Titus offers glimpse of what Gibson could expect if he were the party's nominee

Running for mayor of Henderson was never quite like this.

Friday afternoon, Dina Titus unleashed a piece blasting Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson for taking $10,000 from Triple Five Development -- the outfit that Erin Kenny named as one of her bribers during her G-Sting court testimony this week. And within two months of taking the money, Gibson voted for a zoning change Triple Five wanted, Titus said.

Cross-referencing Gibson's campaign finance reports with Henderson City Council minutes, Titus also counted up "$248,500 in contributions in October-December last year from 13 development interests whose projects he voted to approve between October 2005 and February 2006."

Gibson "has refused to endorse my ethics plan that would prohibit local elected officials from accepting campaign contributions from developers while their projects are under consideration and for one year after,” Titus said in her release. “Now, we are starting to understand why. The Triple Five Nevada contribution and vote were not an isolated instance of ‘pay to play.’ They are part of a pattern."

Gibson fired out a response Friday afternoon saying he was already returning Triple Five's money. He said when he got the contribution, "I had absolutely no knowledge of any alleged improprieties involving the corporation or any of its members. I've read the newspapers today like everyone else."

As for the "pattern," as Titus called it, Gibson said that "for Dina Titus to suggest in any way that my votes on the Henderson City Council have been related to anything other than the best interests of the people of Henderson is unconscionable and totally false. My vote has never been, is not and never will be for sale. I will match my record on ethics against that of Dina Titus anytime."

Yes, well so far, it looks like Titus is the one doing the matching.

The 13 examples of what Titus calls "pay to play" campaign contributions, and those contributors' projects that won Henderson approval within weeks or months of the contributions, are listed after the jump. We feel confident that a similarly damning list of seemingly tit-for-tat relationships could be drawn for virtually every elected city or county official in Nevada -- perhaps even the father of a congressional candidate -- though not with such gaudy numbers. And the timing of these contributions, coming so very, very near to so many project approvals and zoning changes, has every appearance of being exactly the type of government of the industry, by the industry and for the industry that voters have come to cynically expect.

Which is to say that if the Titus campaign can whip this stuff up on Gibson, the staffers for GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Jim Gibbons can, too. And will. Moreover, Gibson's response (also posted in full after the jump) consists of a) defending the honor of his development industry campaign contributors, and while we may be wrong, we suspect that of all the feelings voters might have about development industry campaign contributors, sympathy isn't one of them; and b) dragging out the same lame attacks on Titus that Gibson lodged the other day in his response to her ethics package, highlighted by a free ticket to see Celine.

Let's see, on the one hand, there's a Celine concert. On the other hand, there's a quarter-million dollars in contributions followed within weeks by actions that favor those contributors. For a guy who says he welcomes matching up their records, he sure is getting his clock cleaned.

Democrats are going to have a donnybrook among themselves, as is Democratic custom, over where they think the party should go. It's a national fight, and the Titus-Gibson race might reflect that fight as well as any primary in the country.

But while there will be those who will accuse Titus of being too mean, of, as Gibson put it Friday, "sullying peoples’ reputations for the benefit of her opportunistic politics," Titus is doing Nevada's Democrats -- all Nevada's Democrats -- a favor by taking this guy out now. If she doesn't do it, Jim Gibbons will.

The comparison of campaign finance contributions and Gibson votes on development projects/zone changes as prepared by the Titus campaign:

November 1, 2005 – Gibson supported a zone change allowing Anthony Marnell to go forward with a $1.8 billion mega-resort at St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard.
January 3, 2006 – Gibson appointed Anthony Marnell to the Henderson Convention Center Board of Directors, which promotes tourism in Henderson.	December 14, 2005 – Gibson received $150,000 in campaign contributions from Anthony Marnell and corporate entities related to him.
January 3, 2006 – Gibson supported a zone change for Picerne Development Corporation on 43 acres at Nevada State Drive and the Union Pacific Railroad.	November 4, 2005 – Gibson receives a $10,000 contribution from Picerne Development Corporation, a $5,000 contribution from Picerne Providence and a $5,000 contribution from Picerne Rosewood.
February 21, 2006 – Gibson gave final approval to a 181-unit apartment complex at Green Valley Parkway and Patrick Lane proposed by Picerne Development Corporation.	December 30, 2005 – Gibson receives a $5,000 contribution from Picerne Providence and a $5,000 contribution from Picerne Rosewood.
February 21, 2006 – Gibson supported a zone change for Triple Five Nevada Corporation to allow mixed-use commercial and 475-unit residential development on 24 acres at Sunridge Heights Parkway and Pecos Ridge Parkway.	December 1, 2005 – Gibson received a $10,000 contribution from Triple Five Nevada Corporation.
November 15, 2005 – Gibson voted for a zone change to allow Sovereign Capital Real Estate to convert apartments at Green Valley Parkway and Patrick Lane to condominiums.	December 14, 2005 – Gibson received a $10,000 contribution from Sovereign Capital.
November 15, 2005 – Gibson supported the sale of 24.6 acres of City of Henderson land to The Landwell Company.	December 14, 2005 – Gibson received a $5,000 contribution from The Landwell Company.
January 3, 2006 – Gibson backed a zone change allowing Christopher Homes to build a medium-density residential and planned unit development on 36 acres near Horizon Ridge Parkway and Valle Verde Drive.	December 14, 2005 – Gibson received a $5,000 contribution from Christopher Homes.
October 18, 2005 – Gibson supported an amended zone change allowing Westside Development Group to make commercial development changes on 20.5 acres at St. Rose Parkway and Maryland Parkway.	December 19, 2005 – Gibson received a $2,500 contribution from Westside Development Group.
February 7, 2006 – Gibson backed a zone change for Centra Properties’ Stone Lake Village project on 40 acres at Stephanie Street and Wigwam Parkway.	October 25, 2005 – Gibson received a $10,000 contribution from Centra Properties.
January 3, 2006 – Gibson approved a zone change for Pulte Homes on 10 acres near Horizon Parkway and Stephanie Street.	December 29, 2005 – Gibson received a $5,000 contribution from PN II, dba Pulte Homes.
February 7, 2006 – Gibson voted to allow Concordia Homes to replace a mobile home park with a single-family residential development on 16 acres near Lake Mead Parkway.	November 4, 2005 – Gibson received a $10,000 contribution from Concordia Homes.
October 4, 2005 – Gibson supported a zone change allowing American Nevada Housing to convert apartments to condominiums on 19 acres at Green Valley Parkway and Paseo Verde Parkway.	December 31, 2005 – Gibson received a $5,000 contribution from Bella Vista Conversion, Inc., a company affiliated with American Nevada Housing.
February 7, 2006 – Gibson voted for a zone change allowing planned unit development by Pardee Homes on 2 acres at Horizon Ridge Parkway and Buena Vida Avenue.	December 28, 2005 – Gibson received a $5,000 contribution from Pardee Homes.
February 7, 2006 – Gibson supported a zone change for RDS Associates from low-density residential to commercial on 1.1 acres at Arroyo Verde Drive and Arroyo Grande Boulevard.	December 13, 2005 – Gibson received a $1,000 contribution from RDS Associates.

Jim Gibson's statement:

“At the time my campaign accepted money from Triple Five Corporation, I had absolutely no knowledge of any alleged improprieties involving the corporation or any of its members. I’ve read the newspapers today like everyone else. Although I have done nothing improperly, in light of these allegations, I decided this morning to return this contribution and the check is already on its way back.”

“However, for Dina Titus to suggest in any way that my votes on the Henderson City Council have been related to anything other than the best interests of the people of Henderson is unconscionable and totally false. My vote has never been, is not and never will be for sale. I will match my record on ethics against that of Dina Titus anytime.”

“Dina Titus needs to save the ethics lectures for her students. For someone with her own ethics problems, she is entirely too comfortable taking insulting swings at my contributors, who have fully complied with the law in donating to my campaign.”

“This is yet another example of Dina Titus sullying peoples’ reputations for the benefit of her opportunistic politics, insinuating that they would attempt to buy votes. They have done nothing wrong and neither have I. These baseless accusations are offensive and I suggest the senator inspect her glass house carefully before throwing any more stones.”

As detailed last week, Titus:

* Accepted a free ticket to a Celine Dion concert offered by gaming lobbyists, then refused to pay for the ticket because, in her own words, “she wasn’t required to.” By Titus’ logic, should

* Refused to back substantial ethics reform in the state Senate in 2005, instead allowing a strong ethics reform package unanimously approved by the state Assembly to quietly die in committee when she could have helped bring it to a vote. Her colleagues accused Titus of sitting idly with a “blank stare” as the package died.

* Ranked third in 2001 and fourth in 2003 in money spent by lobbyists to wine and dine state senators, totaling nearly $1,000 between the two sessions. In the 2003 session, gaming lobbyists feted Titus, at a time when they had a significant interest in the tax increase that Titus voted for.

With regard to these subjects, Gibson said, “I will give Dina Titus the benefit of the doubt that she always votes her conscience, as do I.”

Comments

[Loraine Hunt]

I always thought you were smarter than this Hugh.

Let’s be clear where this info stems from; this is the opposition research of Jim Gibbons and Sig Rogich. It is widely known that Gibson is the only candidate they fear in this race. Titus has no chance in the general election vs. Jim Gibbons and you’re a fool if you don’t think he and Rogich are doing everything in their power to get her there. Am I the only one frightened by the thought of Governor Jim Gibbons? The only thing Titus is doing to Nevada’s Democrats -– all Nevada’s Democrats -– is handing over the Governors Mansion to the most incompetent man in Nevada. Once again our party is being played out by a GOP strategy team with enough foresight to hand pick there opponent. Thank you team Titus for your assistance on this matter, I’m sure we can count on Sig and Gibbons to continue and spoon feed you from here on out. I look forward to hearing from you shortly on this blog.

If we can’t turn to the astute Hugh Jackson to illuminate the truth, where can we turn? I always expected more from a man who has “been quoted in publications nationwide including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe, U.S. News and World Report, American Prospect, Mother Jones and Village Voice.”

[tim]

At least spell Lorraine's name right.

[Linda Turner]

Until I saw the author's name on the "I thought we were smarter than that" post, I thought the writer was smoeone advising me, once again, to give up on a candidate whose integrity, quick mind, common sense, and passion I admire and instead back the "sure winner." (Ironic, since Lorraine Hunt wouldn't want that logic applied to the Republican race; she'd also spell her name right.)

Well I for one am tired of the "lesser of two evils" argument. I'm supporting Dina Titus for governor not because she "wouldn't be as bad as" Gibbons, but because she is the governor I want to have. Her values are ones I (and most Democrats and people in general) value--honesty, empathy, r4esponsibility, strength, fairness, opportunity, cooperation, and more.

Relinquishing our best choice out of fear of a Gibbons governorship would stop the battle for Nevadans' hearts and minds before it's even begun. If enough of us are willing to fight for a candidate because of what she is (Nevada's best hope for the future), and not for what she is not (the lesser of two evils), then we will elect Dina Titus not only in August but in November.

PS: If the research on Jim Gibson is true, it doesn't matter to me where it came from. And if it did come from Jim Gibbons, he may someday regret that he helped put Dina Titus in a position where she could beat him to the statehouse.

[Michael Green]

First, having done a little research in my time, and knowing Dina Titus, I think she is eminently capable of having opposition research done without turning to the Republican munchkins.

Second, if the Gibson folks can't do better posts than the one they have been doing here, I think your candidate is in serious trouble.

[Mike Hart]

Way to go Dina! The only way we will have changes in the quid pro quo scandals of government officials and big money donors is to expose it! Titus is the most refreshing and honest political figure I've ever seen in the State of Nevada. Sock it to him, and when your done with him sock it to the Repub. You will knock them all out!!!! Run Dina run......

[Ron Flint]

Titus is the first elected official I know of to document the pay to play truth of politics in Nevada. I don't care who becomes the next Governor because I think this stuff will continue until we all wake up and demand it stop. Her plan for ethics in Nevada while good does not go far enough. I won't vote for any of the people including Titus but at least Titus is exposing the truth. GOOD JOB

[Cassandra]

I think there's a great wave of fear among those who make piles of money from zoning changes and such that someone will try to clean up politics in Nevada. And they are afraid Dina may be the one to do it. No wonder her opponent gets all those developer dollars. No wonder we have baseless claims that she can not win. Here's to victory for the citizens of Nevada! Go Dina!

[Not Lorraine Hunt, Lt. Governor and owner of the very cool Bootlegger Restaurant]

Hi, I'm Loraine Hunt. No, I mean Lorainne, um, Lorrain, no I mean Lorayne...

[Doug]

Politics no longer passes the common sense test. Government officials like Gibson and others have for years stood in front of the public and told them that campaign contributions, zoning changes and political appointments involving the same people just happen to be a coincidence. Tom Delay, Duke Cunningham, Jack Abrammoff, Erin Kenny, Lance Malone, Triple D, Jack Galardi, Fran Deane, and on and on, told us exactly that over the last few years. If we want to save our democracy we must stop this madness. At least Titus is bringing to the fore front the most serious problem making our government officials ineffective and at worst criminals. Gibson appears to have walked a fine line to be sure he does not get charged with wrong doing but all these ties are more than just coincidental. As the bible says “The love of money is the root of all evil” Oh how true, how very very true.

[Henderson Dem]

None of that proves anything, the other council members voted too. There are zone changes all the time. When areas develop there is need for zone changes, you have to have commercial properties, you can't just have houses. I can't believe he also voted to let Marnell go ahead and build a resort that would bring millions of dollars of revenue to the city's economy, what was he thinking? Maybe, he was thinking that it would be good for the city, which it will be. Gibson did nothing wrong, and you guys are fools for buying into it. All Titus is trying to do is have idiots like you think that he is doing what some of the Commisioners did, and they are not even close. What Gibson has done is not illegal or unethical.

[Nevada Dem]

Henderson Dem, if you like the Gibson style of politics than keep your Bush loving half Republican Mayor. Urge him to stay and make Henderson the special interest capital of Nevada. We cannot allow this style of Government to continue to spread. The only way we can get our government officials to work again for the middle class is to point out these payoffs. Business persons like Marnell don't give $150,000 in campaign contributions and expect nothing in return, or do you believe he is just a nice guy looking out for all of us. Stop being stupid unless of course you are bought and paid for by Marnell & Co.

[Henderson Dem]

Where are the chronicles of him getting money before he threw his hat in the race? Nowhere, because there are none. He decided to run for governor and people and companies wanted to donate, because they want him to win. It had nothing to do with zone changes, which the other members of the council voted for too. I can't wait to hear some more baseless accusations in the future. Where does Bush factor into this, the mayor didn't vote for him?

[Nevada Dem]

Apparently Henderson Dem has bought into the Marnell is a nice guy looking out for all of us line. Does he forget that only Gibson knows who he truly voted for in 04? Does he believe that the only Republican Gibson has supported is Porter? My,my, he admitted to supporting Porter with campaign contributions because you can't refute a documented fact. I was at the 04 Presidential Caucuses with 6,000 other Democrats. I saw John Kerry there, Dina Titus there, hell even Mayor Goodman was there. But where was Jim Gibson? Oh He must have been voting for a zone change.

[Diogenes]

Foks, the point is someone is very frightened of Titus getting the Demo nomination. Doesn't matter if that someone is a "Democrat" or Republican, the fear of her winning in November is the real objective of these comments. In any case Gibson got more than contributions, he got muddy crap...same will go for all the other politicans with their hands out and selling "juice". It may be the beginning of the end of the juicing of Nevada.

[lisa simpson]

Diogenes, I hope you are right and that this is the beginning of the end of 'juice' in Nevada. But can it possibly happen? Every one of us wants the 'right' person to be elected. Whereas I want the one who believes in equality and equal access and ethics, someone else wants the person who believes in unfettered growth, government control of the individual, and faith-based decision-making. If I had a million dollars sitting around, I would happily give it to Dina Titus to help her win the Governorship. Would that be pay-to-play? I would give the money in the hopes that what Dina Titus says today will be what she does in January. When Marnell gives sums of money to Mayor Gibson, he too is hoping that Gibson will do what he says he will do- otherwise, why give money? Gibson gets developer money because developers expect Gibson to do what Gibson has done in the past-- make decisions that favor developers.
Why are there such denials about this?

Do you believe in people over profit or profit over people? Do you want casinos and industrial parks in your backyard or planned, consistent growth where the original plan is not modified at a later date to satisfy developers and screw homeowners who bought homes believing they knew what they were getting?
Do you want Red Rock Canyon to remain a park for all to visit or do you want Red Rock to be a private area for golf courses and country club members only?

You run on your record, not away from it. Gibson has not been an active Democrat until recently and active Dems know this. He shouldn't deny it, he should explain why he stayed away-- at least that might afford him a little credibility. And if that reason is because he didn't feel he needed to rubs elbows with the base because his family has been here since Henderson was Hooterville or because wealthy companies gave him the cash necessary to win previous elections without getting grease on his elbows, then admit it and move on! People are irritated with him and find him disingenuous because he is denying his past and trying to rewrite it.

Interesting comments, Lisa Simpson. It intrigues me that both parties want to marginalize their centrists.

It's either people or profit, when in fact, without profit, people starve...all people.

As well, it is impossible to have a healthy public sector...read schools, police, fire (those things that Dina says public entities must do...a whole other discussion)...without a healthy private sector. It takes businesses making money and providing jobs.

Both parties want to marginalize their centrists? Does this mean Jim Gibson is a centrist? If getting the overwehelming amount of you campaign money from just a few contributors thats an interesting definition of a centrist. Titus got a massive amount of contributions from little people like us, more than any of candidates for governor. Titus is the centrist and Gibson is the candidate of the money elite who are working to keep the spigot open and well supplied.

[Beastie]

Nine and a half years of voting on zone changes and other matters related to the city; not one of those is under question by Mrs. Titus. All of the sudden, now that the mayor is her opponent theses votes of the last six months are somehow tainted. No, they are not. Every city across this great country has council members voting for zone changes on a daily basis. You guys do not even know what these properties were even zoned for to start out. For all you guys know they were the smallest of change. These guys donated money because they support the mayor, he dealt with all of them before, but he never got money before, I wonder why. Maybe it is because he is an honest person, who would never do what Titus is accusing him of, which there is no and never will be any evidence of. Every zone change the mayor has ever voted for, is in no way, shape or form questionable. Intelligent people can see exactly what Titus is doing. He should listen to you guys, and instead of appointing Marnell to the board of tourism, he should have appointed someone who knows nothing about the industry.

What about Titus who serves in the state's executive branch and also the legislative branch? The Nevada constitution seperation of powers clause prohibits a person from serving in two of the governmental branches at once. Yet, Titus, this champion of ethics, completely dismisses this clause, and has gone to great lengths to explain why the clause doesn't pertain to her. Yes there are many politicians in Nevada who are in need of some schooling in ethics; people like Dina Titus, who ignore this document that they are sworn to uphold haven't helped the situation; they've actually incouraged it.

Just to reiterate what Henderson Dem said; the other council members voted as well. They voted because there was nothing wrong with the proposed zone changes, and most likely because it was good for Henderson.

[Beastie]

*encouraged

Yes, Jim Gibson is a centrist

[Nevada Dem]

Why in the world will Gibson not endorse an ethics plan or at least come up with one of his own? Does he feel the public does not care? Does he feel it may upset his donors? Is Dina the only elected official who thinks the current system is a discrace and something must be done? Either you want to clean up ethics or you don't, Titus has proven she does and Gibson obviously has proven he doesn't.

Gibson did endorse Dina's plan.

[Michael Green]

Precisely: he endorsed Dina's plan ... after SHE presented it ... and HE criticized her.

[Tom McPherson]

Actually, Gibson DIDN'T endorse Titus' ethics plan. If you watch "Face to Face with Jon Ralston," you'll see he endorsed only a couple elements of it, including "no cash contributions." But the bulk of her plan Gibson didn't endorse, and now we know why: He's been doing the very thing that Titus wants to ban, pay to play.

[lisa simpson]

Please note, anonymous poster, that I wrote people OVER profits-- not what you stated, people OR profits. There is a big difference and a lot space between those two. By your logic, I can imply that your are 100% for illegal immigration simply because businesses need cheap labor?

This is the primary, folks.. it's all about the base. Whoever wins the primay will show their centrist capabilities in the general election.

And those of use who live in Henderson DO know what some of those zoning changes were-- like the homes near downtown that were 'zone changed' for private businesses or the shopping center zoning changed to 'induistrial use'. Those homeowners probably do not believe that the Council (headed by Gibson) voted for their interests.