Commissioners lead spending race

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

Whether they face serious challengers or were essentially uncontested, Clark County commissioners up for re-election led fund-raising campaigns resulting in war chests that hovered around $1 million.

Clark County Commissioner Mary Kincaid, who was locked in a tight primary race, crept near fellow board member Erin Kenny's record-breaking amount of $1.2 million two years ago, raising $1.1 million.

Kincaid, who faces Republican Glen Easter in the general election, had nothing to spare; she spent $100,000 more than she collected. Easter collected $7,440 and spent $6,694.

"It's mind-boggling," said Kincaid, who remembers raising $800 during her first bid for North Las Vegas City Council 20 years ago. "I can't imagine spending that much money on a campaign."

In this race, the Democratic incumbent's first two campaign reports show she received a chunk of money -- about $300,000 -- from gaming-related sources. She also was heavily supported by developers.

One of Kincaid's most helpful backers is Venetian chairman Sheldon Adelson, who two years ago spent $2 million of his own to blitz Kenny and Commissioner Myrna Williams, a Kincaid ally.

The day of the primary election, when Kincaid narrowly defeated North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, Adelson-owned properties contributed $45,000 to Kincaid.

Smith was heavily backed by the Culinary Union, which was upset that Kincaid voted against an ordinance that would have prohibited the nonunion Wal-Mart from opening its supercenter in the county.

Financial support from Adelson, a well-known foe of unions, has been considered by some to be the death knell for candidates. But Kincaid, who initially rejected his offer, said she needed the money to combat the union's resources.

"It's more of the impression people get from it rather than anything real. I didn't want the gossip that goes with it," Kincaid said of Adelson's help. "He doesn't expect anything for it. If he does, he won't get anything for it."

In the race that is expected to be closest, Republican Chip Maxfield raised about $470,000 and spent $436,000 while opponent Democrat Lois Tarkanian collected about $555,000 and spent $508,000.

While Tarkanian claims Maxfield, a civil engineer who co-owns Southwest Engineering, has ties to developers he received more than $85,000 from casinos. During the last reporting period, between Aug. 24 and Oct. 25, he received about $90,000 from construction and land development-related firms.

Of the $338,098 Tarkanian collected during the most recent reporting period, $38,000 came from gaming companies. About $105,000 in in-kind services was spent out of the Tarkanian family's coffers.

As the battle between Tarkanian, a 12-year member of the Clark County School Board, and Maxfield became more nasty, more money was spent on television advertising.

Maxfield, who defeated District C incumbent Lance Malone in the primary election, invested about $52,300 on television ads to confront Malone. In a two-month period ending last week, he spent $145,000 battling Tarkanian over the airwaves.

Clark County Commission chairman Bruce Woodbury, whose challengers in District A raised no more than $200, also closed in on the million-dollar mark by collecting $809,000. He spent $363,000.

Woodbury, a 20-year veteran on the commission, said his fund-raising effort consisted of sending out one mailer in December informing supporters he planned to run again and hosting one fund-raising party.

"I sat back and most of it came from people who contacted me; I guess I didn't tell them to go away," Woodbury said. "You plan for a close race, and you don't know until filing who you have. It turns out it wasn't a tough race."

Woodbury said he will offer to give his contributors all or part of their money back. The rest, he said, will be used to support community organizations and events during his term. He can also use it to contribute to other candidates.

In the race for District D, Yvonne Atkinson Gates raised $616,530 and spent $455,292 while her opponent Joanna Wesley collected $5,431 and spent $5,432. Malone spent about $100,000 refunding contributors after his Sept. 5 loss to Maxfield.