Turnout to be light for primaries

Monday, May 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Few outright winners will be determined by Tuesday's municipal primary elections, but the wheat will be separated from the chaffe.

Or, those with big campaign war chests will push the grass-roots types out of the race.

Primary elections are held when more than two candidates have filed for a seat. The top two vote-getters advance to the June 3 general election. However, if one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, he or she wins automatically.

Voters in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City will go to the polls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to determine races that could have a major effect on their respective city halls and municipal courts.

In comparison to the heavy participation in November general elections involving presidential and gubernatorial races, springtime municipal primaries generally draw light turnout.

Las Vegas City Clerk Roni Ronemus and Henderson City Clerk Susan Robison took wild stabs at turnout predictions, guessing 24 percent and 23 percent in their respective cities.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Kathryn Ferguson said turnout in municipal elections typically falls below 30 percent. But she said there were at least twice as many early voters this year compared with the 1995 municipal elections.

"People don't want to wait in lines," she said of early voting. "Because of the lines in the November election, many are voting early and by mail. But we always expected early voting to increase once people found out about the convenience of it."

Las Vegas City Councilmen Arnie Adamsen, a title company executive, and Matthew Callister, an attorney, face challenges in their wards.

Adamsen's Ward 2 foes are neighborhood activist Sue Brna, Huntridge Theater operator Richard Lenz and tax-equity advocate Chuck Umnuss.

Callister's up against Las Vegas Valley Water District official Larry Brown, who took a leave of absence from his job to run for the Ward 4 seat. Also in the race is land surveyor Dave Hough.

Four candidates are vying to replace Henderson Mayor Bob Groesbeck, who is not seeking re-election. They are Henderson City Councilman David Wood, attorney and businessman Jim Gibson, city building inspector Dennis Augspurger and chemical company utility worker Kenny Rogers.

Henderson City Councilman Jack Clark, a Metro Police officer, also faces challenges in his re-election bid from Metro detective David Kallas and rental car manager Ron Frame.

With North Las Vegas Mayor James Seastrand stepping aside, three contenders are seeking to replace him: North Las Vegas City Councilman Theron Goynes, a retired elementary school principal; Mike Montandon, a commercial real estate appraiser; and Cassaundra Williams, a housing relocation company owner.

Eleven candidates, including North Las Vegas City Councilman John Rhodes, are vying for two four-year terms. Others are Steven Bergstrom, Bob Cullins Jr., Robert Eliason, Jacqueline McKinney, Cristobal Montanez, Leroy Pasbrig, Sharon Shaffer, Stephanie Smith, JoAnna Wesley, and Ronald "Ron" Whipple.

North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Paula Brown faces three foes in the race for a two-year seat. They are Norman Kaye, Joe Alvin Haun and Sylvester Rogers.

Boulder City Mayor Eric Lundgaard leads a field of nine candidates hoping to fill two four-year terms on the City Council. Others are Cokie Booth, Ben Eckstein, Tim Harness, R. Ross Johnson, Darryl Martin, Hamilton Moore, Michael Pacini and Bill Smith.

Of the municipal judge races in Clark County, the most colorful has been in North Las Vegas. Former Judge Gary Davis, who was removed from office in 1995 by the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission for misconduct, wants his old seat back. His competitors are Natalie Tyrrell, Steven Szostek and Warren Van Landschoot.

There are also contested municipal judge races in Las Vegas' Department 5 and Henderson's Department 2. Henderson voters also are being asked to consider a $54.6 million initiative to build more parks and recreation facilities.

Votes will be counted at Cashman Field Center.

Computer users will be able to get election returns updated every 20 minutes on the Internet after the polls close at http://www.co.clark.nv.us/ccnv/elect-ion/results.htm.