Editorial: Hold elections if there are vacancies

Saturday, Feb. 17, 2001 | 12:46 p.m.

A common-sense proposal in the Nevada Legislature would require elections to fill vacant city council seats that have at least one year remaining in their terms. But Las Vegas city lobbyists cited the special election costs -- between $85,000 to $95,000 -- to scare off support for the bill, which was introduced by Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, who unsuccessfully sought an appointment from the City Council in 1999 to fill a vacant seat.

If the city of Las Vegas wants to debate costs, the fact is the city already spends a huge amount each year on its television station, which often is nothing more than public relations for its city council. In contrast, a special election is a relative drop in the bucket in the city's budget. More importantly, it is a wise expenditure to ensure that the will of the people is respected, a hallmark of representative government.

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