Terry's 3M's
Meditations, Mutterings, Madness
Several years ago, when Jan Laverty Jones first ran for mayor of Las Vegas, I didn't know anything about her except for an preconceived image that I held about her. She was somewhat of a local celebrity as she had done many television commercials for her family's car lot.
I have been pleasantly surprised about how good a job she is doing. Unfortunately, she's been outvoted when she has made perfect sense to me.
A while back, the legislature voted to spend an enormous amount of money to 'study' the problems that will/have occurred because of the rapid growth rate of Las Vegas. Mayor Jones protested that the study would be a waste of time, because by the time it was finished, it would be outdated and that the money could be better used elsewhere. Too bad the legislature is going through with the study.
She was outvoted again this week. Actually she was the only nay vote.
Summerlin is a very upscale, and fairly new neighborhood in Las Vegas. The advertising campaign to get families to move into the new houses in the new neighborhood stressed how peaceful the neighborhood was going to be and stressed that it was going to be a wonderful place to raise a family.
Now that the community has been established, there are people who want to make more money by putting a casino in Summerlin. There is much divided opinion on this. But, the fact remains that if a casino or casinos are built there, the crime rate will go up. If you don't believe me, ask a cop.
I once had an apartment just off the Strip. The area has gotten the nickname of Naked City. It's a high crime rate neighborhood.
Another area that I lived in that was not far from the Strip has the nickname of Crack Alley. In that neighborhood, I was approached by drug dealers in broad daylight while I pushing my son in his stroller!
In another neighborhood not far from casinos, I was mugged at 7pm--on Halloween!
The mayor is adament in her stand against neighborhood casinos. But, she was outvoted. Too bad money gets in the way of common sense. But, sometimes I think common sense is very uncommon.
for the border background.