Parraguirre, Bledsoe survive competitive County Clerk’s race

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998 | 1:51 a.m.

The Clark County Clerk's office hasn't had a new leader for more than three decades, making this election year even more intriguing, especially to those who work in the department.

Loretta Bowman who is retiring has worked for the county for 50 years and has served as Clark County clerk for 32 years.

Bowman's longtime assistant, Mary Mosley, was in a tight race with fellow Democrat Shirley Parraguirre.

But Parraguirre, with 22 years experience working for private law firms and 17 years working for district court judges, charged ahead late in the evening and won the Democratic nomination.

Parraguirre collected 15,946 vote (28 percent) and Mosley received 12,658 or 22 percent of the votes. Byron Goynes, who was endorsed by many of the employees in the clerk's office, came in third with 7,412 votes.

The Democrat Parraguirre, 58, launched her campaign by promising to make the office one of the leading agencies for employment opportunities and advancements. She said she knows statutes and rules better than anyone.

Facing Parraguirre from the Republican side is Sam Bledsoe. Bledsoe, 47, just barely moved past candidate Tami Bass in Tuesday's election. Bledsoe received 16,895 votes while Bass, a youth motivational speaker, collected 15,366.

Bledsoe plans to improve customer service and update technology to keep up with the county's growth. Bledsoe lost the race for county clerk in 1994.

An anonymous letter mailed to the media last week said employees desperately need a change because the clerk's office is run in an old-fashion manner. The letter said employees support Goynes despite an earlier union endorsement of Democrat Jane Wisdom, who received only 12 percent of the votes.

The employees' note also said Mosley would run the office the same way as Bowman. The letter slammed most of the candidates for irrelevant reasons like they are too old.