Boggs McDonald says statements by Solomon are misleading

Diana Sahagun

Friday, March 16, 2001 | 11 a.m.

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald is alleging statements made in a flier sent by Ward 2 candidate Mark Solomon are misleading, unfair and false.

The mailer, sent to ward residents, begins with an open letter from Solomon in which he explains a scenario from the councilwoman's recent town hall meeting.

During the meeting a resident asked for flashing crossing lights at Walter Johnson Middle School near Alta Avenue. A child was recently struck by a car in that area.

The resident was told that prior to 1990 no mandate existed to require the Clark County School District to fund flashing lights. After that year a law was passed requiring that the school district or a developer pay for the lights.

According to the flier, the resident was told the city can't afford to install the lights.

"I was shocked. That's the response you'd expect from a political appointee or a career bureaucrat," writes Solomon, appointed to the Las Vegas Planning Commission by former City Councilman Arnie Adamsen in 1990. "That's not the answer you'll get from someone who'll fight to keep our kids safe."

Boggs McDonald said she is offended by the notion that she doesn't care about the safety of children. She said since she was sworn into office about 18 months ago she has met with every school principal in her ward, placed more crossing guards near busy intersections and has worked with Metro Police for more traffic enforcement near schools.

A week after the town hall meeting Boggs McDonald said she met with city staff members regarding the crossing lights. A city staff member found the lights could be bought with Regional Transportation Commission funds and will be installed before school starts in the fall, she said.

"It is a misrepresentation to make it seem as though we gave a bureaucratic response and did nothing," the councilwoman said. "Nothing is farther from the truth."

Solomon said Thursday his astonishment over her alleged lack of concern was also expressed by some at the meeting.

"I have seen so far that she has taken positions that involve expenditure of funds to a point of not wanting to spend money on anything," he said.

The councilwoman recently voted against a library bond issue because it would have placed residents near the tax cap.

Solomon also refers to Boggs McDonald as a "career bureaucrat."

Boggs McDonald from 1994 to '97 was assistant city manager in Las Vegas. Prior to that she worked as director of marketing for the University of Nevada School of Medicine and, before moving to Las Vegas in 1991, was a reporter for a newspaper in Texas.

"I've been in the workforce for 18 years, only three years in government," she said.

Solomon believes the councilwoman's work as director of marketing and community relations at UNLV should count as government service.

"When you're part of the bureaucratic system, the disadvantage is that you have an interest in maintaining the bureaucratic system when you're making decisions that are affecting city employees, the budget, and you're not necessarily looking toward the greater good of the people," he said.

Boggs McDonald said her opponent is running more of a "smear campaign" than an issues campaign.

"I don't know what he stands for. All he has done is try to attack me," she said.

The councilwoman said she will consult legal counsel to determine whether statements made in the flier merit a complaint with the state ethic's board.

According to Nevada statutes, a person shall not with actual malice and the intent to impede the success of the campaign of a candidate, publish a false statement concerning the candidate.

Any candidate who alleges a false statement of fact that has been published in violation of the statute can file a state ethics complaint. If the commission finds a violation occurred within 10 days before an election it may impose on the person who committed the violation a civil penalty not to exceed $30,000.

Solomon said the flier is accurate and he is not trying to attack the councilwoman.

The commission has ruled on a similar matter involving Mark Kincaid, son of Clark County Commissioner Mary Kincaid.

In 1998, Steve Bergstrom, a candidate for North Las Vegas constable, filed a state ethics complaint against Herb Brown and his campaign manager, Kincaid.

Bergstrom, who lost to Brown, found problems with a flier sent by Brown's camp before the election. The flier stated that Bergstrom had no qualifications for the post and that Brown was the lone qualified candidate for constable.

In January 1999 the commission imposed a $10,000 fine against Brown for the statement that Bergstrom was not qualified for the position.

Last year the commission cleared Kincaid, saying he did not mislead the commission when he testified about the mailer.