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March 3, 2006
A candidate we can finally hang our hat on
Nye County Manager Michael Maher dropped a bomb earlier this week. Not a real bomb like governments and terrorists use, but more of a metaphorical bomb, the kind that sucks the air out of your chest and makes your face go bug-eyed. Maher this week announced he might campaign for the Nye County Commission's District IV, currently held by Candice Trummell, who will likely not seek re-election now that she's taken a position with a Lincoln County firm that is battling Nye County for the presumed cash flow that would come from the Yucca Mountain project. So what is it about Maher's ambition to run for county commissioner that is so out of the ordinary? Well, in order to do so he's willing to give up - if elected - tens of thousands of dollars worth of salary and benefits each year. Maher's willing to go from top dog to freshman commissioner; he's willing to expose himself to mean people who make it their life's mission to give grief to elected officials - and he's willing to put aside his personal life to ensure Nye County moves forward at a time when residents most need a decisive leader. Actually, that last part might be what prompts the county manager to rethink his position. On Thursday, a day after our interview, Maher in an e-mail stepped back a couple of paces. His son was in an auto accident that morning and Maher backed off from his commitment, saying something about "family" and "what's important in life." While Maher is an excellent administrator, has integrity and has a vision for Nye County that can only be described as practical and optimistic - he is not a great orator nor is he a chatty people person. That would explain why Maher, without guile, had nothing but praise for the county commission he might hope to join in the fall, at about an 80 percent pay cut, when he told me of his plans. He's too nice to be a politician, but voters I know are sick of the slicksters who can talk all day and not say a damn thing. We seem to have a plague of them. District V Commissioner Patricia Cox's recent announcement that she would not seek another four-year term played a role in Maher's decision. "Patricia has the right idea," he said. "Patricia Cox pushed for a strategic plan and that is exactly what we need. We need to find out what direction we want to go and then get everybody pulling in that direction." With Cox stepping aside after one term and Trummell's future uncertain - and no viable candidates on the horizon to serve as suitable replacements for either woman - Maher put his heart on his sleeve: "My thoughts were good people need to step up if we're going to continue with what we're trying to do." That comment begged the question: "Well, Mr. Maher, just what, exactly, are we trying to do?" He answered thusly: The biggest hurdle Nye County has to overcome, aside from ending the civil war between the north and south, is to find funds desperately needed to put in adequate infrastructure in burgeoning Pahrump, where growth has taken on the ideology of a cancer cell; growth for growth's sake. "There will always be a funding problem until we get industry in town that provides good jobs," he said. "We have lots of houses going up, now we need jobs that pay wages so those people can afford to buy one of those houses." Pahrump has become a haven for retirees who move here from other states. They've worked their entire lives and now it's time to enjoy the time they have left. That's the American dream. However, property taxes don't pay for roads, water and sewer and other infrastructure, so the working men and women of Pahrump are hurt and priced out of the very community they are helping to build. "I want Pahrump to be a nice place for people to retire to, but I also want Pahrump and Nye County to be a place where people can live, work, raise a family," said Maher. "People in the communities are nervous, county employees are nervous. People want to know if there's someone out there to elect. I'm pretty firm in my decision. I knew I needed to talk to you because I need to know if the people will support me and I need to know now because that window is closing." Maher uses the word Need quite a bit. He is that rarest of individuals, however, because the needs he expresses are not his personal desires, but yours. He needs to help Nye County become a better place. This is his mission. His message is simple and one that every resident in Nye County, particularly in Pahrump, has to hear - whether they like it or not: "We have to be able to adapt. Our homes are our investments but at some point outside influences will force us to move on or live with the changes. "I know nothing ever makes everybody happy. There's lots of uncertainty out there but we just have to gnash our teeth and quit waffling. "These next four years could be the most critical four years in Nye County's history." He had me at hello. Write to Doug McMurdo at dmcmurdo@pvtimes.com. |
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