LV Council releases new ward map

Diana Sahagun

Friday, April 19, 2002 | 10:55 a.m.

Las Vegas' long-awaited redistricting plan gives Hispanics their first majority council seat but leaves several council members vulnerable, as they will face new voters when they run for re-election in 2003.

The proposed map, which was released by the city on Thursday and will be examined at a May 1 public hearing, gives a boost to Councilman Michael McDonald, but increases competition against Councilman Gary Reese, who will be representing a predominantly Hispanic district.

Hispanic activists see the creation of a 52 percent majority district in Ward 3 as a victory, but it could spell trouble for Reese.

Andres Ramirez, chairman of the Hispanic Democratic Caucus, said it is only natural that a Hispanic district would want Hispanic representation.

"I can't say with any matter of fact that someone is going to challenge Gary (Reese), but I'm pretty sure with the momentum building in our community ... there are people who will consider running against Reese for the council seat," Ramirez said.

The map's release follows weeks of council members battling behind the scenes to try to preserve their neighborhoods.

Although the city went through the process two years ago -- when two new seats were added -- redistricting was required again because the wards' populations had shifted.

Retired Wisconsin Judge Frederick Kessler was hired by the city to redraw the ward boundaries, as he did in 2000. He said Thursday that the map complies with the "one man, one vote" rule and Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which establishes certain criteria for dividing a district by wards.

The 2000 Census indicated that Reese's ward had the most population at 91,138 people, leading Kessler to take nearly 10,000 people out of his ward.

The 2000 Census indicated that Las Vegas had a population of 478,771, which requires each ward to have an average of 79,795 people. The proposed map shows ward population varying between 80,778 to 78,058.

According to the proposed map, Reese will give up Meadows Village -- a troubled neighborhood west of the Stratosphere -- and portions of downtown, including Fremont Street.

His new ward is expected to be 52.1 percent Hispanic.

Ramirez said his group has been working for years to create districts that preserve the minority voice. But he won't be satisfied until the city has a Hispanic council member.

Reese says he'll run his campaign like normal, and isn't concerned about a Hispanic candidate specifically.

Reese added that he was sad to lose some of the areas he has fought for.

Reese's loss, though, could be McDonald's gain. According to the proposed map, McDonald will get back the very areas he built his legacy on, before the wards were redrawn in 2000.

McDonald, who faced ethics charges last year, could find the support he needs to lift him into a 2003 re-election victory from the residents he used to represent.

McDonald represented Meadows Village when he was elected in 1995 until 2000, when the wards were redrawn. During his tenure, McDonald created the Neighborhood Services division, which was largely responsible for code enforcement and cleanup in Meadows Village. He also oversaw a massive effort that included demolishing buildings, and a Metro-backed "Operation Wham-Tam" to curb crime.

McDonald said he's excited about the possibility of going back into Meadows Village to make more improvements.

"When we had to leave it kind of hurt, now we're coming back," he said. "It's like going home again."

Councilman Michael Mack's ward is largely unchanged. Because of growth, he gave several precincts to Councilman Lawrence Weekly, but at the same time picked up some of Weekly's population near Rainbow and Lake Mead boulevards. A small precinct went to Councilman Larry Brown.

Weekly will also represent a majority-minority district, which will include a 33 percent Hispanic and a 22 percent black population.

Louise Helton, who challenged Mack in the 2001 council race, was drawn out of Mack's ward and into Weekly's.

Mack said she was not purposely drawn out of his ward.

Helton, a community activist, said she has no current plans to run for a council seat.

Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald's ward has been redrawn to include several precincts previously held by McDonald. That may not be a problem, depending on the outcome of her race for Nevada's 1st Congressional District.

She also gave up several chunks to Brown, who is up for re-election in three years.