by Jeri Chadwell-Singley
ThiS Modern World
by tom tomorrow
What’s your favorite part of vaping? Asked at School of Vape, 580 E. Plumb Lane Jennifer Fulton Student
Well, I haven’t smoked in three years, so that would be my favorite part of vaping, I would say. … There’s that thing with third-degree smoke—you know, how if you smoke and then you go hold a baby. I never really believed that—but it’s true, and I have three kids, and one of them has asthma. I never smoked inside the house, but his asthma is better since I quit smoking. Celly Christie Photographer
I’d say the culture, because there’s a lot of really cool people who vape. I mean you’re not going to get that, I guess, around drinking culture or—you know what mean? Or if there’s a cigarette culture, I don’t really think that it’s catering to cool people. I feel like everybody’s really chill.
Louis Puentes Salesman
Council is doing fine
Being able to vape inside, to get my fix inside, not having to go outside and freeze to smoke a cigarette. I don’t get told that I smell. Actually, it’s the opposite. People tell me that I smell really good with my vape.
For instance, during the tenure of Reno airport execuA group of consultants from the Urban Land Institute tive director Robert White, he often accused the Airport was commissioned by the Reno City Council to take a Authority Board of micromanaging, and they inevitably look at affairs in Reno, particularly the Virginia Street backed off. That turned out to be a serious mistake, as the corridor, and offer advice. ULI has offices in D.C., anger management training he was directed to undergo London, Hong Kong and other cities. seemed to fail, and employees and members of the public The advice to the council was “behave like a board suffered from his behavior. of directors” and don’t “micromanage.” There was Many staffers and public administrators use the term other detail, but that was the gist. micromanage to deny the right of their superiors to We’ve long been skeptical of these “views from provide oversight, and it often masks a desire for empire outside,” consultants from elsewhere who, standing off building and policy making that is outside the purview at a safe distance, prescribe solutions for an area, the of staff. The Reno City Council is an consequences of which they don’t elected, part-time body responsible for have to live with. They have no What some call oversight of an unelected, full-time stake in the result. We don’t like it, for instance, micromanagement, administration of department chiefs, staffers and the city manager. It is not when Las Vegas legislators diss we call oversight. remotely analogous to the board of slow-growth governing practices directors of Colgate-Palmolive or the in Reno. We don’t like it when federal education officials who contribute next to noth- Smithsonian Institution. Full-time employees have an inclination to wander into ing to Nevada education funding demand standardized policy making and then get elected officials to sign onto tests and other one-size-fits-all steps. their decisions. That’s not the way it should work, and Behaving like a board of directors, as an analogy, oversight should avoid those pitfalls. has its uses. For instance, in reference to the Nevada One need only look back to the decision-making of Legislature, what corporation would tolerate its board the 1990s, with names like Oliver McMillan and Charles of directors meeting only every other year? McNeely, and remember the way the Reno City Council But ULI carried the analogy way too far. The city council is an elected body, accountable to the public, not was too busy to handle city business and ended up ratifying too many policies offered by redevelopment staffers. to a narrow group of shareholders. It must be responToday’s Reno City Council has created a healthier, sible to the public for its agency chiefs and staffers. more intelligent and responsive process. We also object to the use of the term micromanage. Our advice to the council: You’re doing fine. Ignore We’ve been down this road many times before in this the ULI and keep following your instincts and skills. valley. What some call micromanagement, we call So far, they have not failed you. Ω oversight. OPINION
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NEWS
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GREEN
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FEATURE STORY
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ARTS&CULTURE
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ART OF THE STATE
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FOODFINDS
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FILM
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MUSICBEAT
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NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS
Trevor Minshew Maintenance mechanic
Well, my favorite part of vaping is mainly that it helped me quit cigarettes. I was not really like a multiple-pack-a day-guy, but I mean, I smoked more than I should have at like 18 and younger. But it totally got me off it. I’ve been lowering the nicotine to help me get off it, and it’s been working amazingly. Plus the flavor is just outstanding.
Dustin Ferris Garage door installer
My favorite part of vaping is probably just learning new tricks and just the experience you get with learning that and the pride you can take with it. [My favorite trick is] probably just the jellyfish. You blow an “O,” and you puff a little bit of vape in the middle, and it kind of flows away as a jellyfish.
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THIS WEEK
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MISCELLANY
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APRIL 14, 2016
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RN&R
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