Don't fear vote on Nugget Project

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.

That's the basis of the argument being put forward by some of the more vocal supporters of the Carson City Center Project, aka Nugget Project, as they try to fight back the attempt to put the issue on the November ballot.

They would be wise to follow their own advice.

I can understand and support the rationale that we have a system of representative government, and bypassing our elected representatives can be a bad thing. We only have to look next door at California to see the results of ballot initiatives gone wrong.

But openly campaigning to convince people not to sign a petition to put this controversial project on the ballot is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Project supporters could probably do less damage to their cause if they stood outside the local supermarket collecting signatures on that petition.

In hindsight, they should have just kept quiet and hoped for the petition effort to fizzle out. Instead, they fired up the opposition, who can now rightfully claim that project supporters are afraid of the voters.

Fear is a very powerful political weapon. If you can make voters afraid of something, and successfully attach the blame to your opponent, you win.

But all that changes if the voters sniff fear coming from the other side.

I think from the beginning of this effort that supporters of the Nugget Project were blind to the value of having a public vote. Getting the project approved is only the beginning, not the end of the effort.

One thing all sides can agree on is that this is a complicated project. It will take a couple of years to get the facilities built, and a few more beyond that to really see the long-term benefits. There are any number of problems that will pop up along the way. With voter approval, city officials will have the political capital to fix those problems quickly and efficiently.

Without it, there will be lots of finger pointing and posturing, and decisions made for political rather than practical purposes.

Having to stage a public campaign to convince voters to approve the Nugget Project would also force proponents to focus their words and efforts, and develop a better sense for what this project is and what it will do.

Video: Steve Jobs — Focus is about saying no

A public campaign could also help the efforts to raise private funds for the project, which is certainly a topic of concern for supporters. The petition effort probably had an adverse effect on attracting big donors to the project. That damage is already done. But supporters could fix that with a positive campaign to win voter approval.

If you want to see the positive results of voter-approved spending, look no further than the Question 18 Quality of Life Initiative. Since its approval in 1996, the city has spent millions buying open space and building recreation facilities, with very little outcry. Without voter approval, I doubt most of these things would have ever come to fruition.

The latest reports I have heard tell me the petition effort will most likely get the number of signatures needed to be put on the ballot. There is, however, a chance that a legal challenge could be mounted to stop it, which I think has a strong chance of backfiring on supporters. If the legal challenge fails, then Nugget Project opponents could ride that to victory in November.

If a legal challenge succeeds, the politics surrounding this project would turn much more corrosive than they already are. It could encounter public opposition and legal challenges at every turn. It might get built, but its operation might suffer as a result.

Big civic projects have their best chance at success when the citizens strongly support them. I think the proponents need to make their case to the people of Carson City that the Nugget Project is something we need. It could be the opponents' petition drive might be a blessing in disguise.