Asm. Pickard talks about taking on LVCVA, taxes and Read by 3
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Rossi Ralenkotter shouldn’t get a “golden parachute.” Tax increases aren’t necessary, but if politicians want an increase they should send it to voters. Read by Three needs a chance to work, even if it holds back thousands of third graders. That’s according to Senate district 20 candidate and Assemblyman Keith Pickard.
“The (LVCVA) board really needs to do what they’re going to do in the public space,” said Pickard while filming Nevada Politics Today. Pickard sent the board a letter last week urging them not to give Ralenkotter a “golden parachute. My constituents just couldn’t stand by and be quiet about that, and I can’t disagree with them. There’s not statutory or contractual obligation to pay over and above what he’s earned, and he’s earned a fairly high pension and he makes some good money.
“My constituents are saying that we’re done with paying for unnecessary expenses.”
Pickard also commented on the police investigation of LVCVA employees, including Ralenkotter, using taxpayer-purchased Southwest gift cards for personal travel. “As the investigation continues, it is hard for people I think, to believe that he didn’t know at some level [about] the cards he was using for his personal flights.”
While the lavish spending isn’t appropriate, the LVCVA is needed, according to Pickard.
“They’re not the market participants,” he said. “They’re not the people on the Strip trying to sell their product. So, they bring a more global approach to this. I think there’s still a place for them.”
Asked if he were any tax increases he would vote for, Pickard said, “I can’t envision any at this point. I personally believe that there’s plenty of money in state government at this point. Not that we couldn’t use more, but I think that the footprint of government is big enough. I would like to scale back some on some of the things we do and use that money more effectively. Ultimately, I think there’s enough waste in the system that we could do a better job, and that’s where I’m focusing.”
If lawmakers want a tax increase, they should “go to the voters,” he said. “Go to the people who are paying the tax and ask them if they’re willing to do it.”
Pickard also defended Read by Three, noting that “we haven’t given it a chance.” The retention piece of the program doesn’t start until 2020.
“If a child is going to go through difficult times I’d rather they do it when they’re young and able to recover quickly than when they get into high school and they have no choice — they drop out,” he said. “If we’re talking about outcomes as the ultimate yardstick, I want do whatever it takes to make those outcomes more likely to be successful.”
Pickard also opposes gun control measures, although he’d be open to restricting bump stocks in a similar manner to how the federal government restricts automatic weapons.
“We’ve got probably all the gun control measures that you can imagine on the books, short of bans and confiscation,” said Pickard. “It’s already illegal to have it if you’re a felon. It’s already illegal to have automatic weapons without a tax stamp from the federal government.”