Can’t we all get along?

Democracy is supposed to be messy. It’s supposed to have disagreement and division.

North Las Vegas government is a toxic waste spill that might be impossible to clean up. But the mess isn’t rooted in discord. The city’s in big trouble because for years the City Council went along to get along.

The city has almost no cash reserves, is on the hook for public safety salaries and benefits it can’t afford, and could very well be taken over by the state and disincorporated. The mayor has been targeted by a recall campaign, and a new councilman’s election is being challenged in court. The council has disagreement and debate on how to move forward.

But if the council is serious about laying a sustainable foundation for the future, strategic planning consultant Lyle Sumek warned Thursday, they’ll have to get on the same page and put a stop to infighting that has led to public disagreements and split votes. “As city leaders we all have a choice to move on and provide true leadership or allow chaos to grow and destroy” the city, Mr. Sumek said.

What twaddle.

The city of North Las Vegas is in fiscal crisis precisely because the council for years was united in supporting unsustainable government growth. Its public employee unions got whatever they wanted. The community’s few voices of fiscal restraint weren’t heard.

North Las Vegas residents are rightly furious about what’s happened to their city. Because the council put foolish job protections into contracts, public safety workers can’t be laid off to cut personnel costs. The city must slash services everywhere else.

As reported by the Nevada Policy Research Institute, the vast majority of the city’s police and firefighters don’t even reside in North Las Vegas. These union members have exercised significant influence over local elections when they can’t even cast ballots themselves. They have effectively demanded that North Las Vegas taxpayers and businesses continue to make sacrifices so the union work force won’t have to.

By all means councilmembers should treat each other with respect. But that shouldn’t mean an end to vigorous, even contentious, debate. Blinders and a smiley face won’t make North Las Vegas a better place to live and do business.