Mesquite mayor survives recall vote

Lisa Snedeker

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2000 | 8:56 a.m.

Mesquite still has a mayor despite a second attempt to oust him from office.

Unofficial results in record-setting voter turnout show that 1,351 residents voted Monday to retain Mayor Chuck Horne while 919 voted for his recall, said Larry Lomax, Clark County registrar of voters.

As the fastest-growing town in America with a population of less than 50,000, the city's growing pains were responsible for the most recent recall effort, Horne thinks.

"They were trying to recall me for enforcing the law," said Horne, 56, who successfully has sued members of his city council and threatened other such action.

The mayor says he has been attacked since taking office a little more than a year ago for trying to put an end to an era of "good old boy" government deals at the expense of taxpayers.

"This could be Dodge City," Horne said. "I promised the voters I would try to clean it up."

John McClintock, a five-year resident, said Horne is the only one in city government who follows the law.

"For years and years they did it a certain way, but they didn't do it right," he said.

But Horne's detractors say the mayor holds up city government with lawsuits and arguments over technicalities in the law.

Those behind the recall effort admit they are bitter.

"Congratulations to the mayor, but it's a terrible shame," said Kirk Lee, one of the leaders of the recall effort and the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

"I'm pushing for economic development and I feel he's holding the town back."

The Clark County District Attorney's office failed to press perjury charges that Horne filed against Lee in an earlier recall effort that fell short by 10 signatures, Lee said.

Mesquite, population 15,000, is 77 miles northwest of Las Vegas on the Nevada/Arizona border.

Horne is euphoric over the voter turnout as well as the results.

About 1,500 of the city's registered voters voted in the city's last mayoral election compared with Monday's nearly 2,300.

"I wanted the community voice to express itself," he said.

Despite their differences, the Mesquite City Council, which has to approve the results, is expected to make the election official.

The recall cost from $4,000 to $5,000, Lomax said.