Cynicism aside, Nevada makes history, twice in one day

It's early in the year, Nevada. There will be plenty of time for cynicism.

With a projected state budget deficit approaching $3 billion, there will be weeks of number crunching and enough academic analysis to make your head spin. There will be tax revenues to pray for like a Cubs World Series title, and harsh economic realities will hit harder than any January snowstorm.

Nevada is in a helluva shape: High unemployment and little daylight in sight for the construction industry; home foreclosures that drag on as housing prices fade.

But try to set aside your cynicism and consider the fact that Nevada did a remarkable and historic thing Monday. It's something that should have made bigger headlines, but a thing that was all but buried beneath the tough talk of taxes and budgets.

At a time when its people might have been justified in thinking small, Nevada took an important step toward equality for all its citizens when Brian Sandoval was sworn in as its 30th governor. Sandoval is the state's first Hispanic governor. And his style is more that of an establishment company man than a blue-collar iconoclast. His presence in Carson City is historically important. The Republican reminded some of the hardheads in his party that appealing to a broad range of conservatives is the key to victory.

Monday was special for another reason. It saw newly appointed state Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Douglas, the first black to hold that august position, conduct the swearing in of Sandoval.

Douglas was a solid district judge, and he's emerged as a thoughtful, even-tempered member of the state's high court. Only a few years ago, some political wags wondered whether Nevada would send a man of color to the high court.

During Democrat Bob Coffin's long tenure in the state Senate, he was often the only member of Hispanic descent. His mother's family came from Mexico in 1856.

"I've said I was Mexican long before it was chic," Coffin said. "I'm happy for Sandoval. I hope he is sensitive to the needs of all the people. This shows how times have changed, which makes it possible for people like Sandoval to get elected."

Sandoval's presence is a reminder not only of the changing demographics of Nevada, where more than 30 percent of registered voters are Latino, but of the strategic wisdom of offering a candidate who appeals to a broader constituency. Sandoval's candidacy was ticket-splitting, Coffin said, noting that while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's courting of Latino voters was highly successful and helped carry several Latino legislators to victory as well, Sandoval overcame a game effort by Rory Reid to win the general election.

For former Senate lion Joe Neal, Monday's ceremony was full of symbolism, but it's impossible to forget the dark economic storm clouds that continue to roll into Nevada.

"I see the change and I appreciate it, but the fact does not escape me they're coming in at a time the economy is at its worst," said Neal, who served 32 years in the Senate and was that body's first African-American. "To see this happen, I think it's great. It bodes well for the state being able to turn the corner, in being able to look at an individual as an individual and see their service being worth something, rather than seeing it in terms of origin, birth, color or race."

Neal is doubly proud these days. His daughter, newly elected Assemblywoman Dina Neal, is about to make it two generations of Neals at the Legislature.

"Not only that, she's going into the Assembly much smarter than I was," Neal said. "She has much more to draw from in terms of skills and education than I had."

Nevada is troubled, but it continues to change in positive and dramatic ways.

When all its people are represented, it can't help but be a better place to live.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith