Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 4:37 a.m.
Democratic Meddler-in-Chief Harry Reid may want to woo Lee, the former Mirage Resorts finance maven, just for his money. But Lee is more than just a pretty bank account. And while Reid and the Democrats may be looking for a one-election stand, Lee has a more substantive relationship in mind.
I know what you're thinking: The only important altar here is the one where the democratic process has been sacrificed by sprinkling anointing fluids on Gov. Kenny Guinn. Those who do so -- consultants such as Sig Rogich, Pete Ernaut and Billy Vassiliadis -- have the power to ensure all other gubernatorial suitors are jilted before the voters can even ask if they want the job. They play the inside game to perfection, ruthlessly shutting off money, locking up special interests and raising enough money to buy grass roots and air TV ads to overwhelm the competition. The organmeister plays "Here comes the governor" long before the ceremony in November.
So why bother?
Because the anointing process, especially where the Guinnites are concerned, is all about ensuring there is no campaign. They know this: Regardless of what you think of Guinn's performance as chief executive, he is a terrible candidate. He is not a contender for the TV age -- often mangling words, clearly TelePrompTer-averse and hardly quick on his feet. One on one, people love the guy. But put him in a debate and the consultants cringe, cross their fingers and maybe even pray.
The consultants are motivated by fear: They are afraid of everyone -- be it Oscar Goodman or Erin Kenny or, yes, Dan Lee.
Lee made lots of money helping Steve Wynn build his empire, then invested in an Internet company and got out just before the dot.com downturn. He says he's not super-rich, but he has enough money so "I don't need a job."
So why would he want to be governor?
He tells the story of being in line at the DMV for four hours and how it infuriated him and he mused about running for governor. But he didn't get serious until he ran into ex-state Democratic Party Chairman Paul Henry, who asked Lee to consider it. Henry called his old boss, Reid, who did what he does best: sending calls and well-wishers Lee's way.
Lee even talked to Wynn, who, Lee says, wished him well but told him Guinn would be difficult to defeat.
Talk to Lee for awhile and you see he doesn't have much in-depth knowledge of state government. But he does have ideas. And he surely could get up to speed pretty quickly.
The DMV, he says, could be fixed "by a sixth grade class." Hire more clerks, extend the hours, have an express line that people could pay extra to stand in, change renewals to every other year for a fee.
He talks about the need for economic diversification, needles the governor for a shortsighted approach to help displaced workers ("What they need is a job") and frets about the state of education in this state. (And he didn't even mention the energy issue.)
Does he really want to run, though? Is he just bored and looking for something to do? Or should he enter the race just so Guinn will be forced to debate some of these issues?
Lee says he won't get into the race if he doesn't think he can win or if he finds another way to effect changes. And there are personal considerations, too -- he has a 2-year-old.
But it is the politics of this that he must really figure out before he leaps.
He is smart enough to realize that the Culinary union will be key here. The Culinary was neutered in the last race. This cycle, will the organization follow the lead of other labor groups, which already are rolling over from Team Guinn? Will the state education union actually endorse the governor, too, despite whispering for years how he has not done what he should on education funding?
Ultimately, the paramount question is not how serious Dan Lee is about doing this. It is: How serious is Harry Reid, who has wooed candidates before and then departed the scene?
Will the senator sweet-talk Lee into the race, have his way with him and then leave him naked? Or will he help him raise money, pressure the Culinary and others to embrace the, ahem, union and show a commitment to this relationship?
The Nevada governor's race, if there is to be one, is really now a question of whether Love 'Em and Leave 'Em Harry is ready to commit to Dan Lee for the long term.
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