3 spots open on council

Friday, May 30, 1997 | 11:44 a.m.

In addition to the mayor's position, three of the other four North Las Vegas Council seats are up for grabs.

Councilman John Rhodes heads a field of four candidates who are vying for a pair of four-year seats. Councilwoman Paula Brown also has a competitor in a race for a two-year term.

Rhodes, a 32-year-old consulting business owner, is competing with former Assemblywoman Stephanie Smith, Robert Eliason and JoAnna Wesley.

In the midst of completing his first term, Rhodes has played up his council experience and the city's economy. He favors managed growth and wants to attract more upscale housing and business corridors.

Smith, a 39-year-old middle school orchestra teacher who served in the 1993 Legislature, wants more consistent zoning and additional parks and recreation facilities. She supports community policing and the addition of a police substation north of Cheyenne Avenue.

Eliason, a 34-year-old equipment controller for Max Riggs Construction Co., is a member of the North Las Vegas Planning Commission who advocates more review of potential developers. He said the city ought to determine whether developers are paying enough to help build parks, and he wants better road access to various communities.

Wesley, a 45-year-old barber shop owner, is taking another stab at the council after running unsuccessfully in 1995. She said the city needs to follow its growth plans, and there is a need for more parks, programs for seniors and neighborhood advisory boards.

Brown received 54 percent of the vote in a four-candidate field during the May 6 primary but was forced into a runoff because of the city charter. The charter stipulates that the top two candidates in a single council race advance to the general election, even if the top candidate receives more than half the vote.

Consequently, she faces Sylvester Rogers, who received only 17.5 percent of the primary vote.

Brown, the 49-year-old owner of JB Chemical Co., was appointed to the council in January to replace Mary Kincaid, who moved on to the Clark County Commission.

Brown wants to make sure the city's master plan is written so developers know what's expected of them. She also wants the police department to assign officers to specific areas to become more familiar with neighborhoods. Brown said the northwest portion of the city also could use a new library.

Rogers, the 56-year-old pastor of Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, advocates improved relations between the council and neighborhoods, promotion of youth job programs, faster police response in low-income areas and more adult supervision of children as they go to and from school.