When I switched over to the new blog in January, I got some nice compliments, but one big complaint: There was no way for people to subscribe to posts. And in this age of information overload, people were simply too busy to remember to keep checking back to see if new information had been posted.

So I’m pleased to announce we’ve fixed that little problem: Starting right now, you can subscribe to posts on Slash Politics by entering your e-mail address in the blue box on the right. You’ll get an email confirming your subscription, and once you click on that, you’ll get an e-mail notice whenever I post something new on the blog.

So sign up today and never worry about missing a thing in Nevada politics. And, as always, thanks for reading.

Just two weeks ago, Nevada Resort Association President Bill Bible was up in Carson City, defending the state’s gambling industry against desperate lawmakers looking everywhere they could for money to balance what turned out to be an $805 million budget gap. In the end, he and the industry’s lobbyists were mostly successful; only a small gambling license fee was added to the casino tax burden.

Today, it was announced that Bible will be leaving the association he’s headed during a contentious decade that saw Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, resulting in the recession of 2002; the pitched tax battles of 2003; the fracturing of the gambling industry after that disastrous session; and the global recession that is still depressing tourist revenues to this day. His knowledge of the state’s finances, casino industry finances, and the politics of both are virtually unmatched in Nevada. It’s hard to see how the NRA could go forward without him.

Here’s the statement put out by the NRA early this morning about Bible’s departure:

BIBLE LEAVING NRA TO JOIN MGM BOARD

Guided NRA through “decade of dramatic change”

LAS VEGAS–Nevada Resort Association (NRA) Chairman Keith Smith announced today that William “Bill” Bible will be leaving as NRA President effective immediately but will be assisting in the transition to name his replacement.

Prior to joining the NRA in 1999, Bible served as the chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board for 10 years and was appointed by President Clinton to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. His broad tenure as a state official includes his experience as director of Nevada’s Administration Department under Gov. Richard Bryan (1983-1988); Nevada Assembly Fiscal Analyst and Director of the Division of Fiscal Analysis of the Legislative Counsel Bureau (1977-1983); Nevada Deputy Budget Administrator (1973-1977) and Nevada Chief Assistant Budget Administrator (1971-1973) under Gov. Mike O’Callaghan.

“As President of the NRA, I truly enjoyed being a part of an industry that saw a decade of dramatic change,” Bible said. “Getting to know and working with dedicated Nevadans who day in and day out strive to make Nevada the best place to work and live is something I value most of all.”

Smith added, “Bill’s service to the industry over the years has been remarkable. His sharp insight and leadership that guided the NRA through both robust and challenging times is respected and appreciated. We will miss him at the NRA but wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.”

Bible graduated from Stanford University in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a minor Political Science, followed by a Masters Degree in Business Administration in 1971 from the University of Nevada, Reno. His Masters program emphasized capital budgeting, resource allocation, portfolio management and general financial management.

Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid this morning signed his name to the document officially launching his candidacy for governor, turned to his wife, Cindy, and said, “Here we go.”

“I’m honored to be running for governor in the state I love,” Reid said. ‘I think it’s an opportunity to fundamentally change Nevada.”

Even after I questioned his sanity — actively campaigning for a job that will entail balancing a budget that contains a multi-billion hole, dealing with what could be the most contentious Legislature in modern times in 2011, and generally sitting in the seat that many people blame for the state’s problems — Reid wouldn’t give an inch. “This is an exciting time because it provides a change to do things that we’ve never done before,” Reid said, referring to his economic plan to add revenue to the state’s budget without raising taxes.

But, Reid did admit that if he’d been in Gov. Jim Gibbons’s shoes during the recently concluded special session, he’d have signed the budget deal the Legislature passed. “My candidacy is about avoiding that situation again,” he said.

Also to be avoided: Any talk of taxes, which legislative leaders have said will be needed to balance the budget during the 2011 Legislature. Reid has steadfastly refused to discuss the possibility of increased taxes. He cited the work of a state-appointed Nevada Vision Stakeholder Group, charged with examining the state’s tax system and suggesting improvements, and said he didn’t want to influence the outcome. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to pre-judge this group of citizens,” he said. (And thus, the group has fulfilled Mission One of its charter: Give would-be elected officials a convenient way to avoid taking a position on a controversial issue.)

Asked about polls showing him trailing Republican front-runner Brian Sandoval, Reid said survey numbers this far from Election Day don’t matter. “Pundits and polls aren’t going to decide this election. People will,” Reid said. So that means he doesn’t consider pundits people? I’m hurt and offended. But somehow, I think Reid can live with that.

For Harry Reid, the comment was fairly clear: The U.S. economy lost 36,000 jobs in a single month, but it could have been much, much worse.

Of course, Reid didn’t exactly say it that way. Here’s a portion of what he actually said:

[The bill includes] unemployment compensation. Today is a big day in America, only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good. Unemployment rate around America has not changed. Prognosticators thought it would go up. It has not. So we need to extend — there are about 15 million people in America out of work. These extended unemployment benefits will help millions of those people. We were fortunate enough for earlier this week to get the 30-day extension, which saved ‘em so that when we finish this legislation we should finish it, hopefully on Tuesday, we can go to conference with the House and quickly work out our differences.

It was an instant Internet sensation. The “really good” comment — and only that comment — made it to YouTube almost instantly. Republicans slammed Reid for seemingly saying that job loss was a good thing. His political opponents here in Nevada attacked him over it.

And they knew — or should have known — they were taking Reid’s comment completely out of context. That’s politics, but it certainly doesn’t make them right and Reid wrong. Any reasonable person knew instantly what Reid was saying, and that includes most of the Reid-haters who later bashed him with his own words so forcefully that he was later forced to clarify what he was saying.

Now consider another comment about unemployment benefits. This time, the speaker was Nevada’s other senator, John Ensign:

“The more generous the benefit, the easier you make it to stay on unemployment insurance, and the less incentive there is for people to actually go out and do what it takes to get a job,” Ensign said during a pivotal debate in 2003.

And lest you think Ensign has changed his mind since then, he voted this week against the bill to extend benefits.

So, you’d expect some criticism of Ensign’s remarks, right? He’s essentially come out and said that people laid off (through no fault of their own) shouldn’t get the benefits for which their employer has paid taxes. It’s not surprising Ensign isn’t aware (just yet, that is) that unemployment benefits hardly make up for a person’s salary, and that most people on unemployment would gladly trade those checks for a chance at a job. It’s not the money that’s keeping them from work, it’s the economy.

But no. Ensign’s words and vote — despite Nevada’s 12.8 percent unemployment rate — got scant attention. Yet Reid’s remark — easily understood by anybody who’s honest, and far less offensive — drew reams of criticism.

It hardly seems fair, does it?

It’s Friday night, and you know what that means: Another exciting episode of Nevada Week in Review with Mitch Fox. And oh, what a week to discuss the news! The Nevada Legislature’s special session wrapped up on Monday, Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert announced she wasn’t running again on Thursday and Gov. Jim Gibbons is still deciding which bills he will, and won’t, sign. Oh, and did we mention his plan for helping higher education? And the fact that filing for state and local offices is open? Or a possible lawsuit against the special session budget package contemplated by the M Resort that we just learned about today four days ago? It’s what naval aviators call a “target rich environment.”

Tune in at 7:30 p.m. tonight (and again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday or noon Sunday) to VegasPBS Channel 10 to see my 8 News Now I-Team colleague Jonathan Humbert, the Las Vegas Sun’s Emily Richmond, Fox 5 anchor/reporter Kevin Bollinger and yours truly chat about all the news and so much more. See you on TV!

Assembly Republican Minority Leader Heidi Gansert said today that her surprising decision not to seek re-election to her Reno district was “a personal decision,” but not one that closed off a future in politics. She said she decided “a while ago” not to run, but kept her decision secret so as to not cause a disruption in the recent special session to fix the state’s budget gap.

“It’s really more of a personal decision. I’m just going to take a break,” said Gansert, who was first elected in 2004. She became assistant minority leader in 2007, and minority leader in the 2009 session.

Gansert had been mentioned as a successor to Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, the longest-serving state senator in Nevada history. Although Raggio’s term doesn’t expire until 2012, some have speculated that Raggio would retire mid-term and allow the Washoe County Commission to appoint Gansert as his replacement. She said Thursday she wasn’t even considering that option. “It’s not even on my radar,” she said. “I’m pretty confident that Senator Raggio is going to serve out his term.”

But, Gansert allowed she may consider running for Raggio’s seat herself in 2012.

Gansert said rumors of a coup didn’t influence her decision to bow out of a legislative career. “There really wasn’t anything brewing,” she said.

Assemblyman John Hambrick, who said on Face to Face with Jon Ralston that he was interested in a leadership post, today declined to announce a run for minority leader, saying it would be inappropriate and self-serving given the timing of Gansert’s surprise announcement. Hambrick described himself as “flabbergasted” when Gansert told a conference call of Assembly Republicans her intentions to quit.

“My interest in leadership is known,” Hambrick said. “I’m not going to back away from it. I’m not going to lie.” But he said he faces a primary challenger before any race for leadership. “I’ve got a long, hard job to do,” said Hambrick, who retired from a job with the federal government after serving with the U.S. Secret Service and other law-enforcement agencies.

Ironically, Gansert was considered vulnerable to a conservative challenge to her leadership job because she wasn’t seen as conservative enough, and Hambrick is to her right. However, Hambrick has drawn a conservative challenger in his district’s primary, ostensibly because he isn’t conservative enough, either. (Hambrick voted for the budget plan and jobs bill introduced at the recent special session; both items were backed by Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons.) “If you look at my record, I don’t know how far right they can go,” he said.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman today said there’s not much room to maneuver with the city’s unions, and implied that the decision on whether or not to accept an 8 percent pay cut and forgo raises in the future is a matter of common humanity.

“They have to reach it [the budget cut goal] or consequences will be had,” Goodman said. It’s estimated that 171 city employees could lose their jobs if unions that represent city workers don’t accept the cuts, or propose a viable alternative. “There will be carnage,” Goodman said.

“I guess it’s a test of altruism, of where people stand,” the mayor added. “We’ll see what the mettle is of people who work for the city.”

Las Vegas is struggling to close a $70 million budget gap.

The city cannot unilaterally impose pay cuts for city marshals, firefighters or unionized workers because those groups have a legally binding collective bargaining agreement with the city. However, employees can be laid off under the terms of the agreement, which often results in senior employees “bumping” more junior employees from lower-paid jobs.

Goodman did offer some hope, however: He said that if unions offer a viable alternative, the city would consider it, although keeping salaries flat during the next few years is key. If the union offered 7.75 percent cuts instead of 8 percent, “We’d have to consider 7.75 percent,” he said. “I may be home drinking.”

The city will vote on its preliminary budget March 10, following a series of town hall meetings. (The final such meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Charleston Heights Arts Center.) A preliminary budget is due to be filed with the state by April 15, with a final budget filed by May. Despite the looming deadline, however, Goodman hinted there may be room to negotiate before the budget is finalized.

Filing for state and local offices began today. Here’s a quick rundown of the bold-faced names who decided to make a statement by filing on the very first day.

For U.S. Senate, to run against Harry Reid: Former Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden, and former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle.

For Congressional District 2, the seat held by U.S. Rep. Dean Heller: Heller, and a Republican challenger, Patrick Colletti.

For governor, to challenge incumbent Gov. Jim Gibbons: Former federal judge Brian Sandoval.

All four Democrats who hold constitutional offices — Secretary of State Ross Miller; Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto; Treasurer Kate Marshall; and Controller Kim Wallin — filed for re-election.

Conservative Republican Assemblymen James Settlemeyer and Don Gustavson filed for Northern Nevada state Senate seats.

U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley filed for re-election, and has already drawn two Republican challengers.

Assemblyman Dr. Joe Hardy filed for the state Senate seat vacated by former state Sen. Warren Hardy, who is no relation.

Assemblymen John Hambrick, Harvey Munford, Lynn Stewart, William Horne and Paul Aizley filed for re-election.

Incumbent District Attorney David Roger filed for re-election, and drew a surprising challenger in the person of former judge Don Chairez. (Chairez also ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Berkley.)

University regents Michael Wixom, Ray Rawson and James Dean Leavitt filed for re-election.

And in Assembly District 15, former Assemblyman Lou Toomin and veterans activist Elliott Anderson filed to run against each other.

You can click here to see a list of candidates who filed for office in Clark County, or those who filed with the secretary of state.