Williams faces ‘E’ challenge

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Oct. 22, 1998 | 12:29 p.m.

A televised advertisement aired by Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams' campaign team depicts gaming executive Sheldon Adelson as Godzilla.

The ad sums up Williams' opinion of Adelson, who during the last year has focused his attack on Williams, commissioner Erin Kenny and particularly Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates.

Not only has Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands Inc., targeted current commissioners, but he has thrown more than $70,000 toward Williams' District E challenger, Mark Smith.

Williams isn't surprised Adelson is backing Smith. Williams returned a $12,000 contribution from Adelson after he asked her to vote against a traffic study related to his new Venetian hotel-casino.

During a recent debate, Smith hammered Williams over a recent state Ethics Commission investigation into how concessionaires were chosen for McCarran International Airport's new D gates.

Williams dismissed all questions related to the investigation, repeating that she was 100 percent exonerated. That left the two candidates to address the issues.

Williams was a state assemblywoman for a decade, during which time she helped form the Ethics Commission. When her term ended in 1994, she opted to run for commissioner.

Her urban district includes some of the oldest neighborhoods in the valley. Williams said crime is the biggest concern to residents in her area. She has voted to put more than 550 officers on the street and worked with Metro Police to add bike patrols and light up dark roads.

She also revitalized parks and added pocket parks, which include multi-purpose trails, to neighborhoods. Williams offered more recreational opportunities to both the elderly and children in her district.

She said another result of her four-year term is the Cambridge Community Center, which will house county parks and recreation employees, social services, youth services and neighborhood services.

To clean up decaying areas, Williams worked closely to develop a program with Republic-Silver State Disposal Services Inc., which will spend $140,000 a year to clean up debris throughout the region.

After winning the primary election Williams said she would concentrate on issues and not attack her opponent.

"I believe in positive campaigning," said Williams, who has lived in Las Vegas for nearly 40 years. "I plan to run on my record."

Williams was recently endorsed by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, although her opponent was president of the organization for 12 years.

Smith sent mailers to voters in District E last week that accused Williams of neglecting her neighborhoods and failing to listen to the residents. He said his primary issues are growth and ethics.

The 66-year-old Republican promised to listen to residents and restore integrity to the County Commission. He said he would concentrate on providing more parks and recreational opportunities -- projects for which Williams has unfairly taken credit, he said.

"I can turn things around in our district," Smith said.

Smith, a former television station manager, said under his direction the chamber became a major player in state and local issues. He was a founding member of Las Vegas Events, he was on the committee that brought the National Finals Rodeo to Las Vegas, he was a board member for the United Way of Southern Nevada and was president of the Reagan Transition Team.