‘Mount Reagan’ a hot potato for Nevada Democrats
Las Vegas Review Journal
By Steve Tetreault
March 31, 2014
A bill that would name a peak on Frenchman Mountain for Ronald Reagan took a small step forward in Congress last week. But for Nevada Democrats, it was a hot potato.
At a state delegation meeting in Washington, lawmakers were asked whether they supported the proposed Mount Reagan on the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley. The thought was batted around the table.
“We probably haven’t named enough stuff for Reagan,” U.S. Sen. Harry Reid said with a touch of sarcasm. The Democrat’s tongue reached deeper into his cheek when he suggested renaming Mount Doherty in his Searchlight hometown after the Republican icon.
“There’s been plenty named after him,” said Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, who turned to Republican Rep. Mark Amodei. “Put him up there in Northern Nevada,” she said. “Put him up in your district.”
Titus suggested renaming Yucca Mountain for the 40th president because the controversial nuclear waste project for that site was hatched during Reagan’s tenure.
Reid, the Senate majority leader, was asked whether he would bring the bill to a vote in the Senate. He punted, saying he would take the lead of the congressman whose district contains Frenchman Mountain.
That would be Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, who showed a pained expression and declined to answer directly. Rather, he said he was focused on public land bills for Lyon County and Clark County.
Also not taking a side last week was the Department of Interior, whose Bureau of Land Management controls Frenchman Mountain. Deputy Secretary Ned Farquhar told the Republican-controlled House public lands subcommittee at a hearing the Obama administration “does not have a position” on the bill.
On naming bills, Farquhar said the BLM usually defers to Congress and the U.S. Geological Survey that administers the Board on Geographic Names. With the hearing completed, the next steps are committee and House votes.
The Mount Reagan bill is sponsored by Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., after he was asked for help by Las Vegas conservative activist Chuck Muth. The effort is an offshoot of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, conceived by conservative leader Grover Norquist in 1997 to place Reagan’s name on landmarks in every state.
Muth’s petition to the Board on Geographic Names to name the highest peak on Frenchman Mountain after Reagan was blocked by Titus who introduced a bill in October to name the same peak after Maude Frazier, a Democrat and the first woman to serve as Nevada lieutenant governor. Heck’s bill instead would name one of the adjacent peaks after Reagan.
“This seems a worthwhile compromise and a way to satisfy all parties involved,” Heck said in a statement sent to the subcommittee. “Mount Reagan will serve as a fitting tribute for one of our nation’s greatest presidents and leaders.”
— Steve Tetreault
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