Incumbent Kenny proud of efforts on beltway, clean air

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998 | 11:43 a.m.

A spare moment in County Commissioner Erin Kenny's campaign headquarters isn't easy to come by.

Pushpins mark Kenny's door-to-door progress on a wall map, lawn signs are stacked by the front door waiting to be taken into neighborhoods and phones are ringing incessantly.

By now, one would think Kenny would be a pro at campaigning and the weeks leading up to Election Day would be a breeze. After all, she is going for her second four-year term as District F commissioner and served a two-year term in the Assembly.

But Kenny, 37, is quick to note that one important component is missing: Her mother.

"She is a missing force, and it's been difficult," Kenny said. "Some people gave me their vote because they loved my mom."

Kenny's mother, Diane Callin, died in her sleep for unknown reasons six months after she helped her daughter secure a seat on the seven-member board. It is a seat Kenny wants to keep.

"I think I've done a good job, and that brings a lot of personal satisfaction," Kenny said. "There are a lot of big jobs we're in the middle of right now, and I would like to see them done."

Kenny said she kept a promise she made when she ran for County Commission in 1994 -- to be accessible to residents in her district. Her attendance at nearly 50 town hall meetings and sometimes "contentious" get-togethers at people's homes has proven that.

She said she is pleased with the progress of the Las Vegas Beltway and the creation of the Clean Air Task Force. Still, there is plenty left to do, such as working with California officials to clean up the air.

Kenny said that a great percentage of pollution in Las Vegas is because of dust, much of which is swept in from California via the Interstate 15 canyon.

"It has such a negative impact on everyone, young and old," Kenny said. "Pollution will shut this community down faster than anything else."

Kenny and her husband found their way to the valley as the result of a bad back, a five-month trip in a van with two young children and a lucky night in a Las Vegas casino.

Kenny met her husband, a chiropractor, when she was suffering from a sore back. Six months later, they married. She was 23. About four years later, the couple -- with a 2-year-old and 8-month-old -- decided they wanted to leave Chicago.

The problem was, Kenny said, they didn't know where to go. So they sold John Kenny's two practices, bought a van and traveled around the country visiting small towns and big cities.

With some encouragement from relatives, the Kennys visited Las Vegas, despite believing that nearly everyone who lived in the city worked as a topless dancer.

During the first night of their visit, Kenny said she hit a $600 jackpot playing slot machines.

"I was so excited, I left the money in the machine and my purse on the floor and ran to find my husband," she said, adding that she won two more jackpots that night.

"I said, 'Three jackpots, this is a sign from God,' " Kenny said. "We moved here the next day."

That was nine years ago. Since then, the couple has added three more children to their clan and she has spent two years as an assemblywoman and four as a member of the County Commission.

She said she opted to run for commissioner in 1994 because she hated leaving her children behind during trips to Carson City, necessary when she served in the Assembly. Kenny admits it isn't easy raising five children while being a part of the board, but the rewards are well worth the work.

"I was raised an only child and, while it had wonderful benefits, it left a void," Kenny said. "Having a big family is a gift."