Alden, Howard score big victories

Jeffrey Libby

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

As volunteers lugged ballot boxes through the blinding floodlights outside Election Central on Cheyenne Avenue, Linda Howard scanned a county-owned computer for updates while her daughter returned pager calls at the courtesy phones.

The scene was little different from six years ago when Howard lost her bid for the same seat on the Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada by 500 votes to Las Vegas attorney David Phillips.

Only this year, in her second grass-roots effort, Howard's 30 signs, 50 political pins and the help of about 25 volunteers fueled by fried chicken dinners paid off in a convincing upset.

Howard, a substitute teacher and former casino administrator, spent just $6,000 to leverage 58 percent of the vote in District 2, Subdistrict A. Phillips managed 42 percent.

Across the valley in Subdistrict D, encompassing Henderson, Laughlin and Searchlight, the race for regent was a lot more expensive and tighter than expected. Incumbent Mark Alden prevailed over Henderson high-tech businessman Jim Ratigan despite Ratigan's late, measured attacks against Alden's record.

But it took the certified public accountant $110,000 to earn his second term -- half of that money was his own. Alden won 55 percent of the vote to Ratigan's 45 percent.

Howard, 45, who made much of Phillip's poor attendance record during her campaign, credited her victory to the voter's ability to compare two track records this time around. In 1994, Phillips was a relative political unknown.

"I went door to door. I've been calling people. And I've done a lot of community service. People know that. And they've been reading the paper," Howard said. "He's made a record for himself. And I've made a track record. And evidently, my track record superseded his track record."

Howard said her first priorities as regent will be to work toward raising faculty salaries and to establish town hall meetings to give students a better forum to voice their concerns.

A community activist in West Las Vegas for the last 12 years, Howard said she will continue to be an advocate for minorities and work to create more programs that encourage students to go on to college.

She expressed some reluctance to endorse the proposed state college in Henderson, however, saying that she would like a more in-depth feasibility study to ensure that funding for UNLV and the Community College of Southern Nevada would not be diverted to support the new institution.

Alden, 56, also said he doesn't want to hurt funding for UNLV and CCSN. But he said the state college is necessary and possibly the most efficient answer to the growing student population in Southern Nevada.

Alden sees the state college allowing UNLV and University of Nevada, Reno to focus on becoming research institutes, which in turn would help move the state toward a more diversified economy.

Alden, who spent much of the night juggling two phones and directing about 60 house guests to dishes stuffed with grilled meats and Italian desserts, said he will continue to fulfill his role as watchdog for the community.

"I'm now the third most senior regent in the state and the most senior regent in the south," Alden said. "It will give me a tremendous opportunity to help out the students of Southern Nevada."