Editor's Note: The morality of growth

In former secretary of labor Robert Reich's excellent new book, Reason, he outlines the distinction between private and public morality. Private morality, he says, is the preoccupation of radical conservatives, many of whom are concerned with issues such as premarital sex, abortion and homosexuality. Reich rightly argues that these issues should be left to one's own conscience rather than governmental intrusion. Public morality, in Reich's view, covers those behaviors that constitute abuses of political and economic power, such as corporate fraud, stock manipulation, tax evasion, bribery of public officials and financial conflicts of interest. These issues, he says, undermine society and therefore fall into the public domain.

This idea of public morality repeatedly came to mind over the past week as I followed a trio of local news events. First, there were the comments of Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, to the Clark County Growth Task Force. Mulroy told the panel that there's no way a water shortage will halt growth. "As bleak as it looks on the surface, there are solutions," Mulroy said. "The notion that we have a finite supply of water, and [that] when that finite supply is gone you stop growing, is in the past."

This is nothing new, of course. Mulroy has been downplaying the "notion" of a water crisis for years. But the tone of her comments to the task force reveals what should be seen as an alarmingly single-minded attitude. I have no doubt that Mulroy is right, that if we are willing to fork over the dough, we will be able to secure enough water--from rural Nevada, from California farmers, from desalination plants, etc.--to slake our undying thirst. But Mulroy apparently did not address--and no one at the meeting apparently asked--whether this would be the right thing to do. What justifications other than desperation and greed can Las Vegas offer for draining the aquifers of Lincoln and White Pine counties?

The public morality of unchecked growth is not a popular topic in Las Vegas. It is assumed, from the loftiest development executive to the commercial loan officer to the laborer on the construction site, that growth is good. The prevailing wisdom is that the well-being of the tourism and development industries must come first in this town--and state. Otherwise, we irrationally fear, the place could just dry up and blow away. Therefore, rural Nevada must give up its groundwater to keep the economic engine that is Las Vegas running, and California farmers must fine another line of work. Right and wrong do not come into play. That's kid stuff--let the professors and gadflies worry about it.

But isn't this exactly the kind of thing the Clark County Growth Task Force should be discussing? For the first few months of its existence, the 17-member panel has allowed itself to be baffled by bullshit--one "expert" after another has stepped up to the microphone to babble statistics documenting the joyous benefits of growth and how catastrophic it would be to slow it down.

When Boulder City's mayor spoke to the task force recently and extolled the virtues of slow growth, he was all but bumrushed from the room. One excuse after another was profferred for why Boulder City's example could not be followed in Las Vegas.

And yet, while Boulder City may in all fairness offer something of an apples-and-oranges comparison, the small community's commitment to public morality is worth a closer look. Last week, the Boulder City Council shelved a proposal to sell off 1,500 acres to neighboring Henderson. One city official cooked up the idea to sell the real estate as a quick fix for Boulder's budget woes. But wiser heads prevailed. Boulder City might benefit financially, but Henderson's development of the land could hurt the city's high quality of life. "My concern is we're basically bringing Henderson to our doorstep," said Councilwoman Karla Burton, no doubt sending a shudder through the council chambers with shocking images of bulldozers and SUVs running rampant through the El Dorado Valley.

The key point is that Boulder City did not go for the green. It could pocket $300 million or more for the parcel and it said no thanks. That kind of moral compass is just not consulted in Las Vegas.

However, once in a while even Las Vegas officials come across abuses of the public trust that can't be overlooked. Take, for instance, the recent revelation that a Wal-Mart supercenter had been quietly approved--without public notice or discussion--as part of the County Commission's rubberstamp consent agenda. Somebody tried to sneak one--a big one--through the public process. Commissioner Rory Reid found out about it and demanded a halt to the plans. "Developing this land without talking to neighbors doesn't make sense, and I'm not going to stand for it," Reid said. "Everybody needs to start over. This isn't the way we do business in Clark County."

Well, in fact, that has been the way we do business in the valley for decades. But give Reid credit for trying to fix the system. A huge Wal-Mart may end up being built on the site, but at least Reid has brought sunlight to the proceedings. He also should try to root out and punish the individuals--public employees and private sector players alike--who tried to get away with this scheme.

--GEOFF SCHUMACHER