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June 17, 2005
Brothel ban repeal goes down in flamesRECORD AUDIENCE ATTENDS TUESDAY MEETING, OVERWHELMING MAJORITY AGAINST ABOLITION
By GINA B. GOOD
The message was clear that something important was afoot as a record crowd gathered at the doors of the community center. Thirty minutes prior to the scheduled meeting the room reached maximum capacity, leaving more than a hundred people clamoring for access. An audio speaker in the parking lot allowed the overflow crowd to hear the proceedings and throughout the night noisy reactions could be heard as speakers commented. A KLAS-TV satellite van set up in the parking lot broadcast a live feed to Las Vegas. Inside, board member Laurayne Murray's motion to deny passing the amendment brought the crowd to its feet, cheering in approval. That proved to be the theme for the evening as various speakers expressed their concern over annexing the brothels into the township. Negative reactions - in the form of audible groans and shouts of "No" - accompanied most comments by board member Paul Willis, who might have been the lone supporter present in the room. Ed Bishop, who originally proposed the amendment was available by phone during the proceedings, but could not be heard clearly by the audience. Bishop has been in the hospital recently and calls to his home were not answered. Willis took the issue head on. Reading a prepared statement, he cataloged taxes and fees that could potentially equal a windfall of $13 million for Pahrump over the next 10 years, should the town annex the brothels and their proposed development projects. The Chicken Ranch and The Resort and Spa at Sheri's Ranch currently sit on a 300 acre island of county land, at the extreme southern edge of Pahrump. Willis added that asking the Nye County Commissioners to place a question on the ballot in the next election to abolish brothels within Pahrump could solve fears of brothel proliferation. (A similar vote in a recent general election overwhelmingly failed.) He also proposed enacting a moratorium on establishing new brothels or the relocation of any brothel within Pahrump until the question was put before the county voters. Reaction to his statement brought a shout from the audience of "Let us vote," followed by scattered applause. However, when Willis moved to table the town board's vote on the amendment to PTO-3 until the moratorium was in place, a chorus of "No, no" was taken up in the auditorium as well as in the parking lot. "We need to take action on this tonight and get it over and done with," Murray stated as the crowd applauded. Murray added that relinquishing such an important decision to the county would not serve to further the credence or authority of the Town of Pahrump. She also said the existing county code regulating prostitution poses risks and can be revisited and changed by the county commissioners sitting now or in the future. "PTO-3 is a clear, ironclad ordinance controlling prostitution and it has been tested in the courts," she said. As for the town's master plan and zoning regulations prohibiting prostitution in town, Murray countered Willis' view. She said those guidelines are still being defined, as witnessed by the many times the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission has changed the zoning plan. "I took an oath of office to protect the morals of the community. My decision seems pretty clear," Murray concluded. "Of course, I disagree," said Willis. When the meeting opened for public comment, a line of people snaked down the wall leading to the podium. Efren Cota, representing a group from Artesia and The Cottonwoods subdivisions (developed by Tim Hafen, an outspoken opponent of amending the current ordinance) remarked that his group had nothing against brothels being located where they are today, but did not want them inside the town boundaries. "It will negatively impact the property values, whether you live in a big home or a doublewide," he explained. "It will keep families from coming here. Please listen to your constituency," he urged the board members. Shirley Trummell pointed out the subdivision proposed by the brothel owners had not yet been approved and any fees for the town would be a long time coming. She said brothels currently couldn't be within 300 yards of a road (referring to the possibility of Joe Richard's nude club on Highway 160 becoming a brothel if the amendment passed). "However, that restriction can be changed," she stated. "Since brothels are a legal business, should the prostitutes and their gentlemen go to the high school for career day?" Trummell asked. The remaining public comment generally followed a common theme in opposition to the amendment and expressing their desire to take care of business rather than postponing the decision until a general election. However, Kaylynn Bowman added a slightly different perspective, saying, "People from other towns call your daughters brothel sprouts ... I don't want to raise a family next to a brothel." Colleen McGregor mentioned most of the young men she knows plan on visiting the brothels when they turn 21, saying she is concerned about the girls she knows going to work in the brothels. Norma Jean Opatik said rather than invite more sexually oriented business into town, we should be open to more legitimate business like Lowe's and Home Depot to expand the tax base. "We don't appreciate the sheriff's department or the fire department being threatened because of revenue shortfalls." Chairman Richard Billman, along with members Ron Johnson and Laurayne Murray voted against the amendment, while Bishop and Willis voted for its passage - and the latest Nye County brothel war sputtered to an end. |
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