Letter: Rhodes not right for city council

Friday, May 11, 2001 | 9:37 a.m.

It is a vital necessity to every citizen that we have a dedicated, brave and capable police force to protect our lives, homes and other property from criminals of every sort. Fortunately for North Las Vegas citizens, we have just such a police department under the capable hands of Chief Joey Tillmon.

When officers go on duty, they must deal with robberies, burglaries, assaults, rapes, domestic violence and any other number of incidents that may place them in danger. In most cases there is no advance warning when a perpetrator is armed, so it is necessary in every case to be prepared for the worst. We lost Officer Raul Elizondo in 1995, and owe our thanks to all the officers who daily risk their lives to keep us safe, and to their families who also suffer from injuries and loss of loved ones.

Our law enforcement agencies need the support and cooperation of every citizen, and, perhaps more important, that of government officials.

I am disturbed, appalled and angered at the salacious hate campaign North Las Vegas Councilman John Rhodes has engaged in during this campaign. Rather than spending $98,000 on vicious attacks on the police department, he should have focused on himself, and the fact that he had the highest taxpayer cell phone and travel bills of anyone on the council.

Aside from that, his dubious values in the matter of his personal ethics problems, and the fact that he is developers' "best friend," make him totally unsuitable to the office he holds.

We need someone who actually cares about the citizens and the city, and is not completely self-serving. I feel that he is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the city of North Las Vegas, and concern for its image should start with him.

EVIE KINNEY