Front page Reno Gazette news today (November 10, 98):

"RENO MAYOR TOLD NOT TO TAKE $14,600 RAISE."

[SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS from Guy Felton]

Well, Loophole Louie is pulling his loyal lackeys together to defraud
the little people of Reno once again. Mayor Jeffie is taking the spin
that Section 1.080 of Reno's Municipal Code doesn't really mean what it
clearly means to any impartial person with an IQ above room temperature.

Here's what 1.080 says without the extraneous, irrelevant lawyer talk:

The Mayor shall not be elected to any office ~ repeat, ANY office ~ the
compensation for which was increased or fixed by the city council until
1 year after the expiration of his term in office.

And ... get this: Section 1.080 also clearly says that any person
holding any office not allowed by the foregoing shall automatically lose
his office.

There are too many folks today who live the nonsense notion that
anything is legal unless you get caught ... and if you do get caught,
just kick into righteous huff and puff and pretend you haven't been
caught because, golly, gee, the law doesn't really mean what it clearly
means ... and besides if you give the money you stole from the bank back
to the bank, they'll say, hey, no problem!

Does 1.080 say that, if caught when given an illegal pay raise by his
loyal lackeys, all the mayor has to do is not take the raise?

No, it does not say this. This is not an honest loophole! Common sense
yells that just refusing an illegal pay raise, if caught in the act,
would make 1.080 a complete and total farce ... not worth the paper it's
written on.

Will Mayor Jeffie get away with kicking Reno's citizens and taxpayers in
the face?

Probably. After all, he has very good friends on local benches ... and
he has very good friends on the so-called ethics commission ... and he
has very good friends in the AG's office and the Secretary of State's
office.

Sad to say, if you have political juice in our local Banana Republic
(click for more), the law doesn't apply to you.

Once again, Mayor Griffin is showing his true character ... and it
deserves ZERO public trust. Mayor Griffin is above the law. So much for
justice. So much for integrity.

When the smoke clears, Loophole Louie will be permitted to take his
$14,600 raise. He will then chuckle all the way to the bank ... spitting
on all of us sniveling malcontents as he goes. ###

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