Media watchdogs can help ensure our independence and trust

It provides a great opportunity to fire up the barbecue and ice down the pop and beer. Families come together to celebrate the wonders of hot dogs and sparklers and the Stars and Stripes.

At times like these, we don’t dwell much on heavy messages. Life is filled with too much tragedy and stress to take too much time with beard-stroking history lessons about whether we’re living up to the forefathers’ grand plan for the Republic.

But that’s the beauty of their creation. If it’s cared for, our system runs remarkably well.

Lately down at U.S. District Court, we’ve been learning just how out of balance our local government system truly is. We’ve been reminded that $2 Mickey Mouse watches are more accurate chronometers of the truth than some of the characters we’ve elected.

As you light the Kingsford and prepare the grill for a classic Fourth of July feast, take just a moment to consider what’s been happening while you’ve been busy earning a living, fighting traffic, and raising your children. The story playing out in federal court in the trial of real estate consultant and suspected developer bagman Don Davidson is providing all Southern Nevadans a lesson in representative government, political vigilance, and the essential importance of the holiday we enjoy so much.

Davidson, who is charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering, had a job most people wouldn’t imagine actually exists outside of John Grisham novels. He wasn’t a developer so much as a patch man who communicated the desires of developers and investors to elected officials.

Big campaign contributors and lobbyists are a part of the system, but it’s becoming ever more clear that Davidson was more than that. He was a veritable ATM for corrupt politicians such as then-County Commissioner Erin Kenny, who testified against her former friend and generous benefactor last week in exchange for a more lenient sentence. Davidson represented Triple Five Development and, according to trial testimony, received his wheel-greasing money from company boss Eskander Ghermezian.

The FBI’s lengthy investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Schiess’ prosecution have peeled back the veneer of political independence that once covered people like Kenny and felonious former County Commissioners Dario Herrera, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey and Lance Malone.

Davidson’s semi-secret dealmaking, some of which was captured on court-ordered wiretaps that make him sound like a seasoned wiseguy with talk about “cutting up” scores and passing out “five dimes” in cash, confirms your most cynical thoughts about the depths to which some local officials were willing to limbo for a profit. In short, Davidson is on his way down.

But let’s not forget that there is no Don Davidson in the system if there is no Kenny, Herrera, Kincaid-Chauncey and Malone. If there’s no elected official salivating over the cash, then the system — while admittedly far from perfect — is one we won’t be ashamed to admit we’re part of.

Since greed is part of human nature, we can’t expect that politicians who find themselves on the “A List” won’t become dazzled by their office and go on a money grab like contestants on “Let’s Make A Deal.”

What we can do, however, is a better job scrutinizing their relationships and punishing them when they betray the public trust. That is precisely what’s occurring down at federal court.

Davidson amounts to a small player, an errand boy with a fat wallet. His alleged missteps, however, have given us a rare chance to see where we’re at as a local government.

But we should never be confused as to the identity of the players on the roster. Davidson is a problem, but he wasn’t elected. The biggest price in political corruption cases, it seems to me, should be paid by the politicians.

If you’re looking for someone to blame for this mess, blame the press. For too long we’ve been far too chummy with the people we should be scrutinizing. Regaining our independence means demanding independence from the media, too. I include myself in that criticism.

But that’s enough lecturing for one day. The best way to celebrate Independence Day is by demanding more from those we elect to serve.

Now get back out there and celebrate.

And check those hot dogs, will you? I think they’re beginning to burn.

John L. Smith’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295