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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF PAHRUMP VALLEY
P.O. BOX 2432, PAHRUMP, NV 89041
Contact: (775) 443-7861 or LWVofPahrump@aol.com

MONTHLY (Breakfast optional) MEETINGS HELD 2nd Saturday at 8:30 am
PAHRUMP NUGGET
HIGHWAY 160, PAHRUMP, NV
September – June

Ron Kent, Candidate for DA of Nye County

Last Monday, former Chief Civil Deputy District Attorney Ron Kent, having been terminated from his former job, is running for election to replace to replace current District Attorney Bob Beckett.

Kent kicked off his campaign last Monday at Wulfy’s Sports Lounge in Pahrump. Over 200 people showed up to hear Kent speak.

The question was “Why are you running for District Attorney?”

Kent explained “After agonizing over this for quite some time, I determined to run for the district attorney’s office. I’ve been asked several times ‘why are you gunning for the D.A.’s office?’ Really, after thinking about it, what came to mind was the expression, ‘what you see is what you get.’” He was referring to Beckett’s performance Pahrump Mirror reporter, Paul Jones, wrote. [Pahrump Mirror, Thursday, March 11, 1010, page 3]

Kent added,

For the past 15 years under the administration of the incumbent ‘what you see is what you get’ and this is what you will receive as the citizens and the voters of Nye County into the future.

Kent said he believed a vote for Beckett would be a vote for “maintaining the status quo.”

[T]he time is long overdue that we raise the bar for the district attorney’s office, that we bring the D.A.’s office into the new millennium. I believe that we need to increase the level of service and the quality of service to the citizens because, as I said before, you all deserve better.

It was reported that Mr. Kent was born in Nevada and has been practicing law in Nevada the past 27 years. He took the Chief Deputy District Attorney position 12 years ago.

He said the thought his experience within the DA’s office and knowledge of the community and government uniquely qualifies him to assume the position of District Attorney.

I know what works in the D.A.’s office, but even more so I know what does not work in the D.A.’s office. I believe that with the 27 years of experience in the broad filed of civil and criminal law that I have, my proven leadership skills, as well as the fact that I am intimately aware of all the problems confronting government, your leadership. All of these components, coupled together, uniquely equip me to act as your district attorney and build the D.A.’s office into a law firm, a real law firm, something that every citizen in this county should be proud of.

He went on to indicate he has plans to implement and improve the current systems in place in the office with programs he had been working on for years.

If I’m elected district attorney, I have plans in place to take administrative measures to improve the efficiency of the office, the productivity of the office, but once again, and most importantly, to increase the quality of the legal deliverables that ultimately are for the benefit for all of you in this room, your neighbors, your families and your businesses.

Kent is a graduate of Las Vegas High School. He holds a BA degree in Philosophyand Psychology from UNLV. He earned his degree in law from Southern Western University of Law in California.

Greetings,

On Saturday, April 10, 2010 the Nye County Democratic Party will be holding its Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at the Nevada Treasure Resort in Pahrump.  The evening begins at 7:00 pm.  Our speakers will be; Senator Harry Reid, Congresswomen Berkley and Titus, State Treasurer Marshall and State Controller Wallin.  We will also have candidates for office speaking.

Tickets are:  $40.00 each/$70.00 per couple/$300.00 per table.  You may call me at 775-910-3494 to order tickets or you may send a check to:  1201 S. Hwy 160, Suite 105, Pahrump, NV 89048.  If you would like the tickets mailed to you, please enclose a SASE otherwise you may pick them up at the door. 

We need to get an accurate count for dinner for the caterer, so please contact me as soon as possible if you will be coming.

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Kathleen L. Bienenstein,

Chair, Nye County Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Committee

The following is a letter to the editor that appeared in today’s Las Vegas Sun. It was written by a school teacher, Jeremy Christensen of Las Vegas. I’m running it here because I agree with what Mr. Christensen writes:

“It’s time to stop whining that education in Nevada doesn’t work because of a lack of funding,” Gov. Jim Gibbons said in his State of the State address last week. “We need to quit throwing money at programs that haven’t worked and don’t work for our children.”

What hasn’t worked and doesn’t work for our children is throwing clichés and ideology at problems.

This question is not as complicated as it seems. What is a reasonable cost to educate a child? Most of the other states in our nation believe that it costs more than what we spend in Nevada. How do these other states pay for the generous investments they make to educate their children?

Forty-five states in our country have an effective state-level corporate tax rate of at least 5 percent. How long have zealous ideologues proclaimed that businesses would flee if we even considered any taxes on corporations? These corporations pay taxes almost everywhere else in the United States. How long have our children suffered some of the largest class sizes in the nation and parades of long-term substitutes in vital courses such as mathematics because of this outrageous lie?

The state of Nevada is not making a good-faith effort to provide quality education for its children. Apparently our children have no voice or heroes to stand up for them and say enough is enough. The greatest sins in Sin City are committed against its children.

Governor “No New Taxes” Gibbons has a duty to those school children to see that their education proceeds with quality and unabated. It is his duty as elected governor whether he wants to raise taxes or not. I personally don’t care whether he gets re-elected or not. I didn’t vote for him to start with. I do care about the education of Nevada’s children.

All my kids are now grown with kids of their own. All still in California, which has its own financial problems. My grand daughter, Joan, will graduate from the University of California-Chico in June. She plans to then attend law school. She works and attends college now, has she has done since she started. One of my grand sons, Aaron, is attending college in California with the objective of obtaining a degree for his future as an accountant. He also works to pay for and attend school. But the financial burden of college tuition and expenses for law school are mammoth to a 22 year old.

Cutting the education budget, again, as proposed by Governor Gibbons, may be expedient to him, but not to those kids trying to get a college education.

Nevada maintains one of the lowest commitments in the nation for education. California is slipping fast, losing it’s once high education status.

I read that Nevada’s mining industry has enjoyed a low rate of taxation for 150 years. The implication being that that industry does not pay its fair share of taxes—a tax status that is unfair to ordinary taxpayers in Nevada.

I, frankly, think it is time that Governor Gibbons begin to realize that his obligation to Nevada taxpayers is higher than his adherence to his “no new taxes” creed. It is time to fairly and evenly raise taxes in Nevada, even if it requires applying a fair tax on the mining industry.

Carl Moore is a candidate for Nye County Commissioner for District 4. He is holding his Campaign kickoff party at the Pahrump Nugget.

Date: Friday, February 19, 2010

Meet and Greet: 6-7 pm.

Entertainment by Marshal Reign: 7-10 pm.

RSVP to Julie Hargis, Campaign Manager, at juliehargis@hotmail.com or phone at 775-513-0960.

Friends and family are invited for the celebration and fundraiser for Carl Moore.

The Nevada Center for Public Policy Dialogue will hold a series of classes in partnership with Great Basin College, Community Services:

Date: February 20, 2010

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Framing/Convening Class No. 2

Those interested in attending should call 775-537-2766 to register.

All classes will be held at Great Basin College, 1541 E. Basin Avenue, Room 6, Pahrump, NV.

The classes are free.

Attendees will learn techniques for naming an issue, gathering information about an issue, talking through the issues and acting together to address the issue at hand.

This is a good organization. I would urge those interested in public policy dialogue to attend.

DA Bob Beckett

The office of District Attorney is one of the most important county offices in existence. One for which voters should look for experienced, level headed, mature and competent candidates to fill.

Mr. Beckett is a Republican who has been the District Attorney of Nye County since 1995. His announced opponent in the race is Mr. Ron Kent, former Chief Civil Deputy District Attorney of the Nye County District Attorney’s office.

In the local news last week was a story about a $175,000 grant from Senator Harry Reid for courthouse cameras and security systems at the Pahrump Justice Center. It seems that Brian Thelaner, bailiff of the Pahrump Justice Court, secured the grant money but got into some hot water for having done so. The Nye County Board of Commissioners criticized him for not getting the grant through Nye County’s grant administrator and failing to specify what the county could do with the money.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that a man entered and shot to death one of the security guards in a courthouse in Clark County.

I was a bit puzzled as to why Mr. Thelaner was getting so much heat. I am still puzzled. It was reported he said he was asked to get quotes on the cameras and security equipment last January. The article did not say who asked him.

The report indicated Nye County has two metal detectors, one each at the entrances of the two justice courts. Neither District Court is protected nor is the courthouse itself, if I understand the article correctly.

Courthouse security is a matter of public concern. Some judges carry firearms under their black robes. Bailiffs are armed. Probably some who attend the courts as spectators are armed as well, but who knows for sure? Courts daily have appearances by litigating parties, their attorneys, witnesses, and juries. As to the courthouse itself all sorts of people come and go tending to business with the Assessor, Tax Collector, County Clerk, et. al. Wonder how many, if any,  of them are carrying concealed firearms, knives or lethal weapons? That the judges or bailiffs are armed does not protect members of the public or the employees of the various governmental offices in the courthouse.

The daily news frequently carries stories about shootings in courthouses. Nye County’s courthouses are not immune from such occurrences any more than those in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or any other place.

Seems to me that Mr. Thelaner has performed a valuable public service. Most of us just assumed such public facilities were safe and secure. At least I did. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Frankly, the chastising of his effort in securing the grant money does not make sense to me. That he may have secured the grant outside the customary procedures is of little concern, to me. I am more interested in results.

One of these days a tragic event may well occur in one of the county’s courthouses or courts which could be prevented by sensible security measures as envisioned by the grant.

I do not understand why the Commissioners should criticize Mr. Thelaner because he may not have followed bureaucratic procedures in securing the grant money. Looks to me like Thelaner has performed a public service all on his own. He should be commended not criticized.

Maybe the Commissioners, on further reflection, will reconsider their stance. Maybe not. I think they should. After all, one of the primary functions of government is protection of citizens.

In this day and age safety and security is one of the prime goals that must be addressed. Better to plan ahead than to repent at leisure.

Dann Weeks wrote an informative article last week in the Pahrump Mirror about radioactive groundwater making its way from the Nevada Test Site toward Beatty. Tests showed the groundwater contains radioactive contamination.

Next time you fill your glass with water from your tap you may want to carry it into a dark closet to see if it glows. The radioactive ingredient is Tritium. What is Tritium? Well it is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. [Read more →]

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has opened a public comment period for a third solar project in Nevada: a 180-megawatt solar plant called the Crescent Dunes project, planned by Tonopah Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Solar Reserve. [Pahrump Valley Times]

Progress in solar energy is slowly inching ahead in Nye County.

“BLM will accept comments on the project until Dec. 24. Public hearings have been scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 17, at the Tonopah Convention Center and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 18, at the BLM Southern Nevada District Office at 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive in Las Vegas. Representatives from the BLM and Tonopah Solar Energy will be present to answer questions.

“Comments submitted in writing have to be postmarked before Dec. 24. They may be sent to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, attention Tom Seley, field manager, Tonopah Field Office, 1553 S. Main St., PO Box 911, Tonopah NV 89049. Comments will also be accepted by fax, at 1-775-482-7810 or by e-mail to crescent_dunes@blm.gov.

“A megawatt is roughly enough to power 200 to 250 homes, meaning the plant could supply power to almost 50,000 homes.”

“Tonopah Solar Energy will use an array of 17,350 mirrors called heliostats that follow the sun and reflect light onto the top of a 633-foot tower with a holding tank of molten salt. The salt liquid, heated to 1,000 degrees, is then routed to an insulated storage tank. When electricity is to be generated, the hot salt is routed to a heat exchanger to produce steam, which generates electricity.”

So, if you have questions or input now is your chance to speak up.