Clinton says Neal unresponsive to his constituents

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000 | 9:08 a.m.

The state Senate race in District 4 is shaping up as a referendum on the past 27 years.

That's the amount of time incumbent Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, has held the seat, and how long his challenger, Uri Clinton, has been alive.

Both Democrats view the other with skepticism. Neal thinks Clinton is the gaming industry's political pawn, while Clinton charges that Neal isn't the legislator he used to be.

"Gaming would love to get me out because it would prove a point to other legislators," Neal said. "They would say, 'Look what they did to run out Joe Neal.' "

Clinton, who claims only a small portion of the $25,000 he's raised has come from the gaming industry, said Neal only focuses on his controversial gaming tax proposal.

"He comes from the old school of African-American politics where being a maverick worked," Clinton said. "Now the problems have changed, but his approach hasn't changed, and he's no longer accountable to the constituency."

Neal, 65, is a tireless civil-rights advocate and a self-described maverick not afraid to butt heads with casinos, utilities and Republicans.

"In the Senate at least, you have to convince a whole lot of Republicans to support you," Neal said. "My position is to resist that. I don't think you can find any individual legislator who has taken that stand."

Neal has a bachelor's degree from Southern University, served in the Air Force and worked for 29 years at the Nevada Test Site. He currently teaches at the Community College of Southern Nevada and is past chairman of the Economic Opportunity Board.

Neal's campaign signs, with the message "Unbossed, Unbought," hint that his opponent is neither because of those contributing. Tom Letizia, the consultant who helped get Oscar Goodman elected mayor of Las Vegas, is providing Clinton with strategy sessions.

Clinton says Neal is "uncooperative, uninterested and unfriendly" because he doesn't listen to residents and focuses only on his attack of gaming.

Clinton has a law degree from Gonzaga University, a bachelor's degree from UNLV and is working toward a master's degree from UNLV. He is currently a lawyer with the firm Parker, Nelson and Arin and he specializes in representing contractors in construction-defect cases.

Neal, who was first elected in 1972, has won re-election handily in each primary and doesn't expect anything different this time.

"We're trying to win the race in the primary," Neal said. "We'll try to get it over with."

Clinton said he thinks he will win enough votes in the primary to force a general election. If there are more than two candidates in a primary, and none get a majority of the vote (50 percent plus at least one vote beyond that) then the top two vote getters go on to the general election.

"My take on it is we will both be in the general election," Clinton said.

A third candidate on the Democratic side, Christopher V. Montanez, did not respond to mail or phone calls from the Sun seeking information. Montanez has reportedly withdrawn from the race, but his name will still appear on the ballot and inevitably draw some votes, which sets up the possibility of two Democrats running in the general election.