Longtime assemblyman, civic leader May dies

Jace Radke

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2000 | 10:05 a.m.

With a tenure of more than 20 years as an elected official, public service was a lifelong commitment for former North Las Vegas Assemblyman Paul May Jr.

"It's kind of like being married for 18 years," May said in a 1984 Las Vegas Sun interview. "You just can't leave it and put it out of your life."

That type of dedication was a trademark of the longtime legislator who died Tuesday at the age of 72 after suffering a stroke.

"I think his dedication is one of the things he'd most like people to remember," said May's son, Paul May III, of Las Vegas.

"He was really a happy-go-lucky guy who loved being around people, and that was one of the reasons he loved his work so much. It's been an honor to hear from people who've worked with him over the years."

Services for the Southern Nevada resident of 57 years were scheduled for earlier today at Davis Paradise Valley Funeral Home, 6200 S. Eastern Ave.

May served in the Assembly from 1967 to 1983 and from 1986 to 1988, and was named speaker for the 1979 session.

In his time as an assemblyman, May addressed crime, tax relief and traffic as some of the major issues in Clark County. For a majority of his time as an assemblyman he served as the chairman of the Taxation Committee and was a member of the Nevada Multi State Tax Commission.

Former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan, the Sun's executive editor, remembers May has a legislator who was able to lead by example.

"Paul was a low-key leader who seldom, if ever, raised his voice," O'Callaghan said. "He accomplished a great deal in the Assembly by example. He was a kind man."

In 1984 then-Gov. Richard Bryan appointed May to fill the Clark County Commission term of Jack Petitti, who resigned after an FBI probe led to a bribery conviction. Petitti died Monday.

May lost his bid to win the commission seat in the September 1984 election to North Las Vegas Councilman Jay Bingham.

In a Sun interview shortly after losing to Bingham, May reflected on being out of public office for the first time in 18 years.

"The thing I enjoy most right now is when I get home at night and the phone isn't ringing," May said. "The newness of the peace and quiet is relaxing."

But for May the pull of public service was strong, and in an ironic twist in 1985 he was appointed to fill the North Las Vegas council position that Bingham had vacated.

May was born on Jan. 2, 1928, in Hot Springs, Va., but moved to North Las Vegas in 1943. He graduated from Las Vegas High School, and later built a career as a real estate agent, broker and as a lobbyist for the city of North Las Vegas.

May sponsored successful legislation to locate the first campus of the Community College of Southern Nevada -- then Clark County Community College -- in North Las Vegas.

He was active in the Las Vegas Elks, American Legion, North Las Vegas Township Democratic Club, the Air Force Association and Masons.

In addition to his son, May is survived by two daughters, Sandra Torres of Texas and April Phillips of North Las Vegas; and four grandchildren.