More choices offered by other candidates for Vegas mayor

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 11:06 a.m.

As primary day quickly approaches, two things remain apparent in the nine-man race for Las Vegas mayor:

It is still too close to predict which two candidates will emerge from Tuesday's balloting to square off in the June 8 general runoff.

It is a sure bet which six candidates will no longer have to campaign after Tuesday.

While two-thirds of the candidates have little chance of grabbing more than a few percentage points of the total vote, they still offer some interesting proposals.

One wants a lottery to pay property taxes. Another wants more zoos. Still another promises to set up drug-free zones around schools.

They have diverse backgrounds and offer voters a wider choice than the three front-runners: City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, attorney Oscar Goodman and developer Mark Fine.

Frank LaSpina is a 50-year-old radio talk show host. Tom McGowan is a 66-year-old retired musician and composer who is a longtime public interest advocate. Hilary Michael Milko is a 42-year-old investment banker.

Cruz Olague is a 64-year-old former Henderson mayor of the early 1970s. Douglas Opolka is a 37-year-old champion of middle-class rights. Anthony Snowden is a 38-year-old Community College of Southern Nevada graduate.

"Many lifelong Las Vegans are frustrated they cannot vote for me," LaSpina said, noting that he wants the city of Las Vegas to consolidate with Clark County so that its residents can vote in municipal elections.

"Does it make sense that the famed Las Vegas Strip is not within the city limits? The southern boundary of Las Vegas should not be Sahara Avenue but rather Sunset Road. Consolidating government services would be more efficient and cost-effective."

LaSpina, a Cleveland native who has lived in Las Vegas about 30 years and was a nightclub entertainer, also supports diversification of the city's economy, cleaning up the water and air, bringing big league sports to Las Vegas and building a performing arts center.

McGowan is a familiar face at City Council meetings. He often speaks out on a range of subjects, delivering lengthy opinions in a low monotone. He seeks more accountability from public officials and better growth management.

"I insist that public government is a public agency, not a private commercial business enterprise -- and never a public-excluded private country club," said McGowan, a native of New Jersey who has been suspicious of the motives of elected officials in areas such as redevelopment.

Milko, a Las Vegas resident for 40 years, has for 12 years been a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers. In his capacity as an investment banker and stockbroker, he has helped with the financing for local casinos.

Milko, who ran for Congress last year, says his goals include changing the state constitution to start a lottery that will pay property taxes. He also wants to bring regular season pro football and Major League baseball games to Las Vegas.

He is a founding member of the group that proposed the Maglev Super Speed Train between California and Nevada.

Olague, a 20-year resident of Las Vegas, was elected to the Henderson City Council in 1971 and served as its mayor in 1973.

A Navy veteran who attended UNLV and worked as a corporate consultant for 25 years, Olague wants to establish a four-block, drug-free, gun-free area around schools. Violators, he said, would receive double penalties.

He also wants to consolidate municipal services with Clark County and improve mass transit for tourists to help reduce smog problems in the valley. Opolka, who spent 13 years with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Division of Highways, wants to bring state-of-the art museums and zoos to the city. He also seeks to improve schools and build more parks.

"I'm a blue-collar worker and belong to a local union," Opolka said. "The Las Vegas Valley is growing very fast and needs a full-time mayor."

He also wants to bring more high-tech corporate jobs to the city.

Snowden, who attended UNLV, is president of the West Las Vegas Community Development Corp. He seeks a more accountable and responsible local government.

"I want to bring credibility back to city government," said Snowden, who ran for the Las Vegas City Council in 1994 and the Clark County Commission in 1996. "We need to implement real growth management policies."