Everyman Governor fondly remembered
Over Joe Six Pack's favorite food groups -- cold beers and hot dogs -- friends of Kenny Guinn gathered to raise toasts and share stories about a man of the people.
A cross-section of Guinn's constituency showed up for the Bud Light-and-hot dogs reception Tuesday at the Palace Station ballroom after the former governor's funeral.
Mixed among the more than 100 were former political allies and adversaries, bankers, public relations experts, supporters and even a process server, all united by their admiration of Nevada's 27th governor.
Guinn, who died Thursday at age 73 after a fall from the roof of his Las Vegas home, was remembered as a man of simple tastes, his love of Nevada and for mixing a metaphor or two.
When the fancy wines arrived at a political dinner, Guinn would "look around and ask where he could get a beer," recalled former Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins.
On many nights, Perkins, a Democrat, said when he wanted to work out a compromise with the Republican governor, "We would hide out in the governor's mansion and have great discussions and when (Guinn's wife) Dema checked in on us, Kenny would always say, 'Where's my baloney sandwich?'"
Perkins and former Nevada Gov. Bob Miller chuckled over what Perkins affectionately referred to as "Guinnisms," malaprops straight out of Archie Bunker's "groinocology" episode.
Nobody has more Guinn stories, said Pete Ernaut, Guinn's former chief of staff, than Jack Finn, who served as Guinn's press secretary for three years, starting in January 1999 .
Reached by telephone, Finn recalled a rocky stretch: "When things had gotten rough, the administration was under attack from press critics, there were some grumblings, and a general sense of turmoil among the staff.
"Kenny called a staff meeting and delivered a Knute Rockne-type of pep talk. He told us: 'Believe in the work you're doing, believe in each other, ignore the critics, keep doing the good work you're doing and keep your noses to the plate.'
"No matter how badly he may have mangled the phrase, we knew what he meant," said Finn.
"His syntax wasn't always the best," said Guinn's longtime friend, Nevada Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, "but it helped him because he came across as so honest."
The math teacher in Guinn loved to put a pencil to a problem and transfer it to flip cards. "Numbers were his language" said Miller.
When Guinn was done crunching numbers, he enjoyed having a cold one with the guys.
It wasn't long after Guinn became governor that Finn started getting "distraught and panicked calls from security. They said that after they drove him home from the Capitol, he'd start to close the front door and they'd see him peeking out the door."
Minutes later, the Everyman Governor would be seen at the Old Globe bar in Carson City, after driving off in his town car known as "Nevada 1" (because of the license plates).
"There was no way you could tell Kenny Guinn he couldn't go and have a couple beers with the construction workers," said Finn.
"Security loved him," added Finn, "and he treated them like family, but he did drive them crazy because of his independent streak."
Sometimes Guinn's dignified persona took a backseat to his fun-loving side, Finn said.
"We were driving in Las Vegas one day and he was in the front seat, with a Nevada highway patrolman driving. The governor turned to me and said, 'Watch this.'
"Without alerting the trooper, Kenny reached under the steering wheel and turned on the lights and sirens and pulled over Sheldon Adelson," the billionaire resort developer.
"Adelson climbed out the back, cigar in his mouth and eyes wide as saucers, and when he saw the governor, he said, "Mr. Governor, you scared me."
THE PUNCH LINE
"It turns out that our biggest ally in the region is Russia. With all due respect to Russia, it's not the best place to get advice on how to win in Afghanistan." -- Craig Ferguson
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
