EOB leaders look for alternatives to election process

Judy Odierna

Friday, Dec. 13, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

The five Economic Opportunity Board members chosen in Tuesday's election may not have a chance to run again in the future.

Executive Director Marcia Rose Walker said the nonprofit organization is considering eliminating community elections as the way to select the five members to represent low-income communities in Clark County, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

An evaluation sheet of Tuesday's election is being passed out to candidates, election workers and those who signed in at the polls.

The sheet questions each person's experience at the polls, whether or not the process was fair and whether the elections should be continued in the future. One possible way to fulfill the mandate requiring representatives for the low-income community may be to look to other organizations such as the Salvation Army that have the same mission.

"We are very concerned with the process," said Christine Brady, community relations officer for the EOB. "It may have worked wonderful back in the '60s but it may not anymore. We have been debating how to change it."

Walker said a change is essential to the organization.

"This has to be the last time we have a community election," Walker said. "It is just too costly."

Some members also say the voting system doesn't work.

"It is antiquated, outdated and flawed," said Chairman Claude Logan, who was re-elected Tuesday. "We service more than 50,000 people and only about 174 people participated Tuesday. We are not getting the maximum participation for the amount of dollars we spend."

Logan said the elections cost the EOB more than $5,000.

The elected seats represent three areas. Two seats represent Clark County, two, the city of Las Vegas and two, the city of North Las Vegas. Candidates must reside in the area they are running to represent, though they do not have to be low income.

Those elected were incumbents Henry Herbert and Logan for Clark County; Marion Bennett and Gene Collins for Las Vegas; and Chester Richardson for North Las Vegas.

Voters have to declare that they are low income and must vote within their geographic area.

However, there is no way to prove whether or not someone is really low income.

"It goes on the honor system," Walker said.

Some election workers complained that voters became angry with them on Tuesday when they wouldn't allow people to vote outside their geographic areas. People also became angry when they were asked to show ID to prove where they lived.