Candidates face busy schedule of forums

Tuesday, May 18, 1999 | 3:22 a.m.

Candidates for Las Vegas mayor and City Council will spend the next few days on a whirlwind tour of civic groups and debate forums.

On Wednesday, mayoral candidates Oscar Goodman and Arnie Adamsen will answer questions at a forum sponsored by the National Council of Senior Citizens. The forum begins at 10 a.m. at the Clark County Library at 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

Candidates for offices in North Las Vegas and Henderson and for Las Vegas City Council Ward 3 have also been invited to the forum.

Also on Wednesday, the two candidates for the Ward 3 City Council seat will square off at a debate sponsored by the Paradise Democratic Club. Incumbent Gary Reese will face political newcomer Nevada Stupak at 7:30 p.m. at the Culinary Union Training Center in the Days Inn hotel, 707 E. Fremont St.

Candidates for both offices have been invited to a forum on downtown issues sponsored by the Downtown Community Development Center. That forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Arturo Cambeiro Senior Center, 330 N. 13th St.

On Friday, the Adamsen and Goodman are set to speak at a luncheon sponsored by the Latin Chamber of Commerce and the Nevada State Bank. The luncheon, which begins at 11:30 a.m., will be held in the second-floor convention area of the Gold Coast hotel-casino.

The mayoral candidates are also scheduled to attend a candidate's afternoon, sponsored by the Sun City Resident's Forum, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday in the grand ballroom at the Desert Vista Center in Summerlin.

Goodman and Adamsen will also tape a second debate for broadcast on Las Vegas 1. That debate will air at 8 p.m. May 25 on cable channels 1 and 39.

All candidates whose names appear on the June 8 general election ballot in Las Vegas have also been invited to a forum May 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Avenue.

Despite the crowded debate calendar, however, Adamsen is claiming Goodman is refusing to talk about real issues.

Adamsen said Goodman has backed out of three scheduled debates -- one on Channel 10, one at the UNLV Hank Greenspun School of Communications and one on the Ed Bernstein show.

Ironically, it was Adamsen who was a no-show for the last two candidate's forums leading up to the May 4 primary.

Adamsen did not attend a Downtown Community Development Corp. forum on April 15 and did not attend a forum at the Gay and Lesbian Center on April 22.

Goodman did not return calls for comment on Adamsen's claim.

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Las Vegas mayoral candidate Arnie Adamsen said he will focus his attention, if elected, on implementing a nighttime curfew to reduce juvenile crime.

Although he is calling for stricter child-curfew laws, Adamsen has not released any specific plans, except to say, "I'll start pushing for a real nighttime curfew so our kids stay off the streets and out of trouble."

He said he would also meet with Sheriff Jerry Keller and with representatives of the city attorney's office to make enforcement of any new curfew ordinance a priority.

"People should not be afraid to go out after dark in our city," Adamsen said.

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Absentee voting for the June 8 general election began Friday in the Las Vegas city clerk's office and continues through June 4.

Early voting will start Saturday at the clerk's office, the Meadows Mall and at one of four mobile sites.

Ward 1 voters can vote May 22, 24 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Community College of Southern Nevada, Charleston Campus, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd.

Ward 2 voters can vote from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 26, from 1 to 8 p.m. May 27 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 28 at the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive.

Ward 3 voters can vote May 29, 31 and June 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lucky's grocery store, 2400 E. Bonanza Road.

Ward 4 voters can vote June 2, 3, and 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rancho Santa Fe Theaters, 5101 N. Rainbow Blvd.

Meadows Mall and city clerk's office voting runs daily from May 22 to June 4.