Nor'Town: Politics in North Las Vegas » North Las Vegas

Who’s Fiddling While Nor’Town Burns?

Nevada Scandalmonger — Sun, 02 May 2010 23:42:03 +0000

Councilman Cherchio had some questions about the coverage by George Knapp over that full-page ad that the firefighters paid for in the Las Vegas Review Journal the other day. Make of this what you will:

Hello Mr. Knapp:

As one of the four North Las Vegas City Council members, I am privileged to represent residents in North Las Vegas . As such, I feel obligated to respond to what I interpret as purposeful misinformation and fear mongering in the full-page media advertisement in the RJ, and in a recently aired television ad by our local Fire Fighters Union.

Let me first say that I am as concerned about our residents and the City as I am about all City employees and their families who are experiencing the effects of this dramatic economic downturn. I am more than willing to speak with you and Mr. Hurley regarding inaccuracies in the print and television ads. I am a believer in full transparency. It is vital that our residents and Fire Department employees hear from both sides, since they are the ones that will bear the brunt of our decisions, especially if those decisions are based on short-term political rhetoric, as opposed to a true long-term concern for the solvency of our City.

Our Fire Department recently informed the City Council that only 8.6% of all Fire Department personnel actually live in North Las Vegas . I am confident that all our Fire Department employees realize even in their own home cities how dire the economic situation is at this time. I am sure they would feel it would be prudent for their families’ well being to give back something they haven’t yet received, as opposed to losing their careers with the City.

As someone with a proud union background, I understand what you give back you don’t get back, but I would be more concerned about saving all my members’ jobs and maintaining service to our residents, who we all took an oath to protect.

Please also remember, that we must work with three unions. Our local Police have worked daily understaffed for years. Our City Teamsters and appointed/confidential employees have been required to bare the brunt of the most recent layoffs. I consider Teamsters and appointed/confidential employees no less important to our city on a minute to minute basis than any other union represented employee. Of the 204 unfortunate layoffs, more than 170 were Teamsters and appointed/confidential employees. These people had helped to maintain Fire and Police communications, roads, lighting, graffiti abatement, code enforcement, and many more vital services.

SOME FACTS:

Fire Station 52 is in my Ward. It is not slated to close and no resident or business will be placed in peril.

The image of the Fire Union contract in your story shows an outdated contract from 2006 to 2010. This contract was extended by our past City Manager to 2014.

We are asking all of our unions to give back a little. We are not negotiating contracts. I would be willing to agree to open the contracts now for the sake of members, residents and the future stability of our City. But this is a long-term strategy which would include the entire City Council.

While our Fire Union has always been the first to the table, they have NEVER given back anything without future cost to the City and its citizens. Their current offer would require us to reinstate their Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) by FY 2014-2015.

In simple math when you add all of the increases from July 1, 2010 – Jan 1, 2015 this amount totals 19%. The chart below provides details on the dates agreed upon in the current MOU.

7/1/10	7/1/11	7/1/12	7/1/13	1/1/14	7/1/14	1/1/15	Total
3.5 %	3.75%	3.75%	2.0%	2.0%	2.0%	2.0%	19.0%

Simply put, these past and current proposals are like what was perpetrated on many first-time home buyers who are losing their homes because of rate mortgage adjustments coming due. The play today, pay tomorrow days are gone. I ask only that we start doing what is right for all concerned.

Respectfully,

Richard Cherchio

North Las Vegas Councilman

Ward 4

8.6% of firefighters live in North Las Vegas? Well, that’s more of them than CD1 candidate Michele Fiore, in their defense.

Clark County Flushes Hopes of North Las Vegas

Nevada Scandalmonger — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:54:41 +0000

Well, at least the hopes of a cheap way to discharge water coming from Nor’Town’s brand new waste water facility–oh, pardon me–water reclamation facility.

Clark County officials, including Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Tom “Nortowners should move out” Collins, are against a plan from Nor’Town water experts to discharge North Las Vegas toilet water down Sloan Channel, an open flood channel designed for, well, floods. (RJ)

The original plan was to shoot the poop down a regional pipeline, a plan that was shelved awhile ago, and the money for which was recently raided by the state legislature to pay for the state’s budget shortfall. The board that oversees that pipeline, the Clean Water Coalition recently voted to sue the state for trying to steal the money from the pipeline, in a 3-1 vote. (Sun) Nor’Town’s representative on the board, Councilguy Robert Eliason, voted for the suit.

The pipeline was originally killed because, we are told, better water treatment technology made it unnecessary. (Sun) Now, perhaps members of the Clark County Commission might want to explain how is it that Nor’Town’s new water plant–which is, apparently an instance of that new technology–can’t function without the pipeline.

As usual, Mr. Collins’ reasoning is, shall we say, daunting in its intricacy. We are told the Sloan Channel cannot be used because children with a death wish ride bikes in it, a practice I’m sure is not supported by the Regional Flood Control District.

Also, how reassuring is it to hear two Clark County Commissioners scream about the dangers of the effluent, and yet blithely assure us that the fact that the swill is oozing into Lake Mead, our primary source of drinking water, is perfectly fine? So, which is it? Is the stuff safe or not?

For heavens sake, dear leaders, please make up your minds about which lie you are going to tell us. Let’s coordinate, people!

Nor’Town Spreads The Love

Nevada Scandalmonger — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:01:37 +0000

And the salmonella.

There’s a pretty impressive list of all the foods that have to be recalled over on the Food and Drug Administration’s website due to the discovery of salmonella at the Nor’Town plant of Basic Food Flavors, Inc.

The plant is now closed. However, ever the responsible Nor’Townie company, Basic Food Flavorings has apparently known about the contamination since January, yet kept pumping out the tainted goo which fills our fast food for a month. (RJ)

Hey, now there’s a replacement for “your community of choice” if the city is looking to update the city slogan. How about: “Nor’Town: The Salmonella Capitol of the World!”

Still, anyone making the drive along Craig on the east side of I-15 will miss the factory. The odor easily masked anything the pig farm could dish out. I’ll be the value of the apartments across the was shoots up, too, until the threatened re-opening.

This Week at Council Chambers: Utilities Fun

Nevada Scandalmonger — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:26:08 +0000

There’s a special session of the North Las Vegas City Council at 4:30pm, Weds. Mar. 3rd to discuss staffing of city Utilities personnel. Don’t know if that will bring out the Utilities folk and make for another sardeen-like council meeting, but no one can predict these days.
Redevelopment follows at 5:30 where they’ll be looking into a proposal for development at Lake Mead and 5th Street.
At the regular meeting at 6pm, you’ll get to see the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada hand over $7 million for a bit of Losee real estate. Woah, is any piece of land worth that much in Nor’Town any more? Also, watch council pay off their Carson City lobbyists for $10,000. You think anyone will ask why the lobbyists let the State government dip into Clark County funds? Come on! Somebody say it: Heck of job, Senator Bryan!
They stole Councilman Eliason’s water pipe! (Sun)

Exciting Events In Nor’Town This Week!

Nevada Scandalmonger — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:48:30 +0000

Oh, okay. It depends on what you mean by exciting. However, here’s the lineup for this week:

Comment on the BLM’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Upper Las Vegas Wash at a meeting Monday, Feb. 22: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m, BLM Southern Nevada District Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas.
Comment again on the BLM’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Upper Las Vegas Wash at a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m, Centennial Hills Community Center YMCA, 6601 North Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas.
Mayor Shari Buck will be holding an apocalyptic Town Hall Tue Feb 23 6pm – 7pm City Hall, Council Chambers, 2200 Civic Center Drive, North Las Vegas, NV. Ask her who gets chopped: the fire department or MedicWest.
Comment again, or the first time, on the BLM’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Upper Las Vegas Wash at a meeting Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m: North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center, North Las Vegas, NV.
North Las Vegas Alliance of HOA’s et alia will hold their monthly meeting Thursday Feb 25th at 6pm at the Aliante Library, 2400 Deer Springs Way, North Las Vegas, NV. Topics will include the recent dustup over transporting emergency bodies, concerning which the Review Journal had a couple write-ups here and here. Special guest star: Kenny Young, Senior Assistant to the City Manager, assuming he doesn’t get laid off prior to the meeting.

Lots to Do This Week

Nevada Scandalmonger — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:59:55 +0000

This weeks’ events include:

Grand opening of Rory Reid for Governor Las Vegas office, Tue, Feb 16 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, 4350 S. Arville Unit 26, Las Vegas NV 89103.
Special meeting of city council looking into a proposal to allow fire department to transport folks to hospital in an emergency, Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at 4:30 P.M. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 2200 Civic Center Drive, North Las Vegas, Nevada. ON AGAIN!
Regular meeting of city council Weds. February 17, 2010, 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 2200 Civic Center Drive, North Las Vegas, Nevada. Items: Animal tethering ordinance, general obligation bonds to repair floors in the detention center, ordinance to create a “Utility Advisory Board,” and other stuff.
Protector of Tule Springs meeting, Wednesday February 17th, from 6-8pm at the Sun City Aliante Community Center (the left building as you walk up) 7390 Aliante Parkway, just north of Aliante Station Casino. There will be a guest speaker from Senator Harry Reid’s Washington staff. A representative from the BLM will discuss its preferred alternatives for the Northern Vegas Wash site as well as brief on the public meeting process.
- Review Journal piece on the proposal.
The North Valley Democratic Club will be holding elections for officers on Thursday, February 18th, 6:30pm, Aliante Library, 2400 Deer Springs Way, North Las Vegas, NV.
Anita Wood Budget Town Hall, 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, at Silver Mesa Recreation Center, 4025 Allen Lane.

Nor’Town Teabaggers! Town Halls Coming!

Nevada Scandalmonger — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:28:25 +0000

Feel the urge to scream at a government official? Teabag a Town Hall?

You’ll have plenty of chances in the coming weeks to have some fun with North Las Vegas elected officials.

First Up: Mayor Pro Temp William Robinson: Ward 2.

WHEN: 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11

WHERE: Nevada Partners Culinary Academy, 710 W. Lake Mead Boulevard.

Next Up: Councilwoman Anita G. Wood, Ward 3

WHEN: 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18

WHERE: Silver Mesa Recreation Center, 4025 Allen Lane.

Great chance to ask why police can count unfilled, frozen positions as “lay offs,” but no other city department can.

More info on more Town Halls over on the city website.

We’ll Be Murdered in Our Beds!

Nevada Scandalmonger — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:48:27 +0000

That was the message North Las Vegas Firefighters and Police brought to council chambers Wednesday night. That is, we’ll be murdered in our beds if council decides to cut personnel from those departments. (KTNV,LVNow,Sun,RJ) Council members seemed surprised by the uprising. The mayor pro temp William Robinson insisted that no one was talking about cuts to the police department.

At least not yet. The city has $33 million budget gap that needs to be filled and the money will have to come from somewhere. Indeed, while discussing capital improvement projects whose funding is mostly covered by external entities such as the Bureau of Land Management, mayor Buck requested that police abandon improvements to their shooting range during the budget crunch.

Say, who do you call if a protest by the police gets out of hand?

Council also passed the ordinance regulating the sale of animals outdoors. It allows vendors to sell animals only within certain temperature ranges and when posting signs about Nor’Town’s spay and neuter laws. (RJ,KTNV) Animal activists favored a complete ban, but supported the ordinance as the best they’ll be able to do at the time. Councilman Richard Cherchio said that part of the problem of mistreated animals at open air markets is the import of animals from out of state and suggested that the state take up the issue. Councilwoman Anita Wood claimed that when Broadacres Swap Meet voluntarily adopted the standards recently that the number of animal vendors decreased from over 90 to just 5.

Council also unanimously supported paying a settlement of $300,000 to Jeffrey Smith, who filed a civil rights suit against the city. The city’s lawyer said he privately explained to each councilperson why the city had to pay up. It’d be nice if somebody would explain to us’n folks who actually pay for it, though. Just to make it look a little more like a representative democracy around here.

Council also approved the STARS Safety Town. It will be the second such entity in the U.S. and will be modeled on a Safety Town in Frisco, Texas. It will contain scaled models of buildings from Nor’Town, and its purpose is to teach safe habits to kids. Part of the cost will be borne by business sponsorship, although the mayor expressed the hope that businesses such as the Palomino Strip Club be excluded therefrom. I’m sure I speak from everyone when I say that we’ll all be disappointed if there isn’t a scale model of that venerable institution at the site.

Apparently the Frisco Safety Town allows kids to drive miniature cars around. That would seem to be a good idea for the Nor’Town town, especially if it teaches the kids how to scatter during a drive-by shooting. That would dove-tail nicely with all the skills they’ll be picking up in and around the Shooting Park–and at school.

And I have a perfect name for the place. You guessed it: HunterLand! Why not have the kids learn some American Lit. at the same time? Surely there will be a replica of that North Las Vegas literary mecca, too: The North Star cafe!

Day is Night and Night is Day in Nor’Town

Nevada Scandalmonger — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:00:31 +0000

Forget “the community of choice.” Nor’Town is officially “the community of cognitive dissonance.”

In the January 20th meeting of city council, old Phil “Downer” Stoeckinger, the director of finance of the city and lately the most depressing person in Nor’Town, outlined how throwing everything and the kitchen sink into the city’s budget gap just won’t fill it up. (RJ,VN)

Yet, just a day later, at the state of the city address, the mayor all but sang that tune “The Sun’ll come out, tomorroooow!” (VN,Sun)

Lynnette Curtis had some fun with the cognitive dissonance between the Council Meeting and the SOTC:

[Buck] spoke about the $132 million City Hall complex under construction on Las Vegas Boulevard North near Civic Center Drive and the new $9.4 million fire station planned for a portion of City View Park, on Cheyenne Avenue at North Fifth Street.

Buck didn’t mention that the City Council on Wednesday voted to delay the opening of the fire station and use furniture and equipment it already owns to outfit the new City Hall to save money. The city still has an additional $33.4 million to trim to make it through fiscal year 2011. Layoffs are likely. (RJ)

To add even further to the fun, the state’s Economic Forum held meetings on the very next day wherein one economist after another told us we’re doomed. (Sun)

Sigh, who are ya gonna believe?

Among the mayor’s proposals for saving Nor’Town in these times of darkness is an old-timey appeal to “buy local”, which should give one pause. Does visiting the local Wal-Mart count as “buying local” since the corporate headquarters is in Arkansas? What about a booze-filled evening feeding the gambling addiction at Aliante Station? Doesn’t that simply flow into the pockets of Greenspun enterprises and the Fertitta bros down in Sou’Town and Clark County?

By the way, a few things happened at that dark City Council meeting which, as far as I know, didn’t make the papes:

Council voted to settle the Lamar Kiles’ lawsuit unanimously and without a peep. The city lawyer seemed to be keeping a sharp eye on council members, too, perhaps because a no belly-aching rule may have been part of the settlement. Nor’Townies will enjoy a similar settlement on Weds. Feb. 3rd, when council will probably vote for another settlement of a civil rights suit against the detention center and its medical facility.
Even as the council meeting fell into darkness, council members voted in favor of an agreement with the firefighters’ union to allow one less firefighter to sit on the truck during calls. It will presumably allow for a reduction in overtime pay while maintaining “operational readiness.” Extra large people may find themselves left behind in a fire or two, too, but given how we’re all on starvation diets now anyway, perhaps that won’t matter too much.
Also in the dark the city passed a resolution allowing them to float a $145 million dollar bond to pay for water connections and the waste water facilities. I wonder how that’ll affect our new AA- rating?
And one final question: do meetings in the dark really count as “open meetings” under state law?

No HUD Foreclosure Money for Nor’Town

Nevada Scandalmonger — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:31:24 +0000

News came early today that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will not be awarding funds to southern Nevada communities designed to stabilize neighborhoods hit by a large number of foreclosures. Las Vegas Mayor Goodman went into the requisite fit over the news, and Senator Harry Reid made noises about taking steps to fix the mess someways. (Sun,RJ)

There’s some speculation that the southern Nevada cities of Henderson, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and unincorporated Clark County may have blown the deal because there have been reports that they have been unable to spend money they had already received. The Sun reported, for example, that half-way through the last funding phase, only 5 houses had been bought with stimulus money. (Sun) It may also not have helped that the stench of earlier wasted HUD funds still floats over the not quite dead yet North Las Vegas Housing Authority. (Sun)

Still, it will give the mayor something to talk about in the upcoming state of the city address, won’t it?