Friday, April 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
WITH higher or new taxes to handle Clark County's growth looming in the next Legislature, some Nevada businesses are putting candidates on the spot.
They're being queried on what kind of tax hikes they support, in an obvious attempt to load the deck on the issue.
We understand businesspeople's concerns about tax hikes. But pointed questions on candidates' tax preferences will place a pall on future decision-making. Candidates need financial support from business, particularly the gaming and housing industries, but they should not be shoved in a corner.
Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, put it this way:"I don't know how candidates could commit to something before they have all the information."
A legislator might be placed in the uncomfortable position of reversing himself, creating the appearance of a double-cross. Or, if he toes the line with campaign contributors, he'll appear a hack for the industry.
Neither possibility is attractive. If industry representatives base their support of candidates on single-issue politics, they could be sorely disappointed.
A better approach would be to review the candidate's record, gauge his competency and judge whether he is sympathetic to the problems confronting business.
Contributors, after all, don't elect candidates. They provide financial support to help them get elected. In the end, it's the voters who decide.
Attempting to prejudge an issue also contains the risk of alienating a certain business segment -- amassing a bloc of friendly legislators -- from other political interests. That could backfire on any special-interest group.
Candidates should not be suckered into this situation. And businesspeople should not ask them to do so. It's just bad politics.
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