ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

May 16, 2011

VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more

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COVER STORY ore than a decade before Crosson thought about moving to Las Vegas, Kristin McMillan, an attorney with expertise in utilities and regulated industries, participated in Leadership Las Vegas, a 10-month program designed to strengthen the skills of up-and- coming young executives. She graduated in 1997 and got involved in chamber committees and boards. McMillan’s career path led her to become managing shareholder of the Hale Lane law firm and then a comanagement position with the Las Vegas office of Greenberg Traurig LLP. Her expertise in utilities law led her to Southern Nevada’s dominant telephone company, now CenturyLink, where she became general manager in 2006. In addition to being CenturyLink’s top local executive, she was vice president of external relations for the company’s 10-state Western region, overseeing teams in regulatory, legislative and local government affairs and public policy initiatives and advocacy. McMillan took leadership roles on various chamber boards and in 2010, she was elected to lead its board of trustees. She was on the team that recruited and hired Crosson. Las Vegas lawyer Mike Bonner succeeded McMillan as chamber chairman the month Crosson died, and he was thrust into the same position as she had been, a chairman without a CEO. Bonner filled that role temporarily, and when the successor search began, somebody asked the obvious question: Why not Kristin McMillan? “I’ve been very happy at CenturyLink,” McMillan said recently from the office she was about to vacate. “This is a terrific company and when I stepped into this job five years ago, I stepped into a wonderful position and I’ve had a great time.” Bonner approached McMillan about the CEO post and from there, talks evolved. “There seemed to be a good fit between my background and what the chamber seemed to need at this point in time,” McMillan said. “I understand the chamber and its needs. I know many of the staff members and have worked with various groups. I could hit the ground running.” In early April, the chamber announced McMillan’s appointment as its new CEO. ith about a month left in this year’s legislative session, Nevada is at a crossroads. The political poker game in Carson City is nearing its end and several players are still at the table, including the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. With new leadership, now is the time to ask important questions about how lawmakers are going to address the state’s problems and what role the business community should have in solving them: What moves should the Legislature make to improve Nevada’s economy and get the state back on its feet? How can the chamber and its alliance of stakeholders— small businesses and major companies—be a part of the solution? Perhaps most important, does what chamber members think really matter? 24 Every organization at the table in Carson City plays the game of give and take. For years, the chamber has been the voice against implementing various businesses taxes. Not unlike the Nevada Development Authority, an organization with which it often collaborates, it sold the argument that Las Vegas is a great place to do business because taxes are low and stable. This year, though, a number of studies, think tanks and interest groups have found that the state’s education system has a greater role in Nevadans’ quality of life than many previously thought. Nearly every report recommends the state strengthen its education system to build toward economic diversification. That hasn’t been lost on the chamber, which has built stronger bridges with the education community in the past year. Crosson embraced new UNLV President Neal Smatresk; now, Smatresk is a member of the chamber’s board of trustees. McMillan said maintaining a close relationship with UNLV and with Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones is a priority. “Clearly, education is important to the future of Southern Nevada,” McMillan said. “We all know that. Nobody wants to see teachers take pay cuts. These are very difficult and complicated issues. Our government affairs committee is taking a close look at the impacts of the governor’s budget.” Nevada’s education system lands at the bottom of numerous lists ranking education quality. Further cuts are outlined in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget proposal to close a multimillion-dollar funding gap. Would lawmakers allow the state’s system to fall into a bigger hole? What would that say about the state’s commitment to education and economic diversification? Would the chamber be willing to support a tax increase as an investment in the state’s economic future? The answer to that last question appears to be “maybe.” Really? In a recent note to chamber members from Hugh Anderson, chairman of its government SCHOOL DAZE “Clearly, education is important to the future of Southern Nevada. We all know that.” affairs committee, the chamber acknowledged that it would support a tax increase if—and only if—lawmakers also approve meaningful reform in five key areas, two of which involve education. “The chamber’s willingness to support additional tax revenue is absolutely dependent on the passage this year of significant and meaningful reforms that will fix systemic problems that are plaguing our state,” Anderson said. “Simply adding revenue will not provide the results Nevada needs. Additional revenue without reform is something we will not support.” The chamber’s position includes transforming the K-12 system to rewards-based compensation, expanding charter schools and, possibly, enabling a voucher system. For higher education, the chamber recommends changing policy to allow institutions to keep tuition dollars on campus. “Education governance in Nevada is confusing at best,” a chamber position paper says. “All governors aspire to make improved education part of their legacy, however the reality is that our governors have only had authority over education through the budgeting process. They have no authority to change how education is delivered. That authority rests with myriad boards and committees, too complicated to even attempt to explain. Oversight of education must be streamlined and governor-led. “Our children need and deserve great teachers— and we have great teachers now. Those teachers should be compensated for their performance. But when we grant tenure to teachers after just a year or two and virtually no teachers have, in recent years, been removed for poor performance, we also must admit that some teachers may not be in the right profession. “We need to eliminate tenure for K-12 teachers and ensure high quality teachers by requiring student improvement be a significant portion of teacher evaluations. When we find underperforming teachers, we need to give them access to best practice teacher training. | 16 MAY 2011 | STEVE MARCUS

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