* Yesterday, I submitted the final manuscript for the book I’ve been writing on Nevada U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen to my editor. So I’m *finally* going to be able to get back into the swing of Nevada political things on a regular basis again.
* That said, my primary focus over the next few weeks is going to be on our Pigpen Project to clean up the voter rolls. We’re ready to scale up the effort right after the June 11 primary.
* The road ahead is littered with potholes, but it’s not election officials’ fault. The flaws in the laws are a MESS. Odds are we’re gonna end up in court over some of them.
* Don’t worry. We actually have a GOOD lawyer who knows a lot about election law in Nevada – unlike Sigal Chattah (more on this birdbrain in a minute).
* Anyway, I’m going to be spending a lot more time writing a lot more about this massive problem so folks know what we’re up against in trying to fix it.
* Here’s a hint: We can legitimately identify and confirm tens of THOUSANDS of voters currently on Nevada voter rolls who are no longer living where they’re registered. Many have permanently moved out of the state.
* However, the process for getting them off the voter rolls according to law is a “challenge” (pun intended).
* If this is an issue of interest to you and you haven’t signed up for my Pigpen Project updates yet, click here.
* Funny story before we get to the serious stuff. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported today that…
“Imprisoned for a fatal Las Vegas DUI crash, former Raiders player Henry Ruggs has been placed in a prison work program at the governor’s mansion, according to the Department of Corrections.”
* Some might find that kinda weird, but it’s a longstanding program.
* Back in 2003, I stayed at the Governor’s Mansion while on a trip when I was working in DC. Gov. Kenny Guinn and I were sitting in the family room having a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper when he looked out the window and said, “Hey! That guy’s wearing my shirt!”
* Turns out it was one of the prisoners doing yard work at the mansion. First Lady Dema Guinn had donated the shirt to the prisoner without the Guv knowing it! We all had a good laugh over that one.
EARLY VOTING UPDATE
The most competitive GOP primary race for a state Assembly seat is in District 21 in Clark County featuring April Arndt vs. Jon Petrick.
I’ve already recommended April in this race, but after seeing and hearing some of the crap Petrick has been putting out over the past week against her, I’m not only recommending April, I’m full-on endorsing her.
His campaign’s ham-handed effort to tie Arndt to a bill she never voted for (she’s not an incumbent legislator), or even commented on, and then stretch that to somehow tie her to a transgender “Biden/Arndt Agenda” is absurd and schoolyard level at best.
Plus, he’s a text-spammer. No wonder he lost this same seat in 2022.
Flipping AD21 is critically important to protecting Gov. Lombardo’s veto power and to block tax hikes. The district leans Dem, so Republicans are unlikely to win in the general election if they nominate someone too far out there on the right.
Which is where Petrick is. If he was running in a strong GOP district that’d be one thing. But in this district – especially considering the dishonest, juvenile way he’s been running his primary campaign – he’s the wrong candidate.
If Republicans want to WIN, that is.
And that’s an open question because the Nevada Republican Party’s braindead National Committeewoman, Sigal “Hang ‘em from a Crane” Chattah, obviously has no interest in winning.
All she wants to do is shoot off her big mouth.
Republicans in the State Senate are one seat away from ending up in a super-minority, which means they’d no longer be able to block tax hikes or protect Gov. Lombardo’s vetoes. So what’s Chattah doing?
In Senate District 15 (Washoe), she’s supporting Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate least likely to hold GOP Sen. Heidi Gansert’s seat. And in Senate District 11 (Clark), she’ supporting the Republican candidate who has absolutely no chance whatsoever of flipping this Democrat seat.
“I’m supporting Brian Paonessa in SD11,” the Chattah Box twit-tweeted today, “because we need to reform the healthcare that Rogich shoved down Nevadans throats a decade ago and we never reward traitors.”
She’s talking about Republican candidate Lori Rogich – who absolutely DOES have a shot at flipping that seat and protecting the governor’s vetoes – and is referring to something her HUSBAND was involved in, not Lori.
I guess in Siggy’s warped mind, wives are automatically presumed to share the same political interests, activities, and opinions as their spouse. (Ginny Thomas and Martha-Ann Alito were unavailable for comment.)
Chattah’s endorsed candidate had $818 in the bank according to the most recent campaign finance report, while Lori – who’s been endorsed by Gov. Lombardo – was sitting on $279,640.
What the hell is it gonna take for some of you to realize Chattah is not only a political mental midget, but a menace to GOP chances in the critical fall elections? Do you LIKE losing?
On to Clark County school board races…
Now, I haven’t dug deeply, but a cursory review of information I found on candidates for Clark County School Trustee District A leads me to think the best candidate in the race is Emily Stevens. The worst candidate in the race is Karl Catarata.
In District B, definitely NOT Eileen Eady. Hard-core leftist. My choice would be between Robert Plummer and Lydia Dominguez. Based on what I’ve read on their websites, I’d give the edge to Plummer.
In District C, definitely NOT Tameka Henry. Another hard-core leftist. Evelyn Morales is the incumbent and board president. I’m loathe to support any current member of this dysfunctional group, but none of the other three candidates even has a website up where you can get information on them.
Sorry, but I can’t make a recommendation on this one.
In the crowded District E race, Lorena Biassotti is a member of Moms for Liberty. That’s all I needed to hear. Those “mama bears” fight for children and parents, not the teachers’ unions.
Additional recommendations:
- Ryan Hamilton: Clark County Commission District A
- April Becker: Clark County Commission District C
- Melissa Clary: Las Vegas City Council Ward 3
- Denise Ashurst: Boulder City Council
- Shannon Nordstrom: Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 5
- Ron Shackleford: Mesquite City Council Seat 2
- Judy Metz: Overton Power District 5
Lastly, many of you have been asking me about the Las Vegas mayoral race. But I’m not there yet.
In my mind, the single most important issue facing Las Vegas is what do to about the Badlands golf course situation which holds out the threat of bankrupting the city and/or resulting in a massive tax hike.
In that regard, incumbent Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear is the absolute worst possible choice. He’s been voting to screw the property owner every step of the way.
The two leading candidates are Democrat Shelly Berkley and Republican Victoria Seaman. And here’s my problem…
Ms. Berkley is a liberal former congresswoman. But I believe she can negotiate with the property owner and bring this Badlands mess to a close in a satisfactory manner with the least damage done to the city and taxpayers.
Ms. Seaman is an incumbent city councilwoman who has voiced support for the property owner but has also consistently voted to keep funding the lawsuits the city has lost over and over and over again. I’ve never understood how that makes any sense.
Ugh. I might end up going with one of the multiple second-tier candidates.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“I’m supporting Drew Johnson. Chuck is a good friend; we just don’t agree on this one.” – Brittany Sheehan (indeed a good friend)
Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views and blogs at MuthsTruths.com. His views are his own.