vegas. Give him your time. Give him a donation to get his name out and Give him your vote!