Notes from the desk...
- When Judge Michael Fondi puts down his gavel for the last time inside the Carson City District Courtroom, our city will have lost one its finest jurists ever.
Fondi announced last week that he will end his 23-year rein as Department II's first and only judge on Aug. 11. The 63-year-old Fondi said he really hadn't decided what he'll do next, but I'm guessing he's not ready to fish all day. He's a fitness nut who looks better than most 40-year-olds.
He leaves behind the new courthouse building he and fellow District Court Judge Michael Griffin worked so hard to build. He also leaves a legacy of fairness. I can think of more than a couple of his decisions that went against "popular opinion." I was also fortunate to see first-hand how deliberate Fondi is in ensuring everyone in the courtroom - not just the lawyers - knows what's going on.
That same deliberate style was also evident in his written decisions that happened to cross my desk from time to time.
Judge Fondi doesn't particularly care for the press, which isn't that unusual for an elected official. He felt at times we were less than fair and often sensational, points I debated with him (mostly unsuccessfully) on more than one occasion.
I suppose 23 years on the bench and 37 years in public service entitle you to dislike anyone you choose, including the press.
I hope the governor takes the same care in his deliberations as he chooses a successor to fill out the remaining couple of years of Judge Fondi's term.
- Speaking of the governor - Kenny Guinn never ceases to amaze me. The guy's a throwback to former governor Mike O'Callaghan, who would often be the first one at the office and the last to leave. We had a little get-together at the newspaper the other night to celebrate our 135th birthday and Guinn was the first arrival. No security. No aides. No script. No fanfare. Just a "happy birthday" and a word or two on various things he has on the burner. I was especially impressed by the way Guinn handled the bike-path issue that was headed for trouble. The governor simply told the state transportation commission that he and Carson City Mayor Ray Masayko would work it out. No committee. No "special panel." No political football. Just two government leaders hammering out a solution.
- Others on the job - We hosted a job fair last week and there seemed to be more employers than employees. That's the case in America today. If you don't have a job you either don't want to work, or can't. They ought to cut off unemployment benefits to anyone able to work. They were hiring on the spot last week. Some of the companies were even willing to train and reimburse you for attending classes. I can't think of a better time to be entering the job market, either from college or high school. On the other hand, if Mr. Greenspan continues his efforts to "cool off" the economy we'll be selling apples on street corners this time next year.
- I get mail - Even when I don't want it. Two letters landed on my desk recently that reminded me how much we need more mental health facilities.
The first was from a fellow who said the Holy Spirit had taken control of his life and that the Lord was going to "deal" with me in "His own sweet time."
The letter-writer never really indicated in his several-page missive why exactly the Lord might be angry with me, but he did indicate that the Lord was also mad at the city, which could be the first time that someone has been displeased with me and the city simultaneously.
A second letter came from a woman in Bellevue, Wash. who says someone has been hitting her in the head while she sleeps. She says Janet Reno knows about it, but doesn't seem to care, so she wrote to me in hopes that I could call Ms. Reno.
The woman behind the letter is obviously very, very disturbed and in need of some serious help. Unfortunately, our country shut down most of the mental health clinics, opting for prisons and shopping malls instead. That's why we have so many crazy people running through both. Even in our fair city. I took my kids swimming at the city pool (the one built with Quality of Life money) Sunday and there was an old woman with a wool overcoat sitting on the bench out front. It was 90 degrees and she was taking a break from pushing the shopping cart that contained her life's belongings. I would guess her to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 65 years old.
Greenspan must have cooled her economy long ago.
We see that and we turn away. Out of sight, out of mind ... literally. And this all in a booming economy.
Jeff Ackerman is publisher and editor of the Nevada Appeal.