Poll shows slim lead for Tarkanian

Jeffrey Libby

Monday, Sept. 25, 2000 | 11:45 a.m.

A new poll says voter turn-out, not party loyalty, could decide the race for the Clark County Commission's District C seat.

The poll, conducted Sept. 19-20 by New Jersey-based SurveyUSA, shows Clark County School Board member Lois Tarkanian taking 50 percent of the vote to political newcomer Chip Maxfield's 45 percent.

But that slim margin could widen if more women head to the polls Nov. 7, according to the survey. Of the 500 likely voters queried by telephone interview, Tarkanian took 55 percent of the women's votes to Maxfield's 42 percent.

Maxfield, however, fared better with men. Forty-nine percent of the men polled supported Maxfield compared with 44 percent for Tarkanian.

The poll has a 4.5 percent margin of error. It was commissioned by KVBC Channel 3.

The poll differs slightly from one conducted Sept. 15-18 by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. That poll gave Tarkanian just over a 3 percent edge.

Gail Tuzzolo, a campaign consultant for Maxfield said the gender split revealed by the SurveryUSA poll cut too close to be significant. She called the race a dead heat.

"Whether you're a man or a woman, when you drive around this valley and you see streets torn up that were just torn up a year ago, that affects you," Tuzzolo said.

Maxfield, who has 20 years experience as a civil engineer, is making improved communication between city and county planners and commissioners one of his primary campaign issues.

Maxfield also continues to plug the need for government accountability to taxpayers. That issue served him well in the Republican primary in September when he trounced incumbent Lance Malone.

Tarkanian, who gave the gender gap more credence, said, "One of the critical parts of the campaign is getting middle-class women who vote occasionally to see that there are important issues affecting them."

Tarkanian, like Maxfield, wants to improve communication between planning agencies "so that people can get to and from work and spend more time with their families."

She also has spoken of the need to establish a countywide plan to improve medical care. She also wants to establish more safe public parks and improve air and water quality.