We lost a friend and Nevada and Elko County lost a judge this week, Andy Puccinelli.
As the tribute pour in it is nice to know that so many people held him in such high and warm regard.
While all the good and nice things said about him are true, the one thing we will truly miss is his humor.
Andy Puccinelli was a very funny guy.
He was so funny he could even get a laugh from someone he was sending to jail, now that is funny.
For five years we went the rounds with him over cameras in his courtroom. He only rarely relented and only if the case had something to do with Wendover.
We wanted more because we felt it was our right and duty to webcast them.
Andy thought we were wrong and being the judge he was right.
Still we will miss our monthly chats. Even though we rarely came out the winner, Andy had a way of brightening our day even while turning us down.
We hope the West Wendover city employees got the wake up call this week, that the gang of four councilmen could care less about them.
The decision to offer a 15 percent raise to someone they haven’t even hired yet is more than a slap in the face. It is an humiliation, made even worse because it was done by supposed friends and allies.
Of course that public display of contempt could have been avoided if the city employees had not voted them in year after year after year. And year after year after year this little group passed regulation after fee after ordinance that literally scared off businesses large and small.
Would there have even been a need for the pay cut if the Rusty Palms had opened?
Maybe not.
The first years estimated tax revenues could have been upwards of a half a million.
Perhaps with Rusty Palms and the half a dozen or so other developers and entrepreneurs who never came to our fair city because of the arrogance and dishonesty of the city council might have made the difference between the budget and the deficit.
We also don’t really see the need for a fancy schmancy CFO. For the its first ten years, West Wendover did quite well with a bookkeeper. That was when the town was booming and its population far exceeded that of today.
It was only after the city higher a degreed CFO that the problems started.
But right now we would be suspicious of anyone who wanted the job, 15 percent raise or no 15 percent raise.
Just who would want to come into a city where every other employee hates your guts?
We hope every city employee got the hint.
Every time those chuckle heads vote to restrict business or to sabotage a project they are taking money out of your wallet and food off your tables.
Stop voting for them.