Chairez-Berkley debate another slugfest

Martin Kuz

Friday, Oct. 30, 1998 | 11:17 a.m.

In a debate better suited for a playground than a radio studio, Democrat Shelley Berkley and Republican Don Chairez filled the airwaves Thursday night with accusations and insults while once again forgoing the issues.

The combatants in Nevada's 1st Congressional District race spent most of the hour-long debate on KNEWS 970-AM as they have much of the campaign, savaging one another's public-service records and trading charges of dirty politics.

Berkley, a university regent, went on the offensive early, hammering Chairez for his ties to gaming entrepreneur Sheldon Adelson.

After alleging that the Berkley campaign has hired a private investigator to dig into his professional and personal history, Chairez, a former District Court judge, said he had chosen not to look into his rival's past.

"You don't need to do opposition research," Berkley shot back. "You've got some billionaire behind you."

The reference was to Adelson, the Las Vegas Sands Inc. chairman who fired Berkley as his vice president of government relations last year. He has contributed at least $15,000 to Chairez's campaign as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars to the national and state Republican Party. Both have run numerous TV ads that question Berkley's ethics related to comments she made last year suggesting money buys political favors.

Berkley, 47, blasted Chairez for "feigning total innocence" in lamenting the GOP attack ads. "If you didn't want negative ads in here, you should've spoken up like a man," Berkley snapped.

Berkley also pointed out that Chairez had failed to pay $2,000 in taxes on time in the mid-1980s while a California resident. Chairez, 43, has previously said the lapse resulted from a payroll snafu during the early days of his Sacramento law practice and denied Berkley's charge that he had been sued over the delinquent taxes.

"You are absolutely not telling the truth," Chairez said.

The two candidates later sparred over Chairez's handling of the Jeremy Strohmeyer murder trial and Berkley's votes to raise taxes while a Nevada assemblywoman in the early 1980s.

Coming out of a commercial break, announcer Frank LaSpina tried to steer the debate toward more substantive matters. "Believe it or not, there are issues at stake here," he said.

The reminder had little effect. After both candidates quickly detailed their platforms, they resumed butting heads. A discussion about campaign finance reform disintegrated into a shouting match, with Berkley saying Chairez was against reform "because Sheldon Adelson is bankrolling your campaign."

As Chairez tried to respond, Berkley interrupted him, accusing him of "laundering" his campaign funds. An exasperated Chairez replied, "This constant attacking is unfair."