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Aug. 05, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Signatures verified for property tax limitation initiative

Measure delayed by teachers union challenge

By SEAN WHALEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
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CARSON CITY -- An initiative petition pushed by state Senate candidate Sharron Angle to cap property taxes has enough raw signatures of registered voters in all 17 counties to qualify for the November ballot, the secretary of state's office reported Monday.

But the constitutional amendment, which would limit annual property tax increases to 2 percent per year on all property, faces a challenge from the state teachers union aimed at keeping it off the ballot.

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    • Until Angle's ballot question is certified by the secretary of state's office, it has not qualified for the ballot. And that won't come until after the challenge is resolved.

    In a letter to Secretary of State Ross Miller dated Friday, an attorney representing the Nevada State Education Association has challenged the legitimacy of some of the signatures collected in Clark County and Carson City.

    The letter states defects with some of the affidavits turned in by the petition circulators would disqualify the measure in those jurisdictions.

    The alleged defects include the failure of the petition circulators to notarize their affidavits, documents that are required with petitions to prevent fraud. The affidavits on at least 832 of the 1,045 signature pages from Clark County that the teachers union has examined were not notarized, it states.

    "Compliance with the notarization requirement is not difficult, and the abject non-compliance demonstrated here cannot be excused," said attorney Thomas Wilczek for the teachers union.

    The ballot measure had to qualify in all 17 counties, and have a total of 58,628 signatures statewide as well, to qualify.

    Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said last week that a random check of 5 percent of the signatures turned in by Angle and her group, We the People Nevada, gave the group just enough valid signatures of registered voters to qualify.

    Angle, a former Republican Assembly member from Reno, needed 40,364 signatures in Clark County. The 5 percent review showed she had 40,571 valid signatures.

    So any rejection of signatures in Clark County could jeopardize Angle's petition.

    Matt Griffin, deputy secretary of state for elections, said a copy of the letter will be forwarded to Angle and she will be given until Aug. 11 to respond.

    Angle could not be reached for comment Monday.

    Angle's proposed constitutional amendment would limit property tax increases to 2 percent per year, rather than the current cap of 3 percent for homeowners passed by the Legislature in 2005, until a property is sold.

    If the measure is approved by voters in November, it would have to pass again in 2010 before it could take effect.

    Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.



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    Judith Edson wrote on August 05, 2008 01:14 PM: It's too bad the teacher's union is so terrified to let this initiative go to the voters that it has to stoop to this ridiculous level. Why not just let the voters decide? I guess they're really afraid of the response.


    Ben Dover wrote on August 05, 2008 11:42 AM: Thank you Alicia!

    If parents were put through one-tenth the training necessary for teachers, this would be a much better world. Instead, mindless breeding with no consideration for the consequences and no concept of how to raise children, is ruining this society.

    Most of the so-called political philosophies that would deny better funding to the educational system, or any other social service, are little more than rationalizations for greed and personal wealth protection.


    Alicia wrote on August 05, 2008 09:51 AM: Oh please. If Las Vegas wasn't full of parents who were incompetent to raise kids, education would be a walk in the park. Stop blaming all teachers for the stupid rug rats that are getting turned out. Then the same dumb-as-cows parents rush to sign petitions to knee-cap the funds needed to take care of their own failures to use birth control. It's ridiculous.


    kdr81 wrote on August 05, 2008 09:45 AM: The teachers union doesn't work for the Democrats the Democrats work for the teachers union.


    br wrote on August 05, 2008 09:06 AM: SL, I agree with you about the upcoming vote on the second phase sales tax increase for cops. I generally support cops, but not on this issue. They misused the first round so no second helping.

    I must strongly disagree with you on giving more money to educrats. They keep demanding more and more money while producing less and less positive results.


    br wrote on August 05, 2008 08:56 AM: The union wants property taxes to stay high is because that's their primary source of funding. Petitions threatening their system is subject to microscopic analysis. Even the most minor point is enough for a legal challenge. A judge bought with union campaign donations then rules against the petition.

    This is the kind of thing that makes me anti-educrat. I will keep working and voting against them.



    TM wrote on August 05, 2008 06:39 AM: The NSEA needs to cease being an activist political organization for liberal causes. What this ploy and their one party stacking of reccommended political candidates makes is another affiliate of the democratic party.


    SL wrote on August 05, 2008 06:08 AM: Nevada is one screwed up state.
    Repeal the cop sales taxes while your at it, or give some of that money to the teachers. There your kids that are being left behind compared to the rest of the country.

    Choose:Teachers for your kids or abusive out of control cops?
    With out education, you have nothing.


    William Bonzy wrote on August 05, 2008 03:42 AM: If these teachers paid attention to their jobs instead of butting in where it is "none of their business" we probably would not have the horribly performing students, and poor educational system we have. I say fire them all, do away with the union and get real teachers who want to teach.