Vigilante
Diamond Member
- Banned
- #1
Desert Developer's Woes Buffet Reid
Case Centers on Campaign Contributions to Senate Majority Leader Tied to a Backer of a Proposed New City in Nevada
Six years ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid celebrated what he called a "love fest" of government support for the construction of a proposed 150,000-home community in the Nevada desert and the lobbyist-turned-developer behind it, Harvey Whittemore.
Last week, a federal grand jury charged Mr. Whittemore with making illegal political contributions to Mr. Reid, a Democrat. Even before the indictment, Mr. Reid and other politicians had begun to distance themselves from Mr. Whittemorelong one of Nevada's most powerful lobbyistsby pledging to charity money to offset donations they had gotten from him.
~~snip~~
The allegations against Mr. Whittemore stem from a dispute over the project feted by Mr. Reid six years agoCoyote Springs, a city of as many as 400,000 to be built about 60 miles north of Las Vegas. The venture collapsed amid the recession, sparking a legal battle between Mr. Whittemore and his former business partners.
The unraveling of Coyote Springs and Mr. Whittemore's legal troubles "touches every part of Nevada politics, Nevada economy and Nevada power society," said Eric Herzik, a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno.
~~snip~~
Mr. Whittemore's connections and ability to navigate Nevada's government helped as he shifted from lobbying in the late 1990s to undertaking the development of a new city in the desert that would need approvals and special provisions at county, state and federal levels. Mr. Reid became aligned with the project, helping to pass through Congress in 2004 a measure to remove an easement for power lines on the Coyote Springs land, in effect freeing up land for the development. Mr. Reid's has said he supported Coyote Springs because it would benefit the state.
WSJ ^
Case Centers on Campaign Contributions to Senate Majority Leader Tied to a Backer of a Proposed New City in Nevada
Six years ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid celebrated what he called a "love fest" of government support for the construction of a proposed 150,000-home community in the Nevada desert and the lobbyist-turned-developer behind it, Harvey Whittemore.
Last week, a federal grand jury charged Mr. Whittemore with making illegal political contributions to Mr. Reid, a Democrat. Even before the indictment, Mr. Reid and other politicians had begun to distance themselves from Mr. Whittemorelong one of Nevada's most powerful lobbyistsby pledging to charity money to offset donations they had gotten from him.
~~snip~~
The allegations against Mr. Whittemore stem from a dispute over the project feted by Mr. Reid six years agoCoyote Springs, a city of as many as 400,000 to be built about 60 miles north of Las Vegas. The venture collapsed amid the recession, sparking a legal battle between Mr. Whittemore and his former business partners.
The unraveling of Coyote Springs and Mr. Whittemore's legal troubles "touches every part of Nevada politics, Nevada economy and Nevada power society," said Eric Herzik, a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno.
~~snip~~
Mr. Whittemore's connections and ability to navigate Nevada's government helped as he shifted from lobbying in the late 1990s to undertaking the development of a new city in the desert that would need approvals and special provisions at county, state and federal levels. Mr. Reid became aligned with the project, helping to pass through Congress in 2004 a measure to remove an easement for power lines on the Coyote Springs land, in effect freeing up land for the development. Mr. Reid's has said he supported Coyote Springs because it would benefit the state.
WSJ ^
