Goodman softens rhetoric, not intent

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2000 | 11:28 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has toned down his rhetoric, but not his feelings toward Councilman Michael McDonald.

In fact, while the mayor said he won't pursue council action to remove McDonald from his seat, he will sign a petition seeking his recall.

"I'll sign it in a New York second," Goodman said this morning. "I'm not really toning down my rhetoric, I just feel as though the people in his ward need to be the ones to decide."

That recall effort has picked up momentum since Wednesday's decision by the city Ethics Review Board that McDonald twice broke city ethics laws.

On Monday, Steve Miller opened a makeshift headquarters at Valley View and Oakey boulevards to collect signatures from Ward 1 voters as motorists drove by beeping horns and waving in apparent support.

Miller's recall effort needs 2,995 signatures of verifiable Ward 1 registered voters to force a special election. Miller said he will count his petitions today and begin verifying signatures this week.

Although Miller said he is close to the amount of signatures needed, he will continue to collect them to provide a cushion in case the petition is challenged in court by McDonald.

The recall effort may be limited to Ward 1, but residents valleywide have largely unfavorable opinions of McDonald.

A News 3 Listens Insta-Poll conducted Monday by Survey USA for the local NBC affiliate, KVBC Channel 3, found 83 percent of residents want McDonald removed from office.

Of 500 adults surveyed, 55 percent said McDonald should voluntarily resign, 28 percent said he should be forced to resign, 12 percent said he should stay in office and 5 percent were not sure.

The recall effort under way also seeks to return Miller, a former City Councilman, to the Ward 1 post. Residents who sign the recall petition can also sign the petition to nominate Miller.

But City Hall sources said others in Ward 1 also are lining up as possible replacements to McDonald. Names surfacing include former city planning commissioners Marilyn Moran and David Griego and state Assemblywoman Merle Berman, who was just re-elected.

Even if what seems a likely recall election fails, McDonald faces possible removal from office two other ways.

Local attorney Frank Cremen, who has been assigned as special counsel to the city's Ethics Review Board, is determining whether the case against McDonald is sufficient to prosecute him through Municipal Court for violating city ethics laws.

If McDonald is convicted in Municipal Court of the misdemeanor charge, he will be removed from office.

Meanwhile, the Nevada Ethics Commission has set a Dec. 7 and 8 hearing on the same McDonald complaint citizen Robert Rose filed with the city board.

If the state commission finds McDonald violated state ethics laws, it can begin impeachment proceedings against him.

Rose said he filed complaints with both the city and state because he said he felt city ethics laws were more stringent.

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