I am seeking to prioritize the values of Representation, Public Involvement, and Accountability in this campaign and if elected on the Clark County Charter Review Commission.

Representation

I believe a key value in democratic governments is that of representation. Every democratic government should try and take the views of the public as a whole and translate them into policy. If elected to the Clark County Charter Review Commission, I will seek to review how well the current system of government represents the whole public and if there are reforms we could propose to improve that system of representation.

Public Involvement

Our county government should strive to include and consult with the public as it considers its work. This is true of the Charter Review Commission and County Council. The Charter Review Commission should be dedicated to an ongoing process of collecting and considering public feedback, and if elected I will be an advocate for an approach that centers the work on public engagement.

I believe the Charter Review Commission should spend some of its time and effort considering ways to improve the mechanisms of public involvement used by Clark County.

Accountability

No democratic system of government can function properly without effective tools for changing the direction of policy and government if the people are dissatisfied. I believe a challenge we face is having unclear assignment of responsibility. The Charter Review Commission should consider ways to make the accountability mechanisms for the county government clear to elected officials and the public.

Restraint

Initially, in my campaign, I did not include restraint as a value. I now believe that was a mistake. The Charter Review Commission is a limited body that exists to review the Clark County Charter within the scope of state law. I do not want to see the Charter Review Commission attempt to legislate through the charter. The county charter should set the baseline for who is elected and hired and how decisions are made in the county and leave the setting of policy, priorities, and budgets to the county council.

If we go looking, it isn’t hard to find places that enacted rules and limits on a legislative body to force a specific policy outcome that in turn created damaging and distorting unintended consequences.