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To the editor:
It is no secret that over the years the Review-Journal and I have had a difference of opinion over the role of redevelopment in revitalizing our downtown. But this time your editorial board has gone too far. Your recent editorial on the Bonneville Square redevelopment project does a disservice to your readers because it seeks to create a conspiracy where none exists.
The facts are these: In 1988 Bonneville Square Developers applied to the Redevelopment Agency for assistance in completing a downtown office building. The project was successful, keeping more than 100 jobs downtown and adding $50,000 to the tax rolls.
In 1997, Bonneville Square Developers approached the Redevelopment Agency for help in expanding their office building. The track record of this group makes it an excellent choice for a redevelopment partner, with the project meeting the public criteria for revitalizing our downtown office core.
For the record, three of the 65 investors in Bonneville Square, holding less than a 3 percent interest in the project, work for the Beckley Singleton law firm.
In between the two redevelopment projects with Bonneville Square, the city hired outside legal counsel to represent it in the Fremont Street redevelopment case currently before the Nevada Supreme Court. We engaged two of the top appellate lawyers in the state -- Rex Jemison and Daniel Polsenberg. Both attorneys work for Beckley Singleton -- however, neither of them holds a current interest in Bonneville Square. To imply that these two attorneys are personally profiting from Bonneville Square not only besmirches their name, but shows a convenient ignorance of the facts.
Let's be honest. The Review-Journal editorial board dislikes redevelopment. That is its right. But as a bearer of the public trust you also have a duty and responsibility to separate fact from fiction -- something your editorial on Bonneville Square failed to do.
JAN LAVERTY JONES
Mayor, City of Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Agree or disagree? Write us at letters@lvrj.com
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