Close races expected for incumbents Schofield, Vandever

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Oct. 22, 1998 | 12:08 p.m.

The Clark County races for assessor, treasurer, recorder and public administrator are all expected to be tight after each candidate won comfortably in the primary elections.

Incumbent Assessor Mark Schofield will face off against Robert Beardshall for the $72,000-a-year position.

The assessor's office appraises and assesses real estate for property-tax purposes.

Schofield has held the position for six years and spent 17 years prior working in the assessor's office. He said he plans to continue to provide the high quality of service that taxpayers have grown accustomed to.

The 43-year-old Democrat said his goal is to make his division the most user-friendly, technically advanced office in the country.

"I am committed to monitoring as well as opposing any legislation that would adversely impact our taxpayers and will continue to uphold that law and ensure that every taxpayer is treated equitably," he said.

Schofield is a member of the American Society for Public Administration, Nevada Taxpayers Association and the National Council of Senior Citizens as well as other organizations.

His opponent, the 42-year-old Beardshall, said he wants to provide services to taxpayers with courtesy and respect. He said aside from being honest, he is hard-working and will be sensitive to the needs of residents.

Beardshall said that too many properties are underassessed and that he would like to see commercial properties scrutinized with the same intensity as residential land.

He has been a commercial real estate appraiser for 10 years and has five years of experience in real estate sales and management. Beardshall has never before run for public office.

In the county recorder's race, Micki Johnson will be up against incumbent Judith Vandever. That position also pays $72,000 a year.

Vandever has held the position since 1995. She said if she is re-elected, she hopes to continue putting an emphasis on exceptional customer service and implementing the technology that will allow easier access to residents.

She said a priority is to create local records to protect the county's 10 million archived historical business and personal records. Vandever said she would also like to start a public-education campaign to let people know the duties of her office.

Vandever, who has 19 years of experience in the office, was invited to be on the board of the National Association of County Recorders and a session chairwoman on local government-records issues at the National Association of Government Archives and Records administrators' annual meeting.

Her opponent, Republican Johnson, said the recorder's office must move into the 21st century. The 46-year-old has a bachelor's degree in political science from Beaver College in Glenside, Pa.

Johnson wants increased customer service and fiscal responsibility. She said her goal is to restore morale in the office as well as trust and respect.

Johnson is a commercial account manager for Fidelity National Title and before that was vice president and director of builder services for Stewart Title of Nevada.

The county treasurer's race pits incumbent Laura Fitzpatrick against Republican Richard Bell and Libertarian Timothy Hagan.

Fitzpatrick, 44, began serving as treasurer in March when she was appointed to finish the term of admitted felon Mark Aston. During her short tenure, Fitzpatrick changed a county investment policy that had cost taxpayers more than $1 million.

Hagan, 37, is a senior engineer with EG&G Special Projects and the treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Clark County.

Facing off in the race for public administrator are Republican Anne DiMartini and Democrat Jared Shafer. DiMartini won the primary election with 39 percent of the votes.

Incumbent Shafer has served as public administrator since 1979, having been appointed by the Clark County Commission. Shafer, a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, said his office must continue to adapt and prepare for more growth and changes in the county.

DiMartini is a real estate saleswoman and a former assemblywoman. She said she plans to change the format of the position to eliminate conflicts of interest and prevent abuse of powers.