Three council appointees face voters for first time

Diana Sahagun

Monday, April 2, 2001 | 10:41 a.m.

Three Las Vegas City Council appointees face election for the first time Tuesday to keep positions they have held for less than two years.

Only Lynette Boggs McDonald, of Ward 2, has even run a campaign before. She lost in a bid for the Legislature in 1998 against incumbent Assemblywoman Merle Berman, R-Las Vegas.

Appointees joining her on the ballot this week are Michael Mack in Ward 6 and Lawrence Weekly in Ward 5.

Because the three incumbents have never been before voters, they could be vulnerable, said Ted Jelen, chairman of the political science department at UNLV. But their short time on the council gives them some advantage.

"They certainly could be vulnerable, but they've also had some time in office to try to make themselves visible," he said.

Jelen said the fact that the incumbents have each drawn at least one challenger with high name recognition and a history in the Las Vegas Valley shows that challengers believe the incumbents are vulnerable.

"It's a lot of work, and you have to raise a lot of money," Jelen said, "so you would probably strike when you felt you have your best shot, when the person who holds the office seems weak."

Ward 2

Appointed by the council in July 1999 to fill the seat vacated by former City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, who lost a bid for mayor, Boggs McDonald became the first black woman to hold a seat on the City Council.

She is being challenged by former planning commissioner Mark Solomon and Harrison Henry Safford.

Boggs McDonald said the fact that she has walked the precincts and run a campaign before makes her a strong candidate.

"I think one of the reasons why I was the most qualified when the appointments were being discussed is because of all of those names who were being considered, I was the only one who had sought elected office," Boggs McDonald said.

She is seeking help from consultants Steve Forsythe and Bill Marion.

While she has only been on the council for 21 months, Boggs McDonald touts a number of accomplishments during her term.

The councilwoman says her accessibility has helped bring neighbors together and combat issues more quickly. She's held numerous Town Hall meetings and recently started an e-mail newsletter called "In the Loop," which provides Ward 2 residents neighborhood updates and information over the Internet.

She has also taken a strong stance on ethics in government, and a month after taking office sponsored a new ordinance that imposed additional financial disclosure on real estate interests.

Solomon, her main challenger, doesn't challenge her accomplishments but does find fault with the way she does business. Solomon calls Boggs McDonald a "career bureaucrat" and says she can't relate to residents.

Boggs McDonald served as assistant city manager from 1994 to 1997, then as UNLV's director of marketing and community relations until 1999, a record that Solomon says indicates she has been entrenched in the system for years.

Solomon said he will see problems through the eyes of constituents if elected. A former planning commissioner and member of the Planning and Zoning Adjustment board, Solomon said he has extensive knowledge into the city's master plan and how it should be maintained.

Solomon was also behind three recent ethics complaints filed against Boggs McDonald. Solomon admits he is friends or acquaintances of the men who filed complaints to the city and state's ethics commission, and the Secretary of State Election Division, over a trip the councilwoman made to the University of Notre Dame that was paid for by Station Casinos.

In response, Boggs McDonald released a report that showed Solomon had accepted 15 free rounds of golf as the guest of Peccole Nevada Corp. from 1997 to 2000 while he served on the two city boards.

Solomon did not disclose the rounds, valued at $3,602.

Ward 5

City Councilman Lawrence Weekly was appointed to the council for Ward 5 in January 1999, after two new wards were created. He previously served as City Council liaison for Councilman Gary Reese.

He is being challenged by former city councilman Bob Nolen, Charles E. "Doc" Broadus, Paul Holder, Charles Schneider, Anthony Snowden and Ruth Spear.

As Weekly sees it, his seat could be vulnerable, because the term appointee carries a negative connotation, and he's held the position only 15 months.

"I don't get the respect an elected person does, because I was appointed. That's why I want to be elected," Weekly said.

"Getting appointed allowed me get the opportunity to get in the system and have a better opportunity to meet constituents," Weekly said. "In one year there are some people who haven't done as many projects as we've done in our ward."

Weekly points to dozens of things he and his staff have accomplished, including three neighborhood cleanups in West Las Vegas, removing graffiti from 965 locations, and sponsoring several events including an Easter festival at Lorenzi Park, and Summer Youth Fair at the Meadows Mall.

Nolen, his main challenger, says Weekly is taking credit for things that happened long before he was appointed to the council.

For instance, Nolen said, Weekly takes credit for a seniors safety project that installs smoke alarms and outdoor sensor lights for free in seniors' homes.

Nolen said the senior program was in place well before he was a councilman in the 1980s, a position he held for 10 years.

Weekly said the city under his leadership began installing the lights for seniors, which was not part of the original program.

Nolen was elected to the City Council three times before leaving midterm to run for Las Vegas constable in 1996, a job he held for one term. During his time on the council, he said he helped save the city money by cutting back on city-owned vehicles used after hours by employees.

"This is about me wanting to return to office," Nolen said. "I have extensive knowledge and the ability to do a good job."

Ward 6

City Councilman Michael Mack was appointed to the council January 1999 to the newly created Ward 6 seat, representing the northwest. The area currently has 84,000 people and is expected to grow to 325,000 in 20 years.

He faces community activist Louise Helton, Rudolph "Rudy" Durso and Doug Opolka.

Mack, a former planning commissioner, has consultant Dan Hart running his campaign.

Mack said his proudest accomplishment over 15 months as a councilman is mending relationships with residents in the northwest, who have worried their urban lifestyle would be taken away.

Mack said since he came on board, two parks are under construction and a new elementary school is in the design phase.

But Helton, his main challenger, said the achievements are few and far between, and the residents are lacking basic services like traffic lights, parks and a senior center.

"There has been the tendency, since the 18 years I've been here, to get everything last, and we get the least of everything," Helton said.

Helton is best known for community projects she has helped create, including Classroom on Wheels. She said dealing with tight budgets and numerous agencies has given her a strong follow-through attitude, and she believes she could get things done quicker than Mack.

"I am very bottom-line oriented," she said. "getting the most bang for the buck."

archive