Former Governor Kenny Guinn died today after a fall from the roof of his Las Vegas home.

Senate Minority Leader and longtime personal friend Bill Raggio said he confirmed Guinn's death with the family.

“I'm personally devastated,” said Raggio. “I thought so much of him and worked with him very closely, probably closer than with any other governor.”

It was unclear what Guinn, 73, was doing on the roof. He reportedly suffered a heart attack but it wasn't clear whether the attack caused the fall or the other way around.

Guinn served two terms as governor, leaving office in January 2007. But with his long and prominent history, he has been described by more than one observer as the most highly qualified governor the state has ever had.

He had careers as superintendent of the Clark County School District, head of PriMerit Bank and head of Southwest Gas in addition to governor. He also served a president of UNLV for a year during that school's financial crisis.

After leaving office, he made his fourth and, finally successful, attempt to retire. He and his wife of more than 50 years, Dema, divided their time between homes in Las Vegas, Reno and on the beach in San Diego.

When Guinn took office in 1998, his first task was to cut $350 million from the budget. He instituted a hiring freeze and cut 1,000 vacant positions from the budget. He put state agencies on a diet, mandating they limit their two-year funding requests.

Then he ordered a “fundamental review” by all agencies of their operations and programs. By 2001, he said that review had cut another $30 million from state spending.

He privatized the state's industrial insurance system, lifting a multibillion-dollar unfunded liability from the state's shoulders; created the Millennium Scholarship to give Nevada high school graduates with a B average or higher tuition for college; set up Senior RX to provide low cost prescription drugs to low income seniors.

He bonded for more than $1 billion worth of critically needed highway and road work and greatly expanded funding for mental health programs. He also pushed through a $300 million rebate to taxpayers and began all-day kindergarten with $22 million to implement it in at-risk schools.

He was proud also of the tough stand he took blocking public utility deregulation in Nevada.

He said letting the process go forward would have put Nevada consumers at the mercy of California and left their energy needs in the hands of a company owned by Enron.

He had his detractors, who typically focused on his decision to sign an $833 million tax increase package to end the 2003 Legislature.

He said at the time tax reform was an obvious need in his first year as governor, accelerated by 9/11.

He asked those demanding budget cuts in 2003 repeatedly to show him how and where he should reduce spending.

“If some one says, ‘We don't have any money, cut the budget,' don't you think they ought to have a list of cuts?” he said.

He said no one ever showed him a list.

Of the office of governor, he said: “The thing I would say to people is once you get here, the job will change the individual more than the individual will change the process of government. It's no longer a political debate; it's reality.”

He said it's important to be a good listener “so people can help you make the right decisions.”

He said a governor should arrive with some priorities but that, “I would think people should come here with an open mind for what it takes to fund education, health care, public safety and other things.”

Events, he said, will change those priorities so they shouldn't be etched in stone.

Finally, Guinn said: “If you don't want to help people, you shouldn't be in this job.”

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/...ntProfile=1058

Wow, that sucks. Politically I wasn't a fan of Guinn or the largest tax increase in Nevada's history he rammed down our throats but wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Former Governor Guinn's funeral was Tuesday with thousands showing up to pay their respects. He was buried Thursday in his home town of Exeter California.

What I don't get is that he is a two term Nevada Governor, shouldn't he be buried here in Nevada?