How to give yourself a raise without taking flak - Las Vegas Sun - June 17,2007

"There's always a potential political consequence when you raise pay, depending on how large the raise is, under what circumstances it is given and how vicious your opponent is." Political Consultant Dan Hart said.

     Do you get to set your own pay? Should you be able? Would you increase your pay if you knew the funds were originally earmarked for something important like road construction, education, police, fire, flood control etc? Would you increase you pay if you knew these funds were paid by an elderly retiree that can not afford tax increases? Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins did.

     Collins supported the pay increase because the time and commitment required of commissioners have increased with the county's rapid growth. But, tell me, as someone who has lived in Las Vegas for 43 years, couldn't Collins see that Las  Vegas would experience great growth in the future? Why must he take extra money out of the coffers of those who truly need it because he found out that once in office he was going to have to actually work.

     What exactly is the relationship between those who helped push this pay raise forward? It seems that our community is being short-changed by a consortium of "likely suspects" that include Nevada Assembly Government Affairs Chairman Assemblywomen Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Nevada Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, Clark County Commissioners Tom Collins and Chris Guinchiliani and Giunchilian's husband Political Consultant Gary Gray. All of these elected officials use Gary Gray as their political consultant. Most of them donate to each others campaign from their personal or campaign funds. Does this sound like a gang to you?

     Clark County Commissioners need Nevada's approval to increase their pay, so they asked for a bill draft request so that a bill could get started knowing that Speaker Buckley would pick up the bill and send it to Assembly Government Affairs Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick passed it out of committee without abstaining on the vote. She should have abstained because it was the above group of elected officials that helped get her elected. The Assembly passed the bill with Buckley's approval.
 
     Does it seem like the powerful get more powerful and wealthier?