Race is on for three County Commission seats

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998 | 11:37 a.m.

The County Commission has struggled for years to keep up with an exploding population. It's worked on master plans and addressed concerns about water quality and quantity.

This past year, they faced one more obstacle -- ethics probes. Five of the seven board members were investigated at one time or another by the state Ethics Commission.

As the county's population continues to creep toward 1.5 million, the commission will only encounter more growth issues. In the next few years, members will try to finish the Las Vegas Beltway, spruce up the Strip and keep traffic flowing smoothly.

While three of the seven commissioner's terms expire in January, only Erin Kenny and Myrna Williams are fighting to retain their seats. Commissioner Lorraine Hunt is surrendering her position to run for lieutenant governor.

Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates and commissioner Bruce Woodbury each have two years left on their term.

Kenny, who oversees District F -- which blankets the southwest region of the Las Vegas Valley -- has held her seat since 1995. The Pasadena, Calif., native was elected to the Nevada Legislature in 1992 and served on various committees, including labor and management, and government affairs.

Kenny, 37, said if she is re-elected, she will focus on building new parks to develop family friendly communities and improving air quality. She supports master planning that includes commercial centers, not businesses spread throughout neighborhoods.

The Democratic commissioner said that during the last four years she has been accessible to residents while accelerating projects like the beltway and spearheading master plans that demand high performance standards.

The mother of five faces seven opponents, who are campaigning to serve residents who live in the Blue Diamond area west of Rainbow Boulevard. The following candidates are vying for Kenny's seat:

* Frank Boehnlein, 53, is a chemical technician, music professor and restaurant manager who said he would discourage sprawling development by offering incentives for inward-city building.

His platform includes honesty and ethics, environmental common sense and objective reasoning. Boehnlein is a self-described financial conservative and social liberal.

Boehnlein, who has never before run for office, is a successful musician whose compositions have been performed throughout the country. He has a bachelor's degree in music from Rollins College in Florida.

* Kevin Child, 36, said his family moved to Las Vegas because of its schools. Now he wants to find ways to pump more money into the education system. The Republican candidate would also like to see the master plan completed quickly and the Strip and other thoroughfares throughout the valley improved.

"We have the money, get it done," he said.

Child, owner of Select Flooring, said he has no ties to big businesses and "will not be bought." Child graduated from Bonanza High School and attended the Community College of Southern Nevada.

* Roger Fournier, 67, said if he is elected commissioner, he will work to complete the master plan and put an emphasis on controlled growth. Fournier, who is retired, said his campaign will consist of walking door-to-door to meet voters. Fournier, a Republican, has never before held office.

* Steve Harney, 47, is a Nevada state trooper and past president of the Nevada Highway Patrol Association. He said he plans to improve the county's planning strategy by concentrating on traffic and growth.

The Republican candidate also puts an emphasis on diversifying Clark County's economy by assisting businesses. Harney said he would be a full-time commissioner so he will always be accessible to residents.

The UNLV graduate said his 24 years of experience in law enforcement will help him as a commissioner.

"I want to restore a measure of trust in the County Commission," said Harney, the father of four children.

* Christine Brady "C.B." McIntyre, 29, says Clark County has outgrown informal methods of governance including the way zoning is conducted and bids are awarded. As a commissioner, she said, she will have the authority to make those procedures more efficient.

McIntyre said she is a dynamic, persistent person who hopes to provide people a better quality of life by concentrating on community development, education and public transportation.

The mother of four owns a small business and founded a nonprofit organization that teaches social responsibility to youths. McIntyre, a Democrat, graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and earned a master's degree in sociology from Stanford University.

* James Slankard, 58, owner of J&J General Store in Sandy Valley, has previously served on the Clark County Board of Education. He plans to improve schools in rural areas of the county.

Slankard, a Democrat, also hopes to improve county roads and beef up police and fire personnel. He said he has no influential connections to any people or businesses.

"I owe nothing to any group except to the people that elect me," he said.

* Rick Workman, 42, said the county needs to do a better job of long-range planning.

"Plan what we are going to do, then do what we planned," he said.

Workman, a Republican, said he would oppose transfer stations in residential neighborhoods and implement stricter air quality standards. He said he is a manager and leader who will respect his constituents.

Workman, who holds a master's degree in management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, has been married for 20 years and has two children.

While Commissioner Kenny has a handful of challengers, Commissioner Williams faces only two opponents. Williams has served four years in District E, which stretches from Interstate 15 east to Nellis Boulevard and Flamingo Road north to Charleston Boulevard.

Williams, a Democrat, spent 10 years in the state Assembly. She said if she is re-elected she plans to rehabilitate older neighborhoods and improve residents' quality of life.

Williams said her experience and nearly four decades in public service separates her from her opponents, which include the following candidates:

* Tony Badillo, 65, is founder of the Nevada Casino Dealers Association. He says he would concentrate on reducing the crime rate by increasing the number of police officers and decreasing the amount of administrators.

He said he will make growth pay for growth and will not vote for tax increases.

Badillo, a Democrat, said he has not collected money from casinos or developers and therefore has no commitment to them.

"No more back-room deals, no secret lists, no favors for family or friends or friends of friends," he said.

* Mark Smith, 66, is president emeritus of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, an organization whose membership has grown to 5,000 during his 12-year tenure.

Smith moved to Las Vegas in 1955 and, although he has never before run for office, he has been involved in the community for 44 years.

The Republican candidate said issues he wants to address are ethics and growth.

Adjacent to Williams' jurisdiction is District G, a region Lorraine Hunt has overseen since 1995. The district includes the Strip, McCarran International Airport and reaches east just beyond Boulder Highway.

Hunt, a local business owner and 55-year resident of Las Vegas, announced her plans to run for lieutenant governor earlier this year. Battling to take her place on the board are the following candidates:

* Richard Bonar started a firm called Planning Land Use Solutions (PLUS), which offers services ranging from specific design plans for small sites to asset management of multithousand-acre holdings for corporations.

Bonar said with his extensive background in planning, he can help the county develop in an orderly fashion. In doing so, he said he will welcome input from residents.

"It's about a partnership between elected officials and citizens who put them in office," Bonar said.

Bonar is also a co-founder of AquaVision, a grass-roots association made up of both developers and environmentalists who are concerned about the county's water quality, quantity and management.

Bonar, who is married with two sons, did his post-graduate work in traffic engineering and urban studies at the University of Maryland and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

* Milt Doyle, 48, is a local insurance agent who has been in the Las Vegas area for more than 25 years. The Republican candidate has never run for office. He said his platform includes traffic, air and water quality, police responses and responsible government.

* Ernie Freggiaro, 51, has been a professional engineer for 25 years and a real estate broker for 13.

Freggiaro, a Republican, said his goal is to bring ethics, morality, competency and professionalism to Clark County. He believes his engineering background will be helpful in planning responsible growth.

He plans to maintain and increase the quality of life by supporting new parks, improving infrastructure and concentrating on traffic, education, crime, health and safety issues. Freggiaro has a master's degree in structural engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

"I am the only candidate for County Commissioner who has 25 years of professional experience in dealing with the issues controlled by the Board of County Commissioners," he said.

* Jeff Hardcastle, 44, is a comprehensive planner for Clark County who says with his experience he will be able to represent both businesses and residents.

Before moving to Las Vegas eight years ago, Hardcastle worked to spruce up older neighborhoods. He said his educational background in growth management and economic development will make Clark County an economically successful region.

Hardcastle said one of his goals is to restore faith in government.

"Trading favors is seen as a way to build relationships," he said. "Relationships can be built on open and honest dialogue and through shared values."

* Michael Harris, 55, is a Nevada State Parole Board commissioner, a former Henderson City Council member and an eight-year member of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

Harris, who also has acted on various committees that addressed flooding, transportation and parks and recreation, said his goal is to maintain and improve the quality of life in Clark County without tax hikes.

The Democratic candidate's strategy is to "listen, evaluate and decide."

Harris, also a former member of the Regional Transportation Commission, said his experience in local government and his understanding of growth in Southern Nevada sets him apart from his opponents.

* Dario Herrera, 25, was elected to the state assembly in 1996. The Democrat said issues he would like to attack in Clark County include growth, crime, traffic ethics and health care.

Herrera graduated from UNLV with a degree in political science. He has served on the board of directors for the YMCA, the Boy Scouts of America, Aid for Aids of Nevada and the Shade Tree Shelter for battered women and children.

He said his experience in the legislature separates him from his opponents. He worked with residents to address traffic and safety problems and helped them gain access to affordable health care.

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