Council additions seen as success

Erin Neff

Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000 | 12:36 p.m.

Voters narrowly approved the expansion of the Las Vegas City Council only last year.

But after 12 full months with the seven-member board, city leaders and residents alike overwhelmingly support the new system.

And although adding two council members this year created more expense and parochial thinking on the board, many say it also has made city government more efficient.

"Originally I was opposed to the expansion of the council just because of the costs involved," Councilman Larry Brown said. "(But) Just seeing how it's gone the first year, I am able to respond more quickly and effectively to constituents simply because there are fewer of them."

In June 1999 54 percent of the city's voters authorized the addition of two council seats. Voters were told the expansion would carry annual costs of $550,240 and a one-time construction expense of $170,000.

Mark Vincent, city finance director, said fears of cost overruns never came to fruition.

"We're a little bit under, and when we look at the costs to date, they're tracking pretty much to budget," Vincent said.

While the annual expense is expected at $531,000 this year, one-time construction overruns of $20,000 put the total spent at the amount voters were told.

But with six council members vying for funds for wards, and the mayor working hard for a piece of the same pie, money has created some problems inside City Hall.

"I think we're all fighting for dollars," said Councilman Michael Mack, whose Ward 6 was created last year.

Councilman Lawrence Weekly, who worked for Councilman Gary Reese when there were only four wards, said the additional zones have created some scrapping for cash.

"I've seen it," Weekly, whose Ward 5 is also new, said. "It's just a matter of people wanting things for their wards."

Vincent said he sees the same thing at budget time.

"There seems to be a tendency more to be parochial toward the wards," Vincent said. "Generally, there's a feeling we have to be much more considerate of some of the unique needs of the wards.

"I think it's natural," he added. "The fewer representatives you have, the more global you think."

But increasing the number of council seats also hiked the number of votes needed to approve any project.

And building a four-vote consensus has actually created a greater sense of collegiality, several council members said.

"If any project can get done, it takes all of us to do it," Reese, who represents Ward 3, said. "It's not a one-man job. It's a seven-man job."

Mack said that when he was a planning commissioner he heard stories of backdoor politicking that pulled the rug out from under a particular council member.

For example, with just three votes needed for consensus, if a developer did not get a good answer from the council member in whose ward the proposed project lay, he or she would go around that person and grab three other votes.

"If I've gone to the labor of having neighborhood meetings, I don't have to worry about the developer going to (Mayor) Oscar (Goodman) and the other council members and trying to backdoor it," Mack said. "I think that the seven (seats) has helped that. It's not as easy to get four votes as it was to get three."

The council members agreed that the expansion has reduced their overall workload, freeing up time to address specific concerns with more detail.

"It's allowed me to be a lot more accessible to my constituents," Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, whose Ward 2 is the city's most populous, said.

Before the expansion, her ward had 125,000 residents. Afterward that number dropped to about 77,000, but has been climbing steadily since.

"It's a little more manageable," she said.

Residents for the most part agree.

"When you already feel like a number, it's easier to know the number is smaller," said Judith Weiner, a northwest resident who was drawn into the new Ward 6. "This council is very accessible. (Members) hold meetings all the time and keep us informed."

The council's expansion has helped some specific causes.

For example, prior to redistricting, Boggs McDonald's ward included Summerlin residents who pushed for the expansion of U.S. 95 to ease their commutes to the rest of the valley. But she also represented the core Charleston Heights area, whose residents vehemently oppose the expansion through their neighborhood.

"Before you were representing people who may have competing interests," Boggs McDonald said.

But losing specific areas also has been difficult for council members who worked tirelessly on certain projects only to see them end up in another ward.

Councilman Michael McDonald, for example, worked for years to redevelop a blighted shopping center at Vegas Drive and Decatur Boulevard. When things finally began to happen at the center this year, the site was in Weekly's ward.

"I'm sure it was tough to give up at first," Weekly said, referring to pieces of his ward carved from McDonald and Reese's. "Still, up to this date, we're voting on things that they had going two years ago.

"But they've been a wealth of help and knowledge," Weekly added.

Brown, who worked for years on the northwest Town Center concept, said he has provided institutional knowledge for Mack, who now represents the area.

"A lot of my blood, sweat and tears have gone into the northwest," Brown, the Ward 4 councilman, said. "There will always be a part of me in Ward 6."

The change of geographic areas has actually improved relationships between the council members. Brown and Mack said they speak to each other daily.

Reese said he "has a great rapport" with Weekly.

"I just want to get things done," Reese said.

Although the financial and service aspects of adding two seats seem to be favorable, political ramifications are still not known.

Next year Boggs McDonald, Brown, Mack and Weekly face elections. Weekly and Mack were appointed to their seats Jan. 1. Boggs McDonald was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Arnie Adamsen, who had to resign after an unsuccessful bid in the 1999 mayoral race.

"I came in under a cloud that I was coming in as somebody's puppet," Weekly said, referring to the appointment process and his backing from McDonald. "I have not been led by anybody."

Mack said being the new kid on the block, and an appointed councilman at that, made it tough initially to gain the respect of his colleagues.

"I remember going and lobbying at first and being told 'Well, you're new,' " Mack said.

"You can't come in and Bogart (hog) someone else's project," Weekly added. "But at the same time you try to become a team player, you have to make a name for yourself."