Two new faces change look of council forever

Erin Neff

Monday, Nov. 29, 1999 | 11:32 a.m.

As two newly appointed city councilmen learn the ropes at Las Vegas City Hall, they are being taught how things worked with a five-person board.

On Dec. 15 when Lawrence Weekly and Michael Mack are sworn into office to represent Wards 5 and 6, not just new blood but also more bodies will fill the dais and forever alter the way city politics is handled.

Although some worry that the added wards will create less collegiality and more haggling over city funds and resources, others see an opportunity for better representation or to flex their political muscle.

"I'm in good shape," Mayor Oscar Goodman said of the soon-to-be seven-member council. "I've always been able to handle 12 or less."

Many view Goodman, a defense attorney used to jury verdicts, as the winner of the appointment game since he was able to secure three votes for Mack. Councilman Michael McDonald's choice for the Ward 6 seat, Orlando Sanchez, won votes from McDonald and Gary Reese.

Reese said that although he didn't support Mack because he moved into the new Ward 6 to vie for the appointment, he thinks Mack will have support now that he has been appointed.

"I told Michael Mack from the get-go that I couldn't support him because he moved into the ward," Reese said. "But now, that's behind us. This is not the power politics people talk about, this is about doing what's right for the city."

Mack said he has already "wiped the slate clean."

"I didn't hold any grudges when I had to come up for zoning matters or when other planning commissioners voted a different way than me," said Mack, a member of the Las Vegas Planning Commission and owner of several pawnshops and boutiques. "There's no hard feelings. It's just the way it went."

Reese said he is more concerned with the larger size of the council than who is on it.

"It's just like if you have five kids, it's really hard to split up the dollar," Reese said. "Now you have seven kids and it's even harder to split up the dollar."

Weekly, 35, who will represent West Las Vegas and a portion of downtown in the new Ward 5, said he thinks the art of negotiation will win out on the larger board.

"I don't think it's going to be so much of a fight," Weekly said. "It's just about lobbying. I really believe it's how well you get in and sell your projects."

Weekly is still in the process of determining who will serve on his staff. He said he plans to listen to the concerns of his constituents to forge his ideas for the ward.

Reese, whose ward currently encompasses the residents who will be assigned to Weekly on Jan. 1, said he is willing to lend a hand.

"In Lawrence's ward there are a lot of people who voted for me," Reese said. "They don't have one city councilman, they have two."

Weekly said he plans to use the appointed position as a test of whether he wants to run for election to the post when his seat expires in 2001. Uri Clinton, 27, whom Weekly beat for the appointment, would be his likely opponent if he chooses to run.

"I understand now that the best person doesn't always win," said Clinton, a lawyer and Clark County mediation specialist. "When election time comes about I'll run again."

Clinton said he wasn't personally soured by the contentious appointment process, but said he would like the council to require elections be held when seats open on the council in the future.

"It removes the political wrangling," Clinton said.

Sanchez, 36, the city's Building Services manager, was perhaps wrestled around the political ring more than the other candidates. In the span of two months, Sanchez was the front-runner who became caught up in an ethics board decision about his employment with the city before emerging as a front-runner again and eventually losing the vote in the 11th hour when Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald decided to go with Mack.

"I have a total insight on how politics work now," Sanchez said. "It was hard, but would I do it again?

"Yes I would. It intrigues me more."

Mack, 36, already has plans to run for the Ward 6 seat in 2001.

During the appointment process he met with many neighborhood associations and civic groups in Ward 6 and said he believes he has a good handle on some of the issues.

"I'm going to continue those efforts," Mack said.

He also plans to meet with Clark County Commissioners Lance Malone and Mary Kincaid to develop working relationships across government lines.

Fellow Planning Commissioner Leni Skaar will leave her post on that board to work part time as Mack's liaison for planning and zoning issues in his rapidly growing ward. Mack has yet to determine other staff members.

Mack said with both he and Skaar leaving the Planning Commission, he will make it one of his goals to ensure the board is filled with competent replacements.

"We're going to make sure we get good people there," Mack said. "We need people from a broad range of backgrounds to represent all issues."

Both Mack and Weekly have spent the week since their appointments rushing from meeting to meeting with a variety of city department heads and elected leaders.

Mack said the routine is helping him learn the ropes and form bonds with other leaders -- a process that will help make the larger board seem smaller.

"I've never had the experience working on the council when it was five," Mack said. "I've worked on a seven-member Planning Commission and it's been fine."