Thursday, April 30, 1998 | 12:09 p.m.
David Garcia, one of four final applicants for the position of Las Vegas city manager, has decided to remain a candidate despite early concern over remarks made by Mayor Jan Laverty Jones about another candidate.
Rick Anderson, director of the city's Human Resources department, said today that Garcia had been teetering because Jones publicly discussed another candidate, Virginia Valentine, a senior vice president at Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jernigan, a Las Vegas engineering firm.
Garcia, however, contacted the city today to confirm that he remains a candidate, Anderson said.
Valentine is the only local candidate being considered for the position, and Garcia, who is the deputy city manager in Phoenix, had told Anderson that it sounded like she was a shoo-in.
Jones has since clarified her remarks about Valentine. She acknowledged saying that she has worked for many years with Valentine, but said that she did not intend to leave the impression that Valentine is an early front runner.
"I do know Virginia and I like Virginia, but that doesn't mean anything," Jones said, in reference to Valentine's candidacy.
Anderson said the city has been making contact with all candidates to assure them that it's an open field.
"A search process is as much about selling our city to the candidates and unfortunately people have second thoughts if an impression is given about the city like in this instance," Anderson said. "We're doing everything we can to encourage all the candidates."
The other two candidates are Robert Parkins, the city manager from Palm Springs, Calif., and J. Edward Tewes, the city manager in Modesto, Calif.
archive
