Party time

The Washoe County Democratic Party chose the Titanic centennial for the date of its 2012 county convention.

The delegates, meeting in an auditorium at Wooster High School, seemed to reserve their fervor for local and state races. Out of more than 300 cars in the parking lot, just 14 had Obama bumper stickers, plus one car that had Obama and Hillary Clinton stickers side by side, which seemed to indicate less than complete enthusiasm for the president.

Local firefighters set up a table to distribute material opposing the Washoe County Commission’s planned break-up of consolidated city/county fire services.

Reno City Council candidates—not usually big players at these events—got a good deal of attention and some volunteers in this year when term limits have opened several seats.

Nevada Senate candidates Debbie Smith and Sheila Leslie seem to be running on a ticket together, sharing advertising space and photographs.

Nevada Assembly candidate Teresa Benitez-Thompson told the crowd when she was elected to her first term, she went to the state capital expecting to work to make life easier for Nevadans. What she found, she said, was Republicans in the Legislature working to make life harder—“and we don’t need life to be any harder now.”

Bumper stickers for sale at the convention included “KEEP WASHOE BLUE” and “THANK UNIONS/THEY INVENTED THE WEEKEND!”

There was at least one anti-abortion delegate at the convention—his car had a “Pro-Life” sticker next to a sticker reading “A Mormon President?” And another car with a Nevada plate had a sticker referring to the Wisconsin political battles—“RECALL WALKER.”