THE FIRST DAY of the new year brought the news of the death of Joe Neal, Nevada’s first Black state senator, at age 85. The first Monday of the new year also brought news of MGM Resorts offering $11 billion to take over the British gaming company Entain. If you heard thunder overhead, it was Neal, reacting.
Joe Neal was, hands down, the most liberal member of the Nevada Legislature for the 32 years he served in Carson City. When the state senate numbered 20, the Democrat learned his nickname was Ol’ Nineteen-to-One. He didn’t mind being the lone dissenter, but he also knew how to get things done, and he did.