NLV candidates getting an early jump on election with signs

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

Potential candidates for office in North Las Vegas have been cluttering city streets with campaign signs, weeks before any formal announcement can be made.

Filings for City Council, mayor and Municipal Court judge don't open until next week, but a recent drive down Craig Road leaves no doubt in the casual driver's mind who is running for office.

Craig Road, one of the city's most heavily traveled streets, and Civic Center Drive near City Hall carry the election buzz with dozens of campaign signs already placed on vacant lots.

From the looks of Craig Road and Civic Center Drive, this year's municipal election will be hard fought, with four incumbents -- including the mayor -- seeking re-election and several candidates stepping up to challenge their seats.

So far in the sign count, Mayor Michael Montandon is leading the way, with at least 40 poster and trailer signs surrounding Craig Road and City Hall.

Robert Eliason, who has said he will challenge incumbent Councilman John Rhodes, has placed at least 25 signs, and Municipal Judge Warren VanLandschoot has visible at least 10 signs. Mark Kincaid, who has announced a challenge against incumbent Stephanie Smith, has placed about 10 signs around the city -- mostly trailer size.

Meanwhile, the city's attempt to try to curb the proliferation of election signs has quietly died in the Planning Commission.

In March the commission approved an ordinance that would have regulated election signs and allow them to be put up only 45 days before an election.

The commission enthusiastically and unanimously approved the ordinance, saying something had to be done to clean up the city around election season.

But the ordinance died quietly and was never brought to the City Council for final approval, City Attorney Sean McGowan said, after McGowan received a call from a lawyer who said the ordinance would violate First Amendment rights.

After he spoke with the City Council, McGowan said, there did not appear to be enough support to go forward with the ordinance.

Clark County also tried to pass a similar ordinance, and was faced with a similar threat of First Amendment challenges.

While McGowan said he has not looked at the possible legal challenges in-depth, the city did not want to pass an ordinance that was not supported by the law, he said.

"To talk about it in terms of visual blight in one thing, but to pass something that can be supported is quite another," he said.

Allen Lichtenstein, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said election signs are a free speech issue and the courts have generally struck down any kind of limitation of when signs can be posted.

Essentially, Lichenstein said, a candidate could start putting up signs four years before an election.

"The fundamental nature of the political process allows that, and it just makes sense," he said.