Friday's Nevada Appeal included a column from Nancy Dallas concerning the need for voters to look at the big picture and not focus on single issues in elections.
While I think most of us would agree that single-issue politics is often bad politics, most of Nancy's column doesn't deal with this problem. Instead, it's a partisan diatribe about what's wrong with Democrats and what's right with Republicans. That's about as single issue as you can get.
It's interesting that Nancy, whose husband sits on a committee working to bring nuclear waste to Nevada in return for federal hush money, would talk about single-issue politics.
I want to set the record straight on a number of issues Nancy mentioned that are important to my fellow citizens in Assembly District 38.
First, the widening of Highway 50 is an important public safety issue. Both Republican State Sen. Mark Amodei and I are working to get the Republican-controlled Highway Board to give much higher priority to widening of Highway 50 between Dayton and Lahontan and Alternate 50 between Fernley and Fallon.
As for Nancy's concerns about federal proposals for Walker Lake, nobody has worked harder than I have. I've personally put in hundreds of hours of effort to ensure the Walker River Irrigation District is treated fairly in any federal solution.
The WRID and I meet regularly to discuss the matter, and we are in complete agreement and cooperation on what needs to be done. We agree there is an absolute requirement that upstream water users along the Walker River be protected and that their rights not be sacrificed in attempts to preserve Walker Lake.
Nancy states her belief that my opponent should be given a chance in the election. Well, that's what elections are all about. In our democratic system, anyone who wants to take the time and pay the small filing fee has a chance to run for public office.
But candidates have to earn voter support. Unfortunately for my opponent, he has been all but absent from this election and has failed to attend most candidate meetings.
Other than a few small campaign signs, he has not even run much of a campaign. If he doesn't care enough about the issues and the voters to mount an effective campaign to inform them about his ideas, then why should voters give him their support.
Joe Dini, a Democrat, is the incumbent candidate for Assembly District 38.