Saturday, July 03, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JANE ANN MORRISON: Carpetbaggers don't have necessary grasp of district issues

Correction -- 07/04/04 --Jane Ann Morrison's column Saturday on the legal residences of Nevada politicians incorrectly reported that Todd Allen was a candidate for the state Assembly. Allen, who was removed from the Sept. 7 primary election ballot for not meeting residency requirements, was a candidate for state Senate District 11.

Shoving two Assembly candidates off the ballot because they really didn't live in their districts was the right thing to do.

Democrat Todd Allen and Republican Anne DiMartini didn't meet Nevada's residency requirements and deserved to be removed from the ballot. Allen's effort was a joke.

Sure he lived there without power. But it's no secret that some Nevada lawmakers aren't full-time residents of the homes in their districts. What separates them from the true frauds is that they at least have homes in their districts, even if they don't live there all the time.

Nevada law requires candidates live in the district for 30 days before filing for office to represent that district. The law also says a legal residence is based on intent, rather than actual residence.

Voters don't seem to care if their elected officials spend most of their time in the district or not.

Assemblyman Morse Arberry is a perfect example.

The North Las Vegas Democrat has a modest home in District 7 at 1300 Virginia City Ave.

Twice, city officials have put notices in the newspaper that they will auction off that home because the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee (the guy who deals with the complexities of the state's billions of budget dollars) hadn't paid his special improvement district assessments.

Arberry is no deadbeat. He told Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Michael Squires he doesn't see the city's bills because they are sent to his house, where the mail piles up.

What is implicit is that the mail piles up because he's not there to open it.

This is not news to his North Las Vegas district. In previous years, his political opponents sent out election pieces showing his district home and the upscale homes where he actually lived.

Two years ago, it was a luxury home in Canyon Gate, a far cry from North Las Vegas. The day I bumped into him outside this gorgeous home, he laughingly called it his "rental."

The voters don't care if he left the 'hood for better digs. They happily return him to office.

Arberry isn't alone in having two homes.

Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, has a home in Reno, where he spends part of the week, and a home in Las Vegas, where his wife lives. His Reno district knows it, and again, they re-elect him.

North Las Vegas Sen. Ray Shaffer spends much of his time on his boat in San Diego or in his Northern Nevada home. If he loses his race this year in District 1, it's unlikely his residency will be the reason.

Democratic Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani has a modest home in her District 9, and her husband, political consultant Gary Gray, is the official owner of their larger home at Mount Charleston, where they spend much of their time. Gray works out of the district home.

Before Gov. Kenny Guinn appointed Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald to the Clark County Commission, she rented a home in her new commission district on March 30, changed her voter registration showing "intent" and, by golly, on March 31 she was appointed to represent the district.

Legally, there was no 30-day residency requirement for an appointment, so she abided by the law. She was a resident of District F. Barely.

Most folks don't know that if you run for Congress, you don't even have to live in the district. As a sign of courtesy (and as a way to avoid a political flier raising the issue), most people move into the congressional district they hope to represent.

Two years ago, Jon Porter moved from his Boulder City home outside the 3rd Congressional District into a home within the district.

Nevada Stupak's move into an apartment to run for the Ward 2 City Council seat was annoying because it was clear he didn't know much about Ward 2, homeowners associations or special assessment districts. He's also hopscotched across the valley three times, in desperate search of a district of gullible voters.

I like to know how long someone has lived in a district. If they just moved in 30 days ago from another part of town, I question their grasp of district issues. And their commitment. Especially the ones who do it again, and again, and again.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at jane@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0275.