Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo speaks during the 2023 State of the Schools address at Resorts World Las Vegas, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.
Sunday, May 28, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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When Gov. Joe Lombardo introduced his proposed budget package during January’s State of the State address, we offered tentative praise for a largely balanced and responsible approach to state spending.
“To be hopeful and optimistic about the future of our state requires us to be hopeful and optimistic about the potential for our governor to pursue good public policy that benefits all Nevadans. His State of the State address and accompanying budget lend credence to that hope and are indicators of the direction Lombardo claims he wants to move us in. … While we don’t agree with all of it and look forward to seeing more details, this budget is a good start.”
We concluded by saying that “Only time will tell whether he actually moves us in that direction or not.”
Well, governor, the time has come to show us your cards.
Last week, Democrats in the state Legislature agreed with our assessment and passed a budget package that includes the vast majority of Lombardo’s proposals. State Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro described the package as “80-90% consensus.” She said that the few differences between the governor’s proposals and the Legislature’s final budget language were almost all “agreed to by Republicans and Democrats in largely unanimous form.” She bolstered her argument by noting that two of Nevada’s six budget bills passed the state Senate unanimously.
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager concurred, explaining that with a Democratic-controlled Legislature and a Republican governor, the two co-equal branches of government each had to compromise and sacrifice some of their priorities to move forward. “You give and you take, and you give and you take some more,” Yeager said. “These budgets reflect that process.”
Yet despite broad bipartisan support and historic investments in public safety and education — two issues Lombardo campaigned on as his top priorities — as of the writing of this editorial, the governor continues to threaten to veto the budget package and shut down Nevada’s government until he gets everything he wants.
That’s irresponsible and wreaks of anti-democratic authoritarianism. If Lombardo follows through on his threat to veto the budget, it’s hard-working, middle-class Nevadans who will suffer the most.
Unless grownups prevail over Lombardo’s reckless foot stomping, there could be grave consequences for everyone, from state employees who rely on the state for their paycheck, to small-business owners who have contracts with the state, to school districts that rely on state appropriations to complete their own budgets.
Despite these risks, this brand of performative political brinkmanship is part of Lombardo’s and the GOP’s playbook because they don’t care about governing for all of us. They don’t take governing seriously.
Instead, just as we’re seeing in the U.S. House of Representatives, they spend their time engaged in endless partisan culture wars, breaking institutions of good governance to cater to a minority and fighting to protect their benefactors.
Nevadans elected Lombardo to serve all Nevadans, not to funnel money to wealthy people and protect his political and financial backers. His threats to veto a fiscally responsible and bipartisan budget are a deep and profound abuse of his office.
Voters across the state should take note that legislators of both political parties did their job and negotiated a budget agreement that has earned broad support for its service to all Nevadans.
Lombardo, on the other hand, is refusing to fulfill even the most basic responsibilities of his office. In the process he’s allowing the whims of wealthy donors and political ideologues to put our state’s economy and educational system at risk.
Lombardo has never been qualified to be governor and clearly thinks the role of elective office is to exact revenge on his adversaries. He would be wise to stop taking donor calls and instead pick up the phone and call some actual leaders. They can teach him that when you’re entrusted to steer the ship of state, you’re not allowed to point it at the rocks. His job is to work for all Nevadans, and the sooner he learns that, the better.
