Washington Business and Technology Institute - PPAA18 (Pan Pacific and Asian American Forum)

My congratulations to all of the principals involved with the Las Vegas Monorail System
By Dr. Kenny C. Guinn*1
The following is my message of "LAS VEGAS MONORAIL INAUGURATES SERVICE ON JULY 15":
Transportation has long been one of the major determinants in calling a city ¨major〃 or ¨minor.〃 When a city has a seamless and efficient public transportation system, visitors and residents alike feel that they are traveling in a special place. With the launch of service for the Las Vegas Monorail on July 15, Las Vegas will take an important step in its evolution as one of the worldˇs great emerging cities.*2
The Las Vegas Monorail is a $650 million privately funded transportation system that connects major resort properties on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip. It begins service on July 15. According to the Las Vegas Monorail Company, it is estimated that the monorail system, which will follow a four-mile route, will service about 20 million riders per year. There are other benefits as well. The Las Vegas Monorail will help improve the air quality in Las Vegas, and will also help ease traffic congestion in and around the Strip. The Regional Transportation Commission estimates that because of the monorailˇs existence, there will be seven percent fewer vehicle trips around the Strip.
The project not only will help the State's transportation system, it also features innovative financing. The Board of Finance required that the project have insurance coverage for the state bonds used for the project, a move that ensures that the State will not be held liable if the system fails to pay off its $650 million in revenue bonds. The Board of Finance also determined that the bonds do not count against the state's limit on bonded indebtedness, which doubly protects the State.
In the future, it is hoped that the monorail will prove to be a unique attraction and service to the more than 35 million people who travel to Las Vegas each year. The monorail system is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Monorail Company, a non-profit corporation run by a board appointed by the Governor of Nevada or his designee. The cost to ride the system - $3 - is roughly the same as a minimum taxi cab fare, and should provide an excellent movement solution for convention attendees and locals alike. My congratulations to all of the principals involved with the Las Vegas Monorail System, and particularly to James Gibson, Mayor of Henderson, who has ably served as chairman and CEO of Transit Systems Management, management firm for the Las Vegas Monorail. Finally, the late Bob Broadbent, whose political acumen and leadership first helped get the project off the ground, should also be remembered by the citizens of Nevada as the Monorail begins operation.*3
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References
*1. Dr. Kenny C. Guinn is the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A.. Public Administration Institution (PAI) of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI) did a little editing on this article.
*2. Ofiice of the Governor. 'LAS VEGAS MONORAIL INAUGURATES SERVICE ON JULY 15; A Message from Governor Kenny C. Guinn - July 14, 2004,' "An e-mail from the Office of Governor Kenny Guinn to Dr. Tony Lei," (July 14, 2004), Carson City, Nevada: Office of Governor Kenny C. Guinn.
*3. Ibid.
***About Governor Kenny Guinn (by the Editor of this flier):
Kenny Guinn, 67, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan. He was named Superintendent of Schools in Clark County and served with distinction in that position until 1978.
In his work for the Clark County School District, Guinn was recognized as an effective administrator committed to educational excellence at a time when the county was experiencing exponential student growth. His service to Clark County students was honored when Kenny C. Guinn Junior High School was named for him.
In 1978, Guinn began applying his management skills in business as Administrative Vice President for Nevada Savings and Loan in Las Vegas, which later became PriMerit Bank. At PriMerit, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas-based bank. Soon thereafter, Guinn was recruited to the energy business as the President of Southwest Gas Corporation and eventually became Chairman of the Board of Directors of that utility in 1993.
In 1994, Guinn was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
In addition to his one-year term at UNLV, Guinn served the state in leadership roles on a variety of committees and commissions, including the Clark County Community College Advisory Committee, the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees, the White House Conference on Children and Youth, among others.
Guinn has also worked in his community in a variety of volunteer roles, ranging from involvement in the Boy Scouts and Pop Warner Football to the United Way of Southern Nevada and the Southern Nevada Independent Youth Athletic Association.
Kenny spent his boyhood in the small, Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 47 years. Kenny Guinn believes in families.
Dr. Kenny Guinn is now the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A. at his second term.

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