Attention Marines and Your Families;
A special recognition from the City of Las Vegas
Date: Wednesday November 7th
Time: 0845HRS or 8:45AM
Place: Las Vegas City Council Chambers
City Hall
400 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101 (Map) Between Las Vegas Blvd and 4th Street
Phone: (702) 229-6011
Point of Contact: Steve Sanson-(702) 283-8088
Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian will present a Proclamation to the United States Marine Corps making November 10th Marine Corps Day from the City of Las Vegas.
Marines put on your uniforms and/or your red hats and invite as many Marines to appear for this honor.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Las Vegas Trademark Attorney
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Publisher of the Las Vegas Fronteer Directory intensifies battle with former salesman/debt collector Steve Sanson by filing trademark infringement law
On October 2, 2007, Fronteer Directory of Nevada, Inc. (“FDN”) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada against Steve W. Sanson and Fronteer Yellow Pages, LLC, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition under §43(a), common law trademark infringement, conversion, tortious interference with a prospective economic advantage, and breach of loyalty. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, profits, treble damages, and attorney’s fees. A copy of the complaint can be downloaded here (courtesy of me).As many Las Vegas residents know, the Fronteer Directory is that miniature yellow pages that shows up on our doorsteps once a year and provides a more compact alternative yellow pages to keep in you car compared to the “other” bulky yellow pages book.FDN has been publishing the Fronteer Directory since 1995. The cost of producing the directory is paid for by advertisers appearing in the directory – both national accounts and local accounts. The directory is typically published once per year with printing done in three split runs approx. two weeks apart with each run producing about 200,000 directories. FDN relies upon the national accounts for the funds to produce the first run of directories and the local accounts for funds to produce the second and third runs.Sanson was originally hired by FDN as a sales employee, and later became FDN’s “credit manager” in charge of pursuing collection lawsuits against advertisers failing to pay their accounts. He has his own website - http://www.stevesanson.com/index.htm - where he promotes himself and his experience with small-claim debt collection in Nevada (much of which he gained while employed with FDN).According to the complaint, FDN’s President (noticeably never mentioned by name in the complaint) met with Sanson sometime in April 2007 regarding buying the company, around the time when FDN was about to begin producing the 2007 edition of the Fronteer Directory (supposedly a good time to sell the business). When Sanson allegedly could not meet the terms of the deal and no sale ever occurred, FDN moved forward with producing the 2007 edition of its telephone directory.FDN and Sanson also agreed that he would no longer be employed by FDN after June 28, 2006, and that they would work out an independent contractor arrangement thereafter. In addition, in order to reduce overhead, FDN moved out of its month-to-month leased office space in Henderson, Nevada, and agreed with Sanson to move FDN’s office to Sanson’s personal residence, with telephone and fax lines forwarded to Sanson’s residence. FDN and Sanson agreed that Sanson would continue to handle billing statements and bank deposits on a daily basis and would continue to monitor FDN’s post office box.Unbeknownst to FDN at the time, on June 4, 2007, Sanson filed Articles of Organization with the Nevada Secretary of State for Fronteer Yellow Pages, LLC. Sanson subsequently opened a bank account “doing business as” Fronteer Directory Company of Nevada, although no such Fictitious Firm Name appears on file with the Clark County Recorder’s office. When FDN confronted Sanson about the new checking account after discovering some blank checks and bank statements, Sanson allegedly indicated he wanted to start a telephone directory for the year 2009.The complaint alleges that Sanson converted FDN’s telephone number by changing the contact information to his own without FDN’s authorization, thereby preventing FDN from managing the account. Sanson opened a second post office box under FDN’s name without FDN’s authorization and had mail forwarded from FDN’s original post office box to this second post office box. When FDN discovered the second post office box, FDN directed Sanson to cancel the box. The complaint further alleges that Sanson received several checks from advertisers, but did not deposit them into FDN’s bank account and instead converted them for his own benefit.Around July 20, 2007, FDN informed Sanson that it intended to sell the company to another interested buyer that had expressed its interest with a written letter of intent.At this point, I must digress from the details of the complaint to focus on the very public battle that began to play out around this time in the media and online, which also provides some insights into how Sanson is likely to answer FDN's complaint.On July 24, 2007, Channel 3 News (KVBC, the local NBC affiliate) ran a story titled “Are Fronteer phone book advertisers getting what they paid for?” News 3 reporter Jesse Corona interviewed George Chehade, a former sales manager for FDN. Chehade told Corona that FDN has promised advertisers that 600,000 copies of the “valley-wide” directory would be published. But according to Chehade, only ¼ of the total 600,000 directors for 2007 were printed, while the owner of FDN continues to collect money from advertisers.Chehade suspected there was a problem when only 150,000 directories were printed and shipped in June. FDN’s owner, Albert Holtan, apparently informed Chehade that the company was shutting down. When Chehade asked about the remaining directories, Holtan said not to worry. Holtan then fired all the employees and closed FDN’s doors. Holton told News 3 that he relocated his office to his home and says he is not closing the business.Meanwhile, Holton continued to bill advertisers. Sales representatives informed their former clients about the situation, and several customers have said they no longer want to pay for an ad that only reached about one quarter of the audience they were promised. Holtan told Corona there was an issue with former employees stealing from him, but did not given any details about the theft or how it may have impacted printing.On July 26, 2007, News 3 ran a follow-up story titled “Investigators seize Fronteer Directory's financial, business records.” Jesse Corona reported that the Nevada Attorney General's Office had seized the financial and business records of FDN and Albert Holtan by executing a search warrant on Steve Sanson’s home and seizing computers, hard drives and all business records and bank statements dealing with Albert Holtan and FDN.The news report noted that the publicity still has not stopped Holtan from continuing to bill advertisers who were promised 600,000 copies of the Fronteer Directory would be distributed valley-wide. FDN apparently has filed 711 cases in small claims court against advertisers since January 1, 2000. The report noted that many of the cases were filed by Sanson.Corona contacted Holtan, who said he was not closing the business, but had simply relocated his office to his home – a mansion nicknamed "The Castle" located in the luxury area of Lake Las Vegas and which is listed for sale for almost $5 million (see listing and link to virtual tour here courtesy of yourvegashome.com). Chehade suspects that Holtan is planning to collect as much money as he can from advertisers before leaving town for good.Finally, on August 20, 2007, News 3 ran a third follow-up story titled “Former debt collector speaks out about Fronteer phonebook investigation.” This time, the person speaking out to Jesse Corona was Steve Sanson himself.According to Sanson, he has filed over 2,300 lawsuits against advertisers while he worked for FDN as its credit manager and in-house debt collector. Sanson now claims to have been manipulated by Holtan. Supposedly, Holtan expected Sanson to continue to file lawsuits against non-paying advertisers for the total amount owed (approx. $1.5 million) despite having only printed 150,000 copies of the 600,000 copies promised to advertisers. Sanson says Holtan strung employees and advertisers along for months with promises that more directories would be printed, only to then fire everyone and relocate the business.Sanson acknowledges that the phone lines, the fax lines, the computers were all moved to his house, but he says that once he realized Holtan planned to take the money and run, he notified the Attorney General's Office, which then executed search warrant and seized all of the business records from his house. Sanson said that he had already collected almost $700,000 before the Attorney General's investigation closed him down.On the heels of the August 20th News 3 story, Sanson, on August 24, 2007, published a lengthy article on LibertyPost.org titled “The Untold Story of Fronteer Directory Yellow Pages!” detailing his version of events and providing a very detailed history of the company. He posted an abridged version of his article on a Las Vegas Review Journal “eforum” website (link here) on September 15, 2007.In his online posting, Sanson asserts that the deal to purchase FDN fell apart because Holtan was unwilling to show federal tax returns, balance sheets, and corporate records and because the potential investors felt Holtan was hiding something, which apparently turned out to a liability of $753,000 for the printing bill for the 2006 directories on top of a $273,000 owed by FDN for the 2007 printing, the latter of which Holtan claimed was the business’ only outstanding liability. Sanson also notes that the 2007 Fronteer Directory did not have the words “Serving the Entire Las Vegas Valley” on the cover, which may have been some last minute attempt by Holtan to excuse the well-under 600,000 production that Holtan was planning. Sanson’s article does not explain why he organized Fronteer Yellow Pages, LLC nor does he provide any facts to explain the bank account.On September 12, 2007 (according to the complaint), Sanson sent a letter out to FDN’s advertisers asserting that FDN had misappropriated such advertisers’ funds and would continue to do so for the remainder of the year.The above media coverage is the basis for FDN’s allegations in the complaint that Sanson, during the months of July, August, and September, contacted the Nevada Attorney General’s office, contacted a local TV station, and wrote multiple articles, posted on various internet sites, stating that FDN mislead and defrauded advertisers and intended to shut down its business.One final curious addition to the complaint is that on August 10, 2007, Sanson contacted FDN seeking $4600 for work performed in July and August related to Sanson’s continued efforts to pursue collections. FDN supposedly informed Sanson at that time that he was not authorized to act on behalf of FDN. Nonetheless, on August 17, 2007, Sanson sent a demand letter on behalf of FDN to one of the advertisers that was past due, and on August 31, 2007, filed an action in Clark County District Court.While there may be many parts of the complaint that are factually inaccurate, this last one is easily contradicted. While many of Sanson’s past complaints were filed with the Las Vegas Justice Court, those court filings cannot be searched online. However, filings with the Clark County District Court (which hears claims exceeding $10000) can be seen online (link here) and the system shows one case filed on August 31, 2007, by Fronteer Directory Co Of Nevada Inc. against the Law Offices Of Barry Levinson (Case No. 07-A-547429-C). However, FDN’s counsel is listed as Charles M. Damus of Charles M. Damus and Associates – not Steve Sanson.And that’s the whole story (so far) leading up to and including FDN’s complaint.Comments:Focusing just on the trademark aspect of the case, Sanson does not appear to have used the mark on any such goods (telephone directories) . . .at least not yet. Thus, without additional factual allegations, FDN does not appear to have a strong claim for any money damages based on its claims of trademark infringement and unfair competition by Sanson. As for injunctive relief, FDN’s claim may have some merit to the extent that Sanson was going to continue his business plans and put out the Fronteer Yellow Pages (as the name of his LLC would suggest) as a competing directory.However, without a federal trademark registration, FDN’s trademark rights to the FRONTEER mark exist only so long as FDN legitimately intends to use the mark in commerce. An issue in dispute may likely be whether FDN has abandoned its directory business, and in effect, abandoned its trademark rights to the FRONTEER mark.I suspect that Sanson’s LLC may have just been his efforts to get prepared to take over the business – either through a buyout (using this LLC as the buyer) or as a new operating entity to continue publishing the Fronteer Directory after FDN goes out of business. Quite frankly, after all of the coverage that the Fronteer Directory has had, one wonders whether Sanson would even want to use the mark FRONTEER on his phone directory. So long as Sanson puts out a compact yellow pages much like what FDN published, people will continue to put them in their cars no matter what they may be called.With respect to the other parts of the complaint, it’s not clear at this stage if the complaint is legitimate or merely FDN’s attempt to try and to stop Sanson from his media campaign. However, Sanson seems like he can handle himself in a courtroom, so I cannot imagine that he will back down from a complaint such as this. If anything, it gives him another avenue towards letting the public know the truth about FDN.
Publisher of the Las Vegas Fronteer Directory intensifies battle with former salesman/debt collector Steve Sanson by filing trademark infringement law
On October 2, 2007, Fronteer Directory of Nevada, Inc. (“FDN”) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada against Steve W. Sanson and Fronteer Yellow Pages, LLC, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition under §43(a), common law trademark infringement, conversion, tortious interference with a prospective economic advantage, and breach of loyalty. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, profits, treble damages, and attorney’s fees. A copy of the complaint can be downloaded here (courtesy of me).As many Las Vegas residents know, the Fronteer Directory is that miniature yellow pages that shows up on our doorsteps once a year and provides a more compact alternative yellow pages to keep in you car compared to the “other” bulky yellow pages book.FDN has been publishing the Fronteer Directory since 1995. The cost of producing the directory is paid for by advertisers appearing in the directory – both national accounts and local accounts. The directory is typically published once per year with printing done in three split runs approx. two weeks apart with each run producing about 200,000 directories. FDN relies upon the national accounts for the funds to produce the first run of directories and the local accounts for funds to produce the second and third runs.Sanson was originally hired by FDN as a sales employee, and later became FDN’s “credit manager” in charge of pursuing collection lawsuits against advertisers failing to pay their accounts. He has his own website - http://www.stevesanson.com/index.htm - where he promotes himself and his experience with small-claim debt collection in Nevada (much of which he gained while employed with FDN).According to the complaint, FDN’s President (noticeably never mentioned by name in the complaint) met with Sanson sometime in April 2007 regarding buying the company, around the time when FDN was about to begin producing the 2007 edition of the Fronteer Directory (supposedly a good time to sell the business). When Sanson allegedly could not meet the terms of the deal and no sale ever occurred, FDN moved forward with producing the 2007 edition of its telephone directory.FDN and Sanson also agreed that he would no longer be employed by FDN after June 28, 2006, and that they would work out an independent contractor arrangement thereafter. In addition, in order to reduce overhead, FDN moved out of its month-to-month leased office space in Henderson, Nevada, and agreed with Sanson to move FDN’s office to Sanson’s personal residence, with telephone and fax lines forwarded to Sanson’s residence. FDN and Sanson agreed that Sanson would continue to handle billing statements and bank deposits on a daily basis and would continue to monitor FDN’s post office box.Unbeknownst to FDN at the time, on June 4, 2007, Sanson filed Articles of Organization with the Nevada Secretary of State for Fronteer Yellow Pages, LLC. Sanson subsequently opened a bank account “doing business as” Fronteer Directory Company of Nevada, although no such Fictitious Firm Name appears on file with the Clark County Recorder’s office. When FDN confronted Sanson about the new checking account after discovering some blank checks and bank statements, Sanson allegedly indicated he wanted to start a telephone directory for the year 2009.The complaint alleges that Sanson converted FDN’s telephone number by changing the contact information to his own without FDN’s authorization, thereby preventing FDN from managing the account. Sanson opened a second post office box under FDN’s name without FDN’s authorization and had mail forwarded from FDN’s original post office box to this second post office box. When FDN discovered the second post office box, FDN directed Sanson to cancel the box. The complaint further alleges that Sanson received several checks from advertisers, but did not deposit them into FDN’s bank account and instead converted them for his own benefit.Around July 20, 2007, FDN informed Sanson that it intended to sell the company to another interested buyer that had expressed its interest with a written letter of intent.At this point, I must digress from the details of the complaint to focus on the very public battle that began to play out around this time in the media and online, which also provides some insights into how Sanson is likely to answer FDN's complaint.On July 24, 2007, Channel 3 News (KVBC, the local NBC affiliate) ran a story titled “Are Fronteer phone book advertisers getting what they paid for?” News 3 reporter Jesse Corona interviewed George Chehade, a former sales manager for FDN. Chehade told Corona that FDN has promised advertisers that 600,000 copies of the “valley-wide” directory would be published. But according to Chehade, only ¼ of the total 600,000 directors for 2007 were printed, while the owner of FDN continues to collect money from advertisers.Chehade suspected there was a problem when only 150,000 directories were printed and shipped in June. FDN’s owner, Albert Holtan, apparently informed Chehade that the company was shutting down. When Chehade asked about the remaining directories, Holtan said not to worry. Holtan then fired all the employees and closed FDN’s doors. Holton told News 3 that he relocated his office to his home and says he is not closing the business.Meanwhile, Holton continued to bill advertisers. Sales representatives informed their former clients about the situation, and several customers have said they no longer want to pay for an ad that only reached about one quarter of the audience they were promised. Holtan told Corona there was an issue with former employees stealing from him, but did not given any details about the theft or how it may have impacted printing.On July 26, 2007, News 3 ran a follow-up story titled “Investigators seize Fronteer Directory's financial, business records.” Jesse Corona reported that the Nevada Attorney General's Office had seized the financial and business records of FDN and Albert Holtan by executing a search warrant on Steve Sanson’s home and seizing computers, hard drives and all business records and bank statements dealing with Albert Holtan and FDN.The news report noted that the publicity still has not stopped Holtan from continuing to bill advertisers who were promised 600,000 copies of the Fronteer Directory would be distributed valley-wide. FDN apparently has filed 711 cases in small claims court against advertisers since January 1, 2000. The report noted that many of the cases were filed by Sanson.Corona contacted Holtan, who said he was not closing the business, but had simply relocated his office to his home – a mansion nicknamed "The Castle" located in the luxury area of Lake Las Vegas and which is listed for sale for almost $5 million (see listing and link to virtual tour here courtesy of yourvegashome.com). Chehade suspects that Holtan is planning to collect as much money as he can from advertisers before leaving town for good.Finally, on August 20, 2007, News 3 ran a third follow-up story titled “Former debt collector speaks out about Fronteer phonebook investigation.” This time, the person speaking out to Jesse Corona was Steve Sanson himself.According to Sanson, he has filed over 2,300 lawsuits against advertisers while he worked for FDN as its credit manager and in-house debt collector. Sanson now claims to have been manipulated by Holtan. Supposedly, Holtan expected Sanson to continue to file lawsuits against non-paying advertisers for the total amount owed (approx. $1.5 million) despite having only printed 150,000 copies of the 600,000 copies promised to advertisers. Sanson says Holtan strung employees and advertisers along for months with promises that more directories would be printed, only to then fire everyone and relocate the business.Sanson acknowledges that the phone lines, the fax lines, the computers were all moved to his house, but he says that once he realized Holtan planned to take the money and run, he notified the Attorney General's Office, which then executed search warrant and seized all of the business records from his house. Sanson said that he had already collected almost $700,000 before the Attorney General's investigation closed him down.On the heels of the August 20th News 3 story, Sanson, on August 24, 2007, published a lengthy article on LibertyPost.org titled “The Untold Story of Fronteer Directory Yellow Pages!” detailing his version of events and providing a very detailed history of the company. He posted an abridged version of his article on a Las Vegas Review Journal “eforum” website (link here) on September 15, 2007.In his online posting, Sanson asserts that the deal to purchase FDN fell apart because Holtan was unwilling to show federal tax returns, balance sheets, and corporate records and because the potential investors felt Holtan was hiding something, which apparently turned out to a liability of $753,000 for the printing bill for the 2006 directories on top of a $273,000 owed by FDN for the 2007 printing, the latter of which Holtan claimed was the business’ only outstanding liability. Sanson also notes that the 2007 Fronteer Directory did not have the words “Serving the Entire Las Vegas Valley” on the cover, which may have been some last minute attempt by Holtan to excuse the well-under 600,000 production that Holtan was planning. Sanson’s article does not explain why he organized Fronteer Yellow Pages, LLC nor does he provide any facts to explain the bank account.On September 12, 2007 (according to the complaint), Sanson sent a letter out to FDN’s advertisers asserting that FDN had misappropriated such advertisers’ funds and would continue to do so for the remainder of the year.The above media coverage is the basis for FDN’s allegations in the complaint that Sanson, during the months of July, August, and September, contacted the Nevada Attorney General’s office, contacted a local TV station, and wrote multiple articles, posted on various internet sites, stating that FDN mislead and defrauded advertisers and intended to shut down its business.One final curious addition to the complaint is that on August 10, 2007, Sanson contacted FDN seeking $4600 for work performed in July and August related to Sanson’s continued efforts to pursue collections. FDN supposedly informed Sanson at that time that he was not authorized to act on behalf of FDN. Nonetheless, on August 17, 2007, Sanson sent a demand letter on behalf of FDN to one of the advertisers that was past due, and on August 31, 2007, filed an action in Clark County District Court.While there may be many parts of the complaint that are factually inaccurate, this last one is easily contradicted. While many of Sanson’s past complaints were filed with the Las Vegas Justice Court, those court filings cannot be searched online. However, filings with the Clark County District Court (which hears claims exceeding $10000) can be seen online (link here) and the system shows one case filed on August 31, 2007, by Fronteer Directory Co Of Nevada Inc. against the Law Offices Of Barry Levinson (Case No. 07-A-547429-C). However, FDN’s counsel is listed as Charles M. Damus of Charles M. Damus and Associates – not Steve Sanson.And that’s the whole story (so far) leading up to and including FDN’s complaint.Comments:Focusing just on the trademark aspect of the case, Sanson does not appear to have used the mark on any such goods (telephone directories) . . .at least not yet. Thus, without additional factual allegations, FDN does not appear to have a strong claim for any money damages based on its claims of trademark infringement and unfair competition by Sanson. As for injunctive relief, FDN’s claim may have some merit to the extent that Sanson was going to continue his business plans and put out the Fronteer Yellow Pages (as the name of his LLC would suggest) as a competing directory.However, without a federal trademark registration, FDN’s trademark rights to the FRONTEER mark exist only so long as FDN legitimately intends to use the mark in commerce. An issue in dispute may likely be whether FDN has abandoned its directory business, and in effect, abandoned its trademark rights to the FRONTEER mark.I suspect that Sanson’s LLC may have just been his efforts to get prepared to take over the business – either through a buyout (using this LLC as the buyer) or as a new operating entity to continue publishing the Fronteer Directory after FDN goes out of business. Quite frankly, after all of the coverage that the Fronteer Directory has had, one wonders whether Sanson would even want to use the mark FRONTEER on his phone directory. So long as Sanson puts out a compact yellow pages much like what FDN published, people will continue to put them in their cars no matter what they may be called.With respect to the other parts of the complaint, it’s not clear at this stage if the complaint is legitimate or merely FDN’s attempt to try and to stop Sanson from his media campaign. However, Sanson seems like he can handle himself in a courtroom, so I cannot imagine that he will back down from a complaint such as this. If anything, it gives him another avenue towards letting the public know the truth about FDN.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Exploitation of the AMERICAN Flag!
Exploitation of the American Flag!
By Steve William Sanson
Most of us call ourselves patriots.
I believe there is a different kind of patriotism when you serve your county in the United States Military.
I believe this patriotism is stronger for those whom have seen their fellow serviceman and or woman die in combat and for those who place their own lives in danger for the honor to fly the American Flag.
It is my perspective that many Americans take our freedoms for granted when Americans do not vote or get involved in the community. Some Americans have strong opinions and may complain yet do not take a part in community and do not vote.
The American flag brings back a lot of personal memories for me. I am sure each of us has our own meaning around the American flag due to our own experiences in America. I personally do not believe the American flag should be commercialized and used for financial gain.
The American flag represents all fighting men and women who have spilled their blood and gave their lives. I hold the flag to a higher standard and I do not know what I would do if I saw someone burn the flag.
The American flag has flown for over 232 years. Millions of Americans have given their life for the American flag.
The American flag represents integrity, honesty, patriotism, freedom, self sacrifice, and many other words of a true American.
I would like to know what value most Americans place on the American flag.
1) Would you have the American flag touch the ground?
2) Would you be OK with someone burning the American flag in protest?
3) Would you allow a radical group to fly the American flag (groups of terror and/or racists)?
4) Would you allow a business to fly the American flag that lacks integrity and mix words to go above a City Ordnance by making a false promise of a veteran memorial to gain the Las Vegas City Council vote?
On May 3, 2006, Towbin Hummer came before the Las Vegas City Council for 140 foot flag pole 100 feet higher than current city ordnance. The purpose was to gain the support of the seven bodies of the City Council.
Towbin added that they would do a memorial at the base of the flag pole. In Addition, Towbin indicated that they would do this memorial in conjunction with the Las Vegas Centennial and they would make arrangements with Nellis Air Force Base to use their Color Guard in the celebration and they would invite Las Vegas Mayor Goodman to officiate over the memorial.
Towbin made reference that they would want a Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Hummers they sell are used by the brave men and women of our military. There is a problem with this statement HUMMERS were never used in the United States Military although HUMMVEES were used in the military. The difference between HUMMERS and HUMMVEES are their engines. HUMMERS are gas used and HUMMVEES are diesel and not to mention HUMMERS plush interior. HUMMVEES were never used during Vietnam era and were not used until Desert Storm era a 30 year gap.
Towbin also made more statements by indicating if they could not have approval for the 140 foot flag pole "they would rather have nothing." Towbin compared themselves with Terrible Herbst flag poles, but the differences are that Terrible Herbst are in compliance with the City Ordnance and never made any promise of a memorial.
Towbin also made mention that if any surrounding neighbors complained they would take the flag pole down. The city has received several e-mails and letters from surrounding neighbors complaining about the noise of the American flag when it whips in the wind and they also showed up at the City Council meeting in protest of the noise on May 16, 2007, for Towbin's status check and review.
I came before the City Council on May 16, 2007, and this is my statement:
"Steve Sanson, President of Veterans In Politics-6455 Dean Martin Drive>
Everyone has the right to fly the American Flag and that right belongs to all Americans.
We are proud that Americans would want to honor and pledge allegiance to our flag.
Our Flag has been flown proudly from the Revolutionary War to present day over 232 years.
We do not have an issue with the flying of the American Flag.
The applicant stated over 12 months ago on May 3, 2006, that in addition to the American Flag there will be a memorial at the base of the flag pole in honor of our Veterans.
We are here to tell you that there is no memorial at the base of this flag pole.What disturbs us is the exploitation of Veterans (our men and women fighting and dying for our right to a free nation) being used for selfish financial gains.
Veterans give their lives for selfless reasons.
The Veterans should not be exploited to gain the compassionate and sympathetic hearts of the general public and this City Council.
Thank you and Semper Fidelis (Meaning Always Faithful)"
Towbin argued that the memorial was not part of the conditions, but staff pointed out that it is part of the conditions any statements made on record is part of the conditions.
Towbin argued that the City dropped the ball and did not give them their six months review. Is this not the responsibility of Towbin to find out when the six month review was to take place?
This actually gave Towbin another six months to follow through with the memorial.
Towbin argued that they did not want to spend the money on a memorial because they did not know if they would be able to keep the 140 foot flag pole.
That's funny because they could have put in a temporary memorial waiting for the final approval. Further more if this was true the flag pole is more expensive to put in then the memorial, this sounds like an excuse to me.
After all parties have spoken Las Vegas City Councilman Reese agreed that Towbin used the American Flag for financial gain, and was upset that the memorial was not put in.
Las Vegas City Councilman Wolfson indicated that Towbin had significant time to have a memorial in place.
Las Vegas City Councilwoman Tarkanian indicated that she is responsible to her constituency and quoted Towbin on many occasions in regard to what was said showing the taping of their meeting in 2006. Councilwoman Tarkanian asked that Towbin work with the Veterans In Politics for their impute on the memorial, and mentioned that they could re-file for a 75 foot flag pole.
Las Vegas Mayor Goodman indicated that he would like to see a memorial by Towbin working with the Veterans in Politics and Towbin had 60 days to take the current flag pole down. If Towbin did not take the current flag pole down within the time allotted the Mayor stated 'he would do it for them.'
This is the letter that I sent to Towbin's attorney David Chestnoff and Las Vegas City Councilwoman Tarkanian:
"On May 17, at around 5PM I received a call from Mr. Carl Marcello requesting that I contact his associate Sheila Rappai and give her my contact information, regarding the City Council's recommendation that the Veterans In Politics have impute on the memorial.
However, Mr. Marcello indicated to me that the plaque and the memorial was a done deal (indicating the Veterans input were not necessary).The following morning on May 18, I contacted Ms. Rappai about 9AM.
I wanted to comply with the City Council's recommendation. Ms. Rappai received my contact information and E-mailed me the wording that was going to be on the memorial at 6PM the same day.
On May 23, I received a phone call from Mr. David Chestnoff wanting to meet me. We met at 1030AM at my office on Dean Martin Drive. I was unsure if I should talk to him, because he indicated at the City Council that he was no longer representing Towbin Hummer.
In any event he assured me that he will represent Mr. Towbin if necessary and we arranged a meeting at 7PM to have my members meet him and Mr. Marcello at Towbin Hummer to discuss what was going on the memorial the same day.
The Veterans In Politics appeared with five members and we indicated that we would like a phrase made by General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the battle of D-day, the phrase would say:
"You Are About To Embark Upon The Great Crusade Toward Which We Have Striven These Many Months. The Eyes Of The World Are Upon You... I Have Full Confidence In Your Courage, Devotion To Duty And Skill In Battle"
We thought this phrase would be more appropriate than what was sent to us by Ms. Rappai. Another member indicated that he would like to see a statue of a helmet on top of an M16 A2 service rifle next to a pair of combat boots.
When I asked Mr. Marcello when the finish product would be done he indicated to me that if we use his wording it would be done by Memorial Day and he was waiting for my response from his initial phone call and I slowed down the process... I stated that he told me it was a done deal the last time we spoke.
I indicated that we would rather have the wording we provided. Mr. Marcello explained that it would be after Memorial Day, but Mr. Chestnoff indicated that he would make it happen.
We also asked about the statue of the M16/helmet/combat boots and we were told that this would take some time, maybe 8 weeks.
Mr. Marcello indicated that the memorial that is currently at the base of the flag pole is a temporary memorial and a permanent one would be constructed shortly. Depending if the City Council approves their Reconsideration.
On May 24 at 9AM, I received a phone call from Mr. Chestnoff indicating that they would move forward with the wording provided by the Veterans In Politics.
When asked about the Color Guard, Mr. Chestnoff indicated that they were not sure if they could use the Color Guard from Nellis Air Force Base. I indicated that I could find out the availability of the Marine Corps League Color Guard if I was given an exact date and time.
We appreciate that Towbin Hummer is moving forward on the City Council's recommendation and at this juncture they are cooperating to see this project through.
However, we are not willing to give our opinion on any other aspects of this project at this time."
Although Mr. Chestnoff fired back with a response rebutting everything that was mentioned in my letter. I did not expect anything different from my experience with this Applicant so far.
I believe their was no follow through with Towbin Hummer and that they are in disbelief that the Las Vegas City Council voted 7-0 for them to take down the flag pole and re-file for a 75 feet flag pole.
When an Applicant appears before the Las Vegas City Council and makes statements to the Council to gain their vote they better follow through or face the consequences.
Especially when you are dealing with the nations flag.
Do not take my word for it watch agenda item 110 at http://lasvegas.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=88 and see for yourself.
The Las Vegas City Council members are all very patriotic they do not have time to baby-sit an Applicant.
They are very thorough, they work long hours, and they are very committed to the City of Las Vegas.
E-mail: SteveWSanson@cs.com phone 702 283 8088Website: www.VeteransInPolitics.com.
By Steve William Sanson
Most of us call ourselves patriots.
I believe there is a different kind of patriotism when you serve your county in the United States Military.
I believe this patriotism is stronger for those whom have seen their fellow serviceman and or woman die in combat and for those who place their own lives in danger for the honor to fly the American Flag.
It is my perspective that many Americans take our freedoms for granted when Americans do not vote or get involved in the community. Some Americans have strong opinions and may complain yet do not take a part in community and do not vote.
The American flag brings back a lot of personal memories for me. I am sure each of us has our own meaning around the American flag due to our own experiences in America. I personally do not believe the American flag should be commercialized and used for financial gain.
The American flag represents all fighting men and women who have spilled their blood and gave their lives. I hold the flag to a higher standard and I do not know what I would do if I saw someone burn the flag.
The American flag has flown for over 232 years. Millions of Americans have given their life for the American flag.
The American flag represents integrity, honesty, patriotism, freedom, self sacrifice, and many other words of a true American.
I would like to know what value most Americans place on the American flag.
1) Would you have the American flag touch the ground?
2) Would you be OK with someone burning the American flag in protest?
3) Would you allow a radical group to fly the American flag (groups of terror and/or racists)?
4) Would you allow a business to fly the American flag that lacks integrity and mix words to go above a City Ordnance by making a false promise of a veteran memorial to gain the Las Vegas City Council vote?
On May 3, 2006, Towbin Hummer came before the Las Vegas City Council for 140 foot flag pole 100 feet higher than current city ordnance. The purpose was to gain the support of the seven bodies of the City Council.
Towbin added that they would do a memorial at the base of the flag pole. In Addition, Towbin indicated that they would do this memorial in conjunction with the Las Vegas Centennial and they would make arrangements with Nellis Air Force Base to use their Color Guard in the celebration and they would invite Las Vegas Mayor Goodman to officiate over the memorial.
Towbin made reference that they would want a Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Hummers they sell are used by the brave men and women of our military. There is a problem with this statement HUMMERS were never used in the United States Military although HUMMVEES were used in the military. The difference between HUMMERS and HUMMVEES are their engines. HUMMERS are gas used and HUMMVEES are diesel and not to mention HUMMERS plush interior. HUMMVEES were never used during Vietnam era and were not used until Desert Storm era a 30 year gap.
Towbin also made more statements by indicating if they could not have approval for the 140 foot flag pole "they would rather have nothing." Towbin compared themselves with Terrible Herbst flag poles, but the differences are that Terrible Herbst are in compliance with the City Ordnance and never made any promise of a memorial.
Towbin also made mention that if any surrounding neighbors complained they would take the flag pole down. The city has received several e-mails and letters from surrounding neighbors complaining about the noise of the American flag when it whips in the wind and they also showed up at the City Council meeting in protest of the noise on May 16, 2007, for Towbin's status check and review.
I came before the City Council on May 16, 2007, and this is my statement:
"Steve Sanson, President of Veterans In Politics-6455 Dean Martin Drive>
Everyone has the right to fly the American Flag and that right belongs to all Americans.
We are proud that Americans would want to honor and pledge allegiance to our flag.
Our Flag has been flown proudly from the Revolutionary War to present day over 232 years.
We do not have an issue with the flying of the American Flag.
The applicant stated over 12 months ago on May 3, 2006, that in addition to the American Flag there will be a memorial at the base of the flag pole in honor of our Veterans.
We are here to tell you that there is no memorial at the base of this flag pole.What disturbs us is the exploitation of Veterans (our men and women fighting and dying for our right to a free nation) being used for selfish financial gains.
Veterans give their lives for selfless reasons.
The Veterans should not be exploited to gain the compassionate and sympathetic hearts of the general public and this City Council.
Thank you and Semper Fidelis (Meaning Always Faithful)"
Towbin argued that the memorial was not part of the conditions, but staff pointed out that it is part of the conditions any statements made on record is part of the conditions.
Towbin argued that the City dropped the ball and did not give them their six months review. Is this not the responsibility of Towbin to find out when the six month review was to take place?
This actually gave Towbin another six months to follow through with the memorial.
Towbin argued that they did not want to spend the money on a memorial because they did not know if they would be able to keep the 140 foot flag pole.
That's funny because they could have put in a temporary memorial waiting for the final approval. Further more if this was true the flag pole is more expensive to put in then the memorial, this sounds like an excuse to me.
After all parties have spoken Las Vegas City Councilman Reese agreed that Towbin used the American Flag for financial gain, and was upset that the memorial was not put in.
Las Vegas City Councilman Wolfson indicated that Towbin had significant time to have a memorial in place.
Las Vegas City Councilwoman Tarkanian indicated that she is responsible to her constituency and quoted Towbin on many occasions in regard to what was said showing the taping of their meeting in 2006. Councilwoman Tarkanian asked that Towbin work with the Veterans In Politics for their impute on the memorial, and mentioned that they could re-file for a 75 foot flag pole.
Las Vegas Mayor Goodman indicated that he would like to see a memorial by Towbin working with the Veterans in Politics and Towbin had 60 days to take the current flag pole down. If Towbin did not take the current flag pole down within the time allotted the Mayor stated 'he would do it for them.'
This is the letter that I sent to Towbin's attorney David Chestnoff and Las Vegas City Councilwoman Tarkanian:
"On May 17, at around 5PM I received a call from Mr. Carl Marcello requesting that I contact his associate Sheila Rappai and give her my contact information, regarding the City Council's recommendation that the Veterans In Politics have impute on the memorial.
However, Mr. Marcello indicated to me that the plaque and the memorial was a done deal (indicating the Veterans input were not necessary).The following morning on May 18, I contacted Ms. Rappai about 9AM.
I wanted to comply with the City Council's recommendation. Ms. Rappai received my contact information and E-mailed me the wording that was going to be on the memorial at 6PM the same day.
On May 23, I received a phone call from Mr. David Chestnoff wanting to meet me. We met at 1030AM at my office on Dean Martin Drive. I was unsure if I should talk to him, because he indicated at the City Council that he was no longer representing Towbin Hummer.
In any event he assured me that he will represent Mr. Towbin if necessary and we arranged a meeting at 7PM to have my members meet him and Mr. Marcello at Towbin Hummer to discuss what was going on the memorial the same day.
The Veterans In Politics appeared with five members and we indicated that we would like a phrase made by General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the battle of D-day, the phrase would say:
"You Are About To Embark Upon The Great Crusade Toward Which We Have Striven These Many Months. The Eyes Of The World Are Upon You... I Have Full Confidence In Your Courage, Devotion To Duty And Skill In Battle"
We thought this phrase would be more appropriate than what was sent to us by Ms. Rappai. Another member indicated that he would like to see a statue of a helmet on top of an M16 A2 service rifle next to a pair of combat boots.
When I asked Mr. Marcello when the finish product would be done he indicated to me that if we use his wording it would be done by Memorial Day and he was waiting for my response from his initial phone call and I slowed down the process... I stated that he told me it was a done deal the last time we spoke.
I indicated that we would rather have the wording we provided. Mr. Marcello explained that it would be after Memorial Day, but Mr. Chestnoff indicated that he would make it happen.
We also asked about the statue of the M16/helmet/combat boots and we were told that this would take some time, maybe 8 weeks.
Mr. Marcello indicated that the memorial that is currently at the base of the flag pole is a temporary memorial and a permanent one would be constructed shortly. Depending if the City Council approves their Reconsideration.
On May 24 at 9AM, I received a phone call from Mr. Chestnoff indicating that they would move forward with the wording provided by the Veterans In Politics.
When asked about the Color Guard, Mr. Chestnoff indicated that they were not sure if they could use the Color Guard from Nellis Air Force Base. I indicated that I could find out the availability of the Marine Corps League Color Guard if I was given an exact date and time.
We appreciate that Towbin Hummer is moving forward on the City Council's recommendation and at this juncture they are cooperating to see this project through.
However, we are not willing to give our opinion on any other aspects of this project at this time."
Although Mr. Chestnoff fired back with a response rebutting everything that was mentioned in my letter. I did not expect anything different from my experience with this Applicant so far.
I believe their was no follow through with Towbin Hummer and that they are in disbelief that the Las Vegas City Council voted 7-0 for them to take down the flag pole and re-file for a 75 feet flag pole.
When an Applicant appears before the Las Vegas City Council and makes statements to the Council to gain their vote they better follow through or face the consequences.
Especially when you are dealing with the nations flag.
Do not take my word for it watch agenda item 110 at http://lasvegas.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=88 and see for yourself.
The Las Vegas City Council members are all very patriotic they do not have time to baby-sit an Applicant.
They are very thorough, they work long hours, and they are very committed to the City of Las Vegas.
E-mail: SteveWSanson@cs.com phone 702 283 8088Website: www.VeteransInPolitics.com.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Truesdell is Ward 5's Best Candidate!
Truesdell is Ward 5's Best Candidate!
By Steve William Sanson
Las Vegas, Nevada Stacie Truesdell, at the young age of 26, has intellect and vision beyond her years. She is an attorney who has been working for the prestigious Jones Vargas Law firm for the past two years and has appeared before Las Vegas City Council numerous times. She knows the City Council and would like to put this knowledge to work by helping the citizens of Las Vegas.
When I first interviewed Truesdell about an endorsement from Veterans In Politics, she struck me as very approachable.
Truesdell is a lifetime resident of Ward 5 who cares about her community and has invested in it by purchasing her home there.
Truesdell has voted in Ward 5 for the past 9 years while her opponent who only registered to vote in that Ward less than four months ago. Her opponent only rents in Ward 5, but actually owns a home in North Las Vegas. He was even a candidate for State Assembly in North Las Vegas. I do not have a problem with North Las Vegas. My problem is with her opponent, an opportunist that lacks integrity.
Truesdell's opponent Ricki Barlow pleaded guilty for domestic violence. Although I am hoping that he has learned from this mistake, it doesn't appear that way. He recently lied to the Review Journal about the incident despite court records clearly indicating otherwise.
Truesdell has been actively involved in this community. She represented the Animal Foundation; she fought for road expansion, and stood in opposition to the spread of pawn shops in neighborhood shopping centers.
Truesdell's opponent has been the Liaison to Lawrence Weekly's administration. The Liaison should to be the first line of defense for any City Council. Yet under his watch crime and graffiti have seen a rapid increase while Ward 5 still lacks enough food shopping centers in its neighborhoods.
Truesdell represents a fresh perspective to the City Council. She does not subscribe to the old way of doing things. She has no obligations to powerful interest groups and is already well respected by all City Council members.
Truesdell will propose the following for Ward 5:
1) Revitalizing the Neighborhood Watch programs that have withered and died under other's watch.
2) Increasing our graffiti eradication program which aims to wipe out gang markings as soon as they go up.
3) Offering substantial rewards to those who report graffiti and tag painters.
4) Moving our police into neighborhood policing mode and getting officers out of their cars and into those neighborhoods.
5) Supporting the business, cultural, and religious leaders who are organizing to stop widespread violence in our neighborhoods.
6) Expanding our Police Academy and eliminating the bottleneck which currently prevents us from graduating enough new police officers to meet their goals.
Truesdell and her opponent were invited to debate on my internet talk radio show; "Face the Tribune" back on May 12. Her opponent never responded and was a no show. On that same program I had a very healthy discussion with Stacie Truesdell. She was joined by her mother as they talked about her life, her opponent, development issues, and her constituent's concerns in Ward 5.
Truesdell also visited her local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on May 15. She spent several hours meeting her constituents and listening to the problems taking place in Ward 5.
Truesdell was given great praise for coming to this post and was told that she was the ONLY candidate that made time to visit them.I have visited and interviewed both candidates for the Las Vegas City Council Ward 5 on numerous occasions.
In my humble opinion and the opinions of the brave men and women of Veterans In Politics, Truesdell is the ONLY choice for Ward 5.
We hope that all citizens in Ward 5 would go to their polling places and make the choice for Stacie Truesdell.
E-mail: SteveWSanson@cs.com phone 702 283 8088Website: www.VeteransInPolitics.com.
Note: You can listen to archived broadcast of Sanson's interview with Truesdell at www.AllTalkRadio.net . Scroll down to "Face the Tribune" and click onto Full Program look for Show Archives on your right and click onto May 12, 2007.
By Steve William Sanson
Las Vegas, Nevada Stacie Truesdell, at the young age of 26, has intellect and vision beyond her years. She is an attorney who has been working for the prestigious Jones Vargas Law firm for the past two years and has appeared before Las Vegas City Council numerous times. She knows the City Council and would like to put this knowledge to work by helping the citizens of Las Vegas.
When I first interviewed Truesdell about an endorsement from Veterans In Politics, she struck me as very approachable.
Truesdell is a lifetime resident of Ward 5 who cares about her community and has invested in it by purchasing her home there.
Truesdell has voted in Ward 5 for the past 9 years while her opponent who only registered to vote in that Ward less than four months ago. Her opponent only rents in Ward 5, but actually owns a home in North Las Vegas. He was even a candidate for State Assembly in North Las Vegas. I do not have a problem with North Las Vegas. My problem is with her opponent, an opportunist that lacks integrity.
Truesdell's opponent Ricki Barlow pleaded guilty for domestic violence. Although I am hoping that he has learned from this mistake, it doesn't appear that way. He recently lied to the Review Journal about the incident despite court records clearly indicating otherwise.
Truesdell has been actively involved in this community. She represented the Animal Foundation; she fought for road expansion, and stood in opposition to the spread of pawn shops in neighborhood shopping centers.
Truesdell's opponent has been the Liaison to Lawrence Weekly's administration. The Liaison should to be the first line of defense for any City Council. Yet under his watch crime and graffiti have seen a rapid increase while Ward 5 still lacks enough food shopping centers in its neighborhoods.
Truesdell represents a fresh perspective to the City Council. She does not subscribe to the old way of doing things. She has no obligations to powerful interest groups and is already well respected by all City Council members.
Truesdell will propose the following for Ward 5:
1) Revitalizing the Neighborhood Watch programs that have withered and died under other's watch.
2) Increasing our graffiti eradication program which aims to wipe out gang markings as soon as they go up.
3) Offering substantial rewards to those who report graffiti and tag painters.
4) Moving our police into neighborhood policing mode and getting officers out of their cars and into those neighborhoods.
5) Supporting the business, cultural, and religious leaders who are organizing to stop widespread violence in our neighborhoods.
6) Expanding our Police Academy and eliminating the bottleneck which currently prevents us from graduating enough new police officers to meet their goals.
Truesdell and her opponent were invited to debate on my internet talk radio show; "Face the Tribune" back on May 12. Her opponent never responded and was a no show. On that same program I had a very healthy discussion with Stacie Truesdell. She was joined by her mother as they talked about her life, her opponent, development issues, and her constituent's concerns in Ward 5.
Truesdell also visited her local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on May 15. She spent several hours meeting her constituents and listening to the problems taking place in Ward 5.
Truesdell was given great praise for coming to this post and was told that she was the ONLY candidate that made time to visit them.I have visited and interviewed both candidates for the Las Vegas City Council Ward 5 on numerous occasions.
In my humble opinion and the opinions of the brave men and women of Veterans In Politics, Truesdell is the ONLY choice for Ward 5.
We hope that all citizens in Ward 5 would go to their polling places and make the choice for Stacie Truesdell.
E-mail: SteveWSanson@cs.com phone 702 283 8088Website: www.VeteransInPolitics.com.
Note: You can listen to archived broadcast of Sanson's interview with Truesdell at www.AllTalkRadio.net . Scroll down to "Face the Tribune" and click onto Full Program look for Show Archives on your right and click onto May 12, 2007.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)