Regents races facing no shortage of crucial issues

Jeffrey Libby

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

Before the September primaries, one race dominated state higher education, and the campaign rhetoric for a seat on the Board of Regents hovered around a proposed state college in Henderson.

But since the state Public Works Board in late September gave low priority to $36 million in funding for construction of initial school buildings, the proposed Nevada State College has taken a back seat, and the race has opened up to include a second contest between two old opponents in West Las Vegas.

Mark Alden and David Phillips, incumbents of Subdistricts D and A respectively, have been forced to trim their sails and defend their records.

Henderson high-tech businessman Jim Ratigan, 47, making his first bid for political office, criticizes Alden for not being the watchdog he claims to be and for waffling on the issues.

"The spaceship he's looking at -- it's not off by a mile. It's supposed to be going East and it's going West," Ratigan said.

Ratigan, who has served on high-tech advisory boards at the local and state levels for higher education, said the investigations into fiscal management practices at the Community College of Southern Nevada wouldn't be in the newspapers if Alden had been doing his job as chairman of the audit committee.

Alden, 56, a certified public accountant, said he initiated the audit that led to the investigations. Overhauling the audit system is an issue he has been working on since taking office six years ago, Alden said.

"The system needs to change from being compliance-based and nit-picking to an operational overview," Alden said, adding that he is pushing for more external checks on university system fiscal accounting.

Alden also supports establishing a third institution in Clark County for higher education, "but we have to make sure we're on solid ground with UNLV and CCSN," he said.

The proposed state college at Henderson is now in the hands of the Legislature, Alden said.

Ratigan criticizes Alden's position, asking how in February Alden could say he was against budgeting even a dollar for the state college and then in June, vote with the rest of the board to approve the $36 million in funding.

Ratigan, who has raised $36,000 to Alden's $56,000, said he wants more accountability from university officials. He also believes regents need to better define the long-term roles of each institution.

In the race for Subdistrict A, Linda Howard has taken aim at Phillips' weak attendance record and questions his input on many of the projects he takes credit for helping establish.

"I'll bring 100 percent representation to the seat," said Howard, 45, a part-time student and former guest service representative for a local casino. "I don't feel people are getting that representation now. They're only getting it 58 percent of the time."

During his six years as regent, Phillips has made 58 percent of board and committee meetings, according to records.

"I'm a product of the system," said Phillips, 48, who graduated from Clark High School and UNLV before heading to Washington, D.C., to earn his law degree from Howard University. "I want to make sure it works. I know where the weaknesses are."

With a new chancellor and three searches under way for new school presidents, Phillips said he wants to stay on to play a role during a time of transition.

He is also concerned by proposals to reduce the number of regents from 11 to nine as part of redistricting.

As part of his ongoing drive to provide equal access for minorities, Phillips points to his work establishing the UNLV continuing education downtown center, a dental school clinic and the A.D. Guy Educational Center.

"If you look at a map, it's like they built everything in a doughnut. Right in the center (West Las Vegas), there are no institutions," Phillips said.

Howard, who lost to Phillips by about 500 votes six years ago, disputes Phillips' role in those projects.

If elected, Howard said she would improve teacher and faculty compensation.

Howard has raised about $5,000 for her campaign. Phillips, who was fined $1,475 for not submitting campaign finance reports in September, declined to comment on how much money he has raised.