Is Bisch falling behind in sheriff’s race?

By Joe Schoenmann

Sunday, May 2, 2010 | 2 a.m.

A story last Sunday about a union matter involving sheriff candidate Officer Laurie Bisch — “Cop says ambition to be sheriff provoked Metro’s top brass” — has stirred some debate in the locker rooms and hallways at Metro.

The story detailed an Employee-Management Relations Board hearing, where Bisch alleged the union representing Metro officers, the Police Protective Association, and Metro’s top administrators worked together against her after the internal affairs office began investigating an allegation of identity theft. That charge was not upheld, and she was eventually given a written reprimand for “conspiring to be untruthful.” The board is expected to rule this summer on her request to overturn that reprimand.

If the story did one thing, it brought the sheriff’s race into focus for the union’s board, which interviewed three candidates Thursday night.

What were the interviews for?

To decide who would get the police association’s endorsement, which is considered a significant trophy. Six people are running for sheriff. Three are considered serious contenders: Sheriff Doug Gillespie, Bisch and retired Metro Capt. Dan Barry.

Bisch said she spent about 40 minutes answering standard questions.

And who got the endorsement?

According to Bisch, she was informed Gillespie received the endorsement. She also said that of about 1,000 members of the association who returned surveys, Gillespie received 54 percent of their votes, Barry received 33 percent and Bisch received 11 percent.

Although it appears Gillespie is the early favorite, it could be an interesting race.

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If nothing else, a new feature on Clark County’s website homepage is great fun to fiddle with because it allows you to go through a series of satellite photos, two per year since 1998 to see how an area has changed.

What is this thing and where is it?

The new online feature, according to county spokesman Erik Pappa, will save taxpayers $20,000 a year because it will eliminate licensing fees paid for older mapping technology.

The quickest way to see it is to enter this address in your Internet browser: gisgate.co.clark.nv.us/openweb/.

Once you’re there, “search” allows you to look up specific addresses or cross streets.

The system still has glitches. For instance, if you want to see what Wynn Las Vegas looked like 10 years ago — it didn’t exist — type “Las Vegas” in the “street name” box. If you add “Boulevard” it tells you “No results were found.”

Continuing with the Wynn example, you can click back and see the property change. In a spring 2004 photo, sister property Encore doesn’t exist and the Desert Inn’s buildings are still standing just north of Wynn, which was close to completion.

A spring 2006 photo shows Wynn completed and the Desert Inn buildings gone. A fall 2006 photo shows Encore under construction. Spring 2009 photos show a complete Encore.

For a county that has changed so much, but so constantly that some of us missed it as it went by, it’s an eye-opening tool.

Pappa said the tool “creates a needed foundation for future enhancements.”

And, overall, it’s pretty cool.

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We wrote last week about $490,000 in property taxes, penalties and interest owed on Jim Rhodes’ 2,400 acres on Blue Diamond Hill. The developer’s plans to build homes there, near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, has prompted controversy.

Any movement on that?

The back taxes have been paid. The Clark County treasurer received full payment for the two years worth of taxes at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and the checks cleared and the property was listed as up to date by 3:30 p.m. that day.