Election ‘99: Four to face off for two seats; one race too close to call

Wednesday, May 5, 1999 | 11:33 a.m.

Three candidates easily won slots on the North Las Vegas general election ballot for City Council, but who would fill the fourth slot was still unclear this morning.

With all of the city's precincts counted, Marcia Blake collected 1,137 votes to Ron Long's 1,135 -- a difference of two votes.

Incumbents William Robinson and Paula Brown were the leading vote-getters, with 2,236 and 1,966 votes respectively. North Las Vegas native Shari Buck also won a spot in the June 8 general election with 1,419 votes.

The top four vote-getters in Tuesday's primary election, which drew 13 candidates, go on to the general election, where two candidates will be elected to the City Council. Blake came in fourth and Long came in fifth.

"I will meet with my people (today) and we'll discuss (a recount)," said Long, a 39-year-old partner in a small landscape and concrete business.

He said he is leaning toward not asking for a recount because of the additional expense. He was also considering whether he has a realistic chance of winning a council seat in the general election.

"I honestly wouldn't blame him over two votes," Blake said this morning of Long's decision to weigh a recount. "If I was in his place, I would. We are going forward with our campaign as if we won."

In North Las Vegas, only 17.54 percent of the city's 33,024 registered voters cast ballots.

The low turnout opened the door for political upstarts such as Blake, a 26-year-old women's shoe department manager who had spearheaded an unsuccessful recall effort against Brown.

"Ninety percent of the reason I got into the race was to unseat her (Brown), but as the race has gone on I have gotten involved with the issues," Blake said.

"I can't tell you how many doors I knocked on where the people said, 'If I only knew (about zoning and planning problems), I never would have bought a home in North Las Vegas.' When you hear that so often you know there is a problem that needs to be addressed."

Blake, who like Buck is a graduate of Brigham Young University in Utah, sees the key issues as being better communication between the city and its citizens, more parks and libraries, fiscal responsibility and better roads.

Buck was born in North Las Vegas 38 years ago and has grown up with the city she now wants to represent as a councilwoman.

Raised in a home near Lake Mead Boulevard and Belmont Street, she was a Rancho High School cheerleader who got her first taste of political success by winning the senior class secretary post.

The daughter of former police chief and gaming regulator Jim Avance now is married and raising four children. In the last year and a half, Buck, a businesswoman and a substitute teacher, has served as a planning commissioner.

On Tuesday, Buck collected 13.4 percent of the vote in the North Las Vegas City Council primary to earn her spot in the general run-off.

"My vision for North Las Vegas is for it to have the best image in the valley," Buck said.

Buck sees the key issues as being managed growth, high ethical standards, education and repairing older, decaying neighborhoods.

"My experience on the Planning Commission has taught me a lot about the city," she said. "I decided to run because it is frustrating making good decisions on the Planning Commission only to see them overturned by the City Council."

If the trend of the primary continues, however, she may have to continue dealing with the council. The incumbent councilmen showed the most strength in the counting. Robinson who received 21.1 percent of the vote and Brown got 18.6 percent.

Robinson, 59, said he will step up his efforts in the coming month to secure a fifth term on the council: "More walking and more talking -- all the things we did in the primary."

As for Buck's showing, Robinson, a longtime counselor for the Clark County School District, said: "I am not surprised she did extremely well. I've known her since she was a little girl. Her older brother played for me on the Pop Warner (football) North Las Vegas Trojans."

Robinson, a North Las Vegas resident of 39 years, has addressed in his campaign growth control, adherence to the master plan and improvements in police and fire protection.

Brown, 51, a Southern Nevada resident of 21 years and owner of a chemical company, seeks managed growth, redevelopment, improved public safety, fiscal responsibility and better quality of life.

Former North Las Vegas City Manager Linda Hinson, 50, failed in her bid for a council seat, finishing seventh with 5.09 percent.

Tony White, a 39-year-old Rancho High graduate and former North Las Vegas City employee who now works for the school district, finished ahead of Hinson with 8.34 percent. No other candidate got more than 4 percent of the vote.