Stimulus: Mob Museum for Democrat REIDs home state

LAS VEGAS SUN

THE ECONOMY:

Got stimulus? We’ve got a project list

Mob museum,  makes cut to get on list laden

with road building and repair work

By Brian Eckhouse

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 

As debate over the size and scope of a federal stimulus bill intensifies in Washington, regional leaders could soon be engaged in a turf war for their piece of the pie.

Local jurisdictions have compiled lengthy wish lists of potentially “shovel-ready” projects, or those that could be under construction within 180 days. Among them: a $200 million project to build a more efficient ramp from the airport connector onto eastbound Interstate 215, $63 million in regional road repair and, of course, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman’s proposed $60 million mob museum downtown — a request that is being roundly rejected on Capitol Hill.

On Thursday, the day an $825 billion stimulus bill was pitched by House Democrats, Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine submitted a lengthy list of projects — including the mob museum — to the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition. The coalition, an area advisory group, approved the list, passing it on to the state’s congressional delegation.

An early economic study by market research firm Applied Analysis found that if all 348 projects were to be undertaken, they would support $3.38 billion in wage and salary payments, as well as $7.77 billion in aggregate economic activity. That would mean for every $1 spent on infrastructure, $1.56 would pass through the county economy.

Leading House and Senate Democrats have pledged a stimulus bill devoid of earmarks, or specified projects.

The House Democrats’ stimulus plan boasts investments in energy, education, health care and jobs-rich highway construction, at a time when states — including Nevada — are slashing budgets, noted David Cherry, a spokesman for Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley. The Senate is expected to introduce its own stimulus package soon. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants a recovery bill ready for the president’s signature by mid-February.

Some stimulus funding could be immediately available. Congressional staffers say the House bill,

proposed by Wisconsin Democrat Dave Obey, appears to indicate a mix of direct disbursement to local jurisdictions and a competitive grant process. The United States Conference of Mayors is pushing hard for direct access to the money.

That’s a channel preferred by Goodman and Henderson’s city manager.

“It gives you more certainty and it gets those stimulus projects moving faster,” said Mary Kay Peck, Henderson’s city manager. “You want it to be effective? Cut out a layer.”

But if a competitive process remains, one Washington lobbyist with ties to Nevada anticipates a feeding frenzy among adjacent jurisdictions here. Peck and County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, however, doubt there will be much jockeying. Giunchigliani hopes Reid will bring a haul of dollars back to Nevada, and expects area cities and the county to prioritize projects by tiers as a way to determine which projects should go forward first.