GROWTH: Business executives fear politically forced restrictions on development

      Some business executives fear that elected officials will succumb to the pressure of vocal voters who want to slow down or stop growth.
      They envision politicians adopting restrictions on development at the behest of residents who are angry about traffic congestion, air pollution and overcrowded public schools.
      "We see some of our elected representatives responding to an electorate who blame them because they can't get across town in 20 minutes. They're afraid the voters may crucify them at the ballot box," said Kara Kelley, vice president of government affairs at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, a business organization with 4,600 members.
      Most elected representatives understand the economic benefits of growth, but they may lack the political courage to take a stand on behalf of growth in the face of the public's anti-growth demands, she said.
      The chamber's leadership sees the organization's role as that of "the voice of reason" in the growth debate, Kelley said.
      "We have a lot of credibility in the community," she said of the chamber, which supports growth and development.
      For example, the chamber backs and will lobby for passage of the proposed quarter-cent increase in the sales tax to raise funds for a new water delivery system, she said.
      Longtime Las Vegas developer Irwin Molasky said he is concerned that local government officials may vote based on emotions instead of reason.
      "We've seen other governments put in no-growth and slow-growth policies ... San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Palmdale (Calif.) and we've seen the results ... no new investment, no job growth, job losses, no competition, businesses closing down, foreclosures," said Molasky, managing partner of Paradise Development Co.
      Elected officials in Southern California communities overreacted to growth and "instituted murderous no-growth policies from which they may never recover. A community that does not grow, dies," said Molasky, who developed most of Maryland Parkway, including Sunrise Hospital and the Boulevard Mall, to meet the demands of a growing Las Vegas during the 1960s and '70s.
      Elected officials have an obligation to manage growth, not stop it, he said.
      "There needs to be a solid effort to put infrastructure in place ahead of time. The concerns of residents must be addressed in the planning process. Projects must be environmentally pleasing. We need to elect officials who vote and think with conviction, not with the emotion of the moment, not with the attitude, `Will this hurt my chances for re-election?' "