Rhodes only council member to face a runoff

Kris Hill

Wednesday, April 4, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

North Las Vegas Councilman John Rhodes expected a tight race against Robert Eliason, and he got one.

In a five-way race for the Ward 1 seat, Rhodes received only 36.6 percent of the vote during Tuesday's primary municipal election. He was the only incumbent on four City Councils in the Las Vegas area to get fewer than the 50.01 percent of the vote needed to win outright.

Therefore, he will be facing Eliason again on June 5, in the general election.

Eliason, who received 28.5 percent of the vote, will be able to count on support from Mayor Michael Montandon, who easily won re-election to a second term.

Rhodes said the voters will have a clear choice in the general election now that the field has been narrowed to two candidates.

He said he plans to continue to focus on the issues.

"Our message has resonated with the voters, and our goal will be to continue to do that," he said.

He said his message has included that he is the experienced candidate and that he will use that experience to continue to improve the quality of life for residents of North Las Vegas.

"I think my experience has demonstrated results," Rhodes said.

Eliason, who ran for City Council in 1997, said he plans to spend the next two months proving to the people he is the better candidate.

"We're going to look over the primary numbers and get out and talk to the people," he said.

He said he plans to focus on telling voters how he would improve public safety in North Las Vegas by addressing the concerns of seniors and helping families spend more time together at the city's public facilities.

Rhodes said he wants to bring more federal dollars into the city so that the downtown will be revitalized with more businesses. He also said he wants to see parks improved and new parks built.

North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith barely avoided a runoff, receiving 50.07 percent of the vote.

Smith, who was seeking a second term, was challenged by Mark Kincaid and North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Anita Wood.

Kincaid garnered 31 percent while Wood picked up 17 percent of the votes.

Smith said she was thrilled to win because it means she can stop campaigning and focus on other things. She said she plans to spend her next term working with the rest of the council on growth issues.

"We've got a lot of roads, parks, and fire stations to build and police officers to hire," she said.

Also in North Las Vegas, former homicide detective Warren VanLandschoot won a second term as Municipal Court judge by receiving 61.94 percent of the vote.