McDonald recall effort is lacking signatures

Erin Neff

Monday, Dec. 11, 2000 | 11:25 a.m.

With just one day left to collect petition signatures, the drive to recall Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald from office is short of the required number.

And although organizers are conducting an all-out door-to-door assault today to make up the 300-plus names they need, they say they'll try again if this effort fails to force a special election.

"If something doesn't go to a special election, then there can be another petition filed," former City Councilman Steve Miller said this morning. "If it does go to a special election, and then someone in the interim files another intent to recall, the second filer would have to pay for the special election."

Miller and Committee to Recall Michael McDonald Chairman Russ Driver began hedging their bets this morning after a last-ditch weekend drive to obtain the remaining signatures fell short.

"We have learned from our many mistakes," Driver said. "This has been an experimental effort, therefore we have an alternative plan if we come up short tomorrow."

On Saturday volunteers nabbed about 400 signatures, but tallied just 100 on Sunday -- leaving them short of the amount needed to force a special election and of any cushion to help withstand an anticipated legal battle over the signatures.

State law requires signatures from 10 percent of the number of people who cast ballots in the most recent election. Based on the 1999 election, in which McDonald beat Miller, recall proponents need 2,995 signatures of registered voters.

Miller said one of the mistakes the committee made was standing outside grocery stores in the ward and asking people if they were registered to vote in Ward 1. Since the ward's boundaries were changed late in 1999, many did not realize they were no longer residents of McDonald's ward.

More than 1,000 signatures had to be tossed out as a result.

The recall effort collected 900 signatures outside the polls on Election Day. But Miller said he thinks many would-be signers were intimidated by the presence of McDonald and his friends at the sites.

"They stood there and glared at them," Miller said.

Miller said others told him they are afraid to sign the petition, in light of media reports about McDonald and his assistant, Rick Henry, bringing guns to City Hall.

"That frightened some of our people," Miller said. "Some said we don't want McDonald seeing us signing this. People are intimidated by him and his gun-toting cronies at City Hall."

McDonald said today he would reserve comment until the petition drive ends Tuesday.

He spent the past month trying to keep a low profile at the same time he attempts to resuscitate his political career.

Yesterday he served holiday dinners to seniors at St. Anne's Annex on Maryland Parkway. He plans three holiday dinners Tuesday at senior housing complexes and another Thursday at Sartini Plaza.

McDonald has hosted these dinners since he took office in 1995 and plans to feed 1,000 seniors this year.

"The support that I've received has been very humbling and overwhelming," McDonald said.

When the Las Vegas City Council met last month to strip McDonald of his mayor pro tem position, several residents said they would stand by him due to his work in the ward.

City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald told residents that McDonald has been good to his ward, but said his unethical behavior made her unable to support him as a backup to the mayor.

The Las Vegas Ethics Review Board found McDonald guilty last month of violating the city's ethics codes twice. That case, involving McDonald's actions related to Las Vegas Sportspark and a tavern license matter, is being considered for criminal prosecution.

The State Ethics Commission, which was originally set to hear the case Dec. 6, granted McDonald a continuance until February.