City Council Report Card

The new Mesquite City Council has been in place for nearly five months.  In that time, a lot of their effort has been spent undoing the mischief and mess left behind by the previous regime.  For the most part, they've made sound decisions.  More importantly, with one glaring exception, they've been doing an exceptional job at providing the much-needed transparency for which citizens have been clamoring, and appear to be more willing to listen to the people.

As a unit, the council appears to be very functional, without the suspicious trend of 5-0 votes that marred the previous council with the stench of back-room deal making.

One of their most noble votes was the approval of the election cycle change which will move the city elections from June of odd years to November of even years.  Most of the new council members campaigned against the move, but voted in favor of it after the citizens expressed their desire during June's non-binding referendum, indicating their preference that the dates be changed.  The council voted the will of the people instead of insisting "we know what's best for you."

With the end of the year fast approaching, here is our "report card" on the Mesquite City Council.

Councilman Kraig Hafen - A+

The best thing about Hafen is the fact that he has done exactly what he promised to do when elected.  He has asked hard questions, done his homework on issues, and applied the kind of almost unnatural common sense that is completely absent from nearly every level of government.  He has also put his money where his mouth is.  He dug into his own pocket to pay for a bus so Mesquite residents could go to and be heard at the Regional Transportation Commission meeting regarding local bus service.  He doesn't open his microphone unless he has something to say, and he says it in a passionate, concise, well-thought-out fashion.  Best of all, he has managed to maintain a careful balance between representing the citizens and representing the businesses, an almost impossible dance to maintain.

Councilman George Rapson - A

Rapson is easily the biggest and most welcome surprise on the council.  He is usually first to talk about an agendized issue, lets everyone know what he is thinking on an issue and why, and offers broad spectrum analysis that shows he has researched the issues and asked questions.  A lot of people said he ran for office just because he needed a job.  If that's true, we should be thankful we were able to get someone with his energy, wisdom, intelligence, and courage for the pittance we actually pay him.  The only area of concern is his connection to the Solstice liars, and his friendliness with the NCS crew.  So far, he has abstained when necessary, and continued to represent the people first.  Citizens need to remain vigilant, particularly on his stance defending NCS and their pet projects, as well as the proposed "sports tent" that would benefit them.  But he has shown himself to be something special, welcome, and needed on the council.

Councilman Al Litman - C+

Litman is Mesquite City Council's Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.  Away from the council chambers, Al is outspoken, talkative, passionate, and ready to take on the world in his crusades.  On the council, he's the lamb that rarely offers an opinion; is timid and sometimes confused when he does; and doesn't always seem to have a grasp on the issues.  Occasionally it seems as if the first time he has bothered to open his council packet is when he arrived at the dais that night.  He has also shown little leadership up there.  However, to his credit, he continues to be a principled man and advocate looking out for the best interest of the citizens.  As time goes on, he will be an important counterweight to the overwhelmingly pro-developer lineup currently on the council.  Hopefully, as he gains more comfort and confidence in his seat, he'll become more vocal and better prepared.

Councilman Geno Withelder - D

If there's a golf tournament to be held, Geno is your man.  Also, as you would expect from a Realtor and broker representing one of the most successful development and real estate agencies in the city, he is very pro-developer.  That's not necessarily a bad thing in a city that still has a lot of growing to do.  But while Rapson favors some of the developers, it's clear that Withelder is deeply in the pocket of the development community.  That's not to say he's been bought off - he hasn't.  It's simply in his nature and job description to champion any and every project and move favored by big developers.  People also need to keep a very close eye on his relationship with NCS.  The bad news is that if it comes down between what's best for businesses/developers and what's best for the people of Mesquite, Withelder will likely side with the developers every time.  The good news is that, unless the discussion involves a golf tournament, he rarely bothers to participate or speak up.  If the developers are going to have a friend on the council, the people are lucky that it's the quiet guy.

Councilman Karl Gustaveson - F+

No surprise here.  Gustaveson is the last vestige remaining from one of the worst regimes this city has ever seen.  He is an arrogant, opinionated blowhard who thinks more of his own opinion than anyone else's on the planet, and leaves no room for perspective or input from anyone outside his circle.  And his circle continues to include former mayor Susan Holecheck.  Worse, his position on the Virgin Valley Water District board is downright dangerous to the people of Mesquite.  The smartest move the city could make would be to remove Gustaveson as the city's representative on the VVWD board and replace him with former VVWD president Kraig Hafen.  That said, Gustaveson still serves an important purpose on the Mesquite City Council.  He is the fly in the ointment that guarantees fewer 5-0 votes.  And that's a good thing.  He has been and will continue to be the lone opposition on a lot of issues.  It's extremely important and healthy for an elected government to have someone who consistently says "yeah, but..."  One other positive about Gustaveson is the fact that, while he is usually way wrong-headed on the issues, he is honest in his opinions.  He is virtually incorruptible.  When he votes, he is doing it from an anti-business, anti-freedom agenda steeped in the firm belief that "I know what's best for you."  But it's never about what's in it for him, or what he has to gain.  He won't bend, he refuses to "go along to get along," and that's an admirable trait.  It's just a shame that all that ferocity and courage is spent on trying to control the people instead of trying to serve them.

Mayor Mark Wier - B

Wier has been the same somewhat shy guy who campaigned quietly and gave the city a dramatic change from the egocentric leadership that previously dominated the mayor's office.  He does not have a forceful personality, although he used to be a lot more passionate and opinionated before he earned the title "mayor."  One thing he still does behind the scenes is deep research, particularly of the Nevada Revised Statutes.  The guy knows his state law, often better than Mesquite's City Attorney.  His quieter approach is also a welcome relief from the back room gamesmanship that previously defined the city council.  He is more of an arbitrator than a leader.  During the first six months, that's probably exactly what this city and this council needed.  However, he needs to step up his game in the next year.  Mesquite continues to founder in the economic storm.  To hope that the ship will right itself is naive.  It will take leadership and vision.  The jury is still out on whether Wier possesses either, or can muster support and lead the charge in any particular direction.  We need him to stand up and say "here's where we're going, here's why, and here's how we're going to get there."  Hopefully that will come in January's State of the CIty Address.  Knowing Wier, he will put a lot of thought and research into that speech, and will seek input from a wide variety of people and sources.  There have been complaints that he is less than diligent in returning calls and e-mails to inquisitive citizens.  However, voters knew this would be a weakness when they elected someone who works for a living instead of selecting someone who would take on the mayor's position full time.  It's not really his fault.  He has a stressful, demanding full time job, a wife and children, and all the obligations that real people must face.  The upside is that, under his administration, the volume of contacts and complaints is probably much lower than before, because he has eradicated most of the controversy and causes for people to be angry enough to contact City Hall.  To his credit, Wier has done more to promote transparency and openness in the Mesquite government in his short time than any mayor before him.  He has opened the technical reviews to the public, always allows citizens to have their say at council meetings (even if those comments go longer than three minutes), and has worked hard and successfully at changing the title of his board from "the" city council to "our" city council.  For that reason alone, he is to be applauded and commended.  He is a very good mayor so far.  The fact that he has room for a little bit of improvement means his future may be even better. 

Overall Mesquite City Council - B+

The funny thing is, this mix of unique characters and opposing viewpoints actually works extremely well.  The long, unbroken chain of 5-0 votes is gone.  Discussion and debate takes place openly on the dais (with the notable and shameful exception of the Nov. 8 meeting in which the council went behind closed doors with the City Attorney before rendering an abrupt and unexplained decision on the ill-advised Solstice debt).  They have gone a long way toward undoing the harmful folly of their predecessors, including the opening of the technical reviews to the public, the elimination of the restrictive and manipulative "Code of Conduct" that was previously used to go after a former councilwoman, and the recent change that allows the Boy Scouts to resume their annual door-to-door food drive after being banned for the last three years.  This council actually listens to the people, even if it doesn't always vote accordingly.  They don't appear to have an unstated agenda or back room consensus when they show up, and they don't display any signs of being manipulated or smacked into line.  It's odd to say about a group that has no women and no minorities among its number, but it is a very diverse collection.  That diversity and independence is a terrific thing for the people of this community.  While we disagree with the council on a number of issues, including the handling of Solstice; the forward movement on an indoor sports facility we can't afford; the continuing cowardice in refusing to stand up to the feds regarding the Habitat Conservation and Rehabilitation Plan extortion; and the retention of at least four high-ranking city staff members who are ineffective, incompetent, and in way over their heads, we believe strongly in this council and its approach.  Mesquite finally has what it wanted and deserves - a council that listens to and represents the people.  We once again have a council we can be proud of.  A great big round of applause and pat on the back goes to the Mesquite City Council.