Boggs McDonald stands alone at debate

Diana Sahagun

Friday, March 2, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

The first scheduled debate between Las Vegas City Council Ward 2 candidates witnessed Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald flying solo.

Candidate Mark Solomon bowed out of the debate minutes before it was scheduled to begin Thursday after several residents began arguing with him over decisions he made while serving on the Planning Commission years before.

Solomon's exit left Boggs McDonald on her own. Candidate Henry Safford Harrison, citing a back injury, had withdrawn earlier.

The debate was organized by the Charleston Neighborhood Preservation Board.

Solomon's departure was precipitated by a heated confrontation in the back of the room. Several residents began accusing him of making bad decisions regarding their Peccole Ranch subdivision when he served on the Planning Commission five years ago.

After a shouting match, Solomon left. Later that evening, he said he left the debate because if he had stayed the focus would have been on the Peccole Ranch issue only, not other important issues.

Jim Davery, who lives on Marble Gorge Drive, complained that Solomon put buildings too close to their homes and lied to them about the buffer behind their homes.

Davery accused Solomon of making poor decisions while he served on the commission, decisions which caused their property values to plummet. One of those decisions, Davery said, was approving nearby condos without providing for adequate distance from single-family homes.

Solomon responded that when he was on the Planning Commission, he always voted for the proper landscaping and buffers. The condo problem residents faced in Peccole Ranch, Solomon said, were caused by the developer. He said the developer promised the residents a street for strolling behind their homes but instead built condos.

"There is nothing I can do or say to them, they're angry at me because I represent the seven-member Planning Commission," he said. "They have singled me out because I am the only one that talks to them"

Boggs McDonald gave a lengthy speech that drew intermittent rounds of applause by the 20 people attending. She spoke of her accomplishments in the ward since she was appointed in July 1999.

She said she has worked with the city to build more parks, mitigate traffic issues, and make improvements to the infrastructure. She said her success is tied to her philosophy of "putting people before politics."