Nolen, constable, councilman, dies

Angela Soo and Ed Koch

Monday, Oct. 15, 2001 | 9:59 a.m.

Bob Nolen ran the gamut of roles in Southern Nevada -- from being a cop to his long and sometimes rocky service on the Las Vegas City Council to owning his own private eye service, through several turbulent years as constable to a brief stint as boss of a topless bar.

"He just loved meeting people and helping people," said Cindy Nolen, his wife of 11 years. "Even when he wasn't councilman anymore, people still kept calling him to ask him for help. He had a reputation for getting things done."

Bob Nolen, who as councilman addressed issues of booming growth while fending off several recall attempts, died Friday of an apparent heart attack in Elko during his annual bird-hunting trip. He was 60.

Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Palm Mortuary with a graveside service to follow at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Earlier this year, Nolen, who served as Las Vegas city councilman representing Ward 3 from 1983 to 1993, attempted a return to office, running unsuccessfully against Councilman Lawrence Weekly.

Bob Walsh, Nolen's media liaison in that election, said Nolen was a city councilman during a rough time when massive growth was a pressing issue.

"All of a sudden, the city council was faced with infrastructure problems and transportation problems that were having an impact in the community like never before," Walsh said. "He didn't have a lot of models to work with. He was proud of being a part of the council during such a critical time."

Nolen also served as the council's representative on the Regional Transportation Commission and Regional Flood Control District board.

Nolen was born in Gunter, Texas, on Sept. 10, 1941, and moved to Las Vegas when he was 10.

After high school Nolen joined the Army and served for eight years, part of that time fighting in the Vietnam War. He returned to Las Vegas and worked as a North Las Vegas police officer and later in the district attorney's office as an investigator.

Nolen ran Corporate Intelligence International, a private investigations firm, during his years on the city council, where, in 1990, he married his third wife, Cindy Nolen, who worked for the city manager at the time.

"He always said the third time's a charm," Cindy Nolen joked. "On our first date, he picks me up in a limo and we're drinking champagne. On our second date, he picks me up in a pickup truck and we go watch football. There's never a dull moment with him."

During his time in office, Nolen was under the constant threat of recall by those who criticized him for, among other things, voting as a member of the flood commission in favor of the Lake Las Vegas project and voting to close the city pound and contract with Clark County's Dewey Animal Center.

Lake Las Vegas became a successful upscale development and the closing of the local pound led to the opening of the Animal Foundation's low-cost spay-neuter clinic, which eventually became today's privately run city pound.

In 1989 Nolen faced four recall attempts. His opponents failed in every attempt to get the required number of valid petition signatures. Because of seemingly frivolous recall efforts of the era, state laws were changed to force those who instigate recall efforts to disclose sources of income and file as political organizations.

In 1993 Nolen resigned from the council to accept an appointment as Las Vegas constable. He won a full term in 1997 and retired in 1998.

In 1996 Nolen was accused of being a "petty tyrant" by his deputies. They claimed he spent little time on the job and used the resources of his office to work on the campaigns of his politically connected friends.

Nolen dismissed the complaints as the gripes of disgruntled employees, who eventually complained about him to the Nevada Ethics Commission. After well-publicized hearings, the ethics panel issued a critical report of Nolen's operation and fined him $5,000.

A District Court judge ruled against the ethics panel's action, saying it overstepped its boundaries, and the Nevada Supreme Court threw out the fine.

In 1999 Nolen become a manager for Olympic Garden, a topless nightclub.

"I offered him a job because someone had quit," Olympic Garden owner Pete Eliades said. "I liked Bob, because he was very honest. He told me he needed to sit down with his family to think about it. He said he never visualized himself having a job like this."

Eliades and Nolen met 35 years ago during a traffic stop when Nolen was a North Las Vegas police officer.

After two years at the Olympic Garden, Nolen decided to quit for his final run at office.

Besides his wife, Nolen is survived by his mother, Mildred Nolen of North Las Vegas; his brother, Rod Nolen, and two sisters, Joy Adair and Sue Edwards of North Las Vegas; daughters Vickey Terry and Shelli Lawton of Las Vegas, Sherry Ridge of Round Lake Bridge, Ill., and Robin Hardee of Hillsborough, N.C.; sons, Rob Nolen and Dave Webster of Las Vegas; and nine grandchildren.

The family said donations can be made to the American Lung Association or Child Haven.